Originally published at: A plausible theory for what the entrance vault to the Great Pyramid might be and what's likely behind it | Boing Boing
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Here in the US, we make things a little more obvious when it comes to our pyramids.
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Look, it’s obviously where the architect kept their razors to keep them nice and sharp.
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Not very sexy, but there ya go.
Beg to differ. It that’s what it is, it shows that they used existing–and important–structures to test new building techniques. It gives us a window, or I suppose a corridor, into how they developed their architectural techniques over time.
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It’s where the spaceship is. The pyramid is so the aliens wouldn’t forget where it was parked.
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Came here to say that. It is very cool that civil engineers were engaging in a best practise like this thousands of years ago.
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Corn store, duh.
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Clearly, it was an unused spcae that some hipster ‘artist’ was trying to use as an apartment until they got caught by security.
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There is a clear slot in those outer blocks, I’m sure if they ever do a visual inspection they will just find a pile of used razor blades inside
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(please let it be aliens, please let it be aliens. . . )
Experimental building technique.
“Gosh darn it!”
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If it was these, it would be an arch
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The apogee of pyramid building actually encompasses a very short period of time - perhaps no more than 50 years. Hi The techniques of building true pyramids was only established in the reign of Sneferu when they learned to manipulate large blocks of stone.
Previous pyramids had been built from blocks about the size of mud bricks) and to lay stones in horizontal courses to reduce stresses inside the superstructure. Sneferu also oversaw the centralisation of the Egyptian state that allowed labour to be marshalled and supplied to build the project. And even then Sneferu had two failed pyramids to his name.
It was his son that benefited in the Great Pyramid which would have presumably employed many of the same architects, gang masters and skilled workers at Sneferu. The majority of construction would have been done within the first five to ten years of Khufu’s reign with most of the pyramid erected in a few years.
By the time Khufu’s grandson was on the throne, the quality of workmanship and ability of the state to finance such projects were in steep decline, even though pyramids continued to be erected for a couple more centuries. But they were usually shoddy, small and mostly mad from mud brick.
Anyone who is interested in the building of pyramids would enjoy John Timer’s book on the Great Pyramid which explains its context in both the architectural and social history of Egypt.
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Apologies for the typo above - I’ll try to proof read better next time - the book is by John Romer, who is always a wonderful read.
That Bass Pro shop is (iirc) the 7th largest pyramid in the world.
Not bad for a civilisation that doesn’t even believe in Ra 
