Posted on 03/30/2007 4:57:51 PM PDT by Man50D
PARIS - A French architect claimed Friday to have uncovered the mystery about how Egypt's Great Pyramid of Khufu was built — with use of a spiral ramp to hoist huge stone blocks into place.
The construction of the Great Pyramid 4,500 years ago by Khufu, a ruler also known as Cheops, has long befuddled scientists as to how its 3 million stone blocks weighing 2.5 tons each were lifted into place.
Ending eight years of study on the subject, architect Jean-Pierre Houdin released his findings and a computerized 3-D mockup showing how workers would have erected the pyramid at Giza outside Cairo.
The most widespread theory had been that an outer ramp had been used by the Egyptians, who left few traces to help archeologists and other scientists decode the secret to the construction.
Houdin said he had taken into account the copper and stone tools available at the time, the granite and limestone blocks, the location of the pyramid and the strength and knowledge of the workers.
According to his theory — shown in a computer model available at http://www.3ds.com/khufu — the builders put up an outer ramp for the first 140 feet, then constructed an inner ramp in a corkscrew shape to complete the 450-foot structure.
Houdin also postulated that King's Chamber was hoisted into place through a system of counterweights.
Houdin said he plans to verify his theories through non-invasive tests on site.
It would take 1000 cranes to fly one of these blocks and then they would want to rest for a month. It had to be elephants.
Domesticated brontosaurus. Dozens of 'em. They could hold the blocks in big baskets in their mouths and just pass them up the stack. Only took a couple of weeks to build the whole thing.
But the permits... oy... the permits took *years*.
"I think they used cranes. Really"
Wow. I knew that the Ibis was one of their gods, but now I know why. Any bird species that can be trained to construct those babies is certainly worthy of worship.
And, quite tragically, all his work is classified.
update:
Egypt says no onsite tests for French pyramid theory
April 11, 2007
http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20070411-035121-2808r
...”It makes sense, but not great sense,” Zahi Hawass said. “Everybody can have a theory, you have 300 people and 99 percent of them are non-specialists, I cannot let them all go onto the site.” ...Houdin proposed mounting a joint expedition of Egyptian antiquities experts and French engineers to examine the pyramid using non-invasive methods, such as infrared and radar. “I cannot allow these people to check their theories unless they have a well-known institution backing them,” said Hawass.
Isn’t there suposed to an “i” at the end of this guys last name?
They did it with 3D Photoshop.
Also always thought of them as the perfect "ROOFED" fort....since catapulting was in at the time. They're BIGGGGGGGGG man made caves.
I agree with you...The building of the pyramids will be a big duh.....in the meantime....there’s grant money and book money to be made.
That is simply because he has not yet accepeted Origin.
Hallowed are the Ori.
Get a sweet, cushy government grant that you can string out for 8 years then in the last 2 months have your teen aged son bust out a 3-D model.
“Money for nothin’...”
Eric Weiss took the stage name "Harry Houdini" in honor of the then far more famous French magician Robert-Houdin.
I took a look around the net, and a copy of his celebrated Memoirs of Robert-Houdin seems to be available at http://www.bibliophile.net/.
Like you, the name struck me, and I wonder if the M. Houdin mentioned in the article is related to Robert-Houdin.
The "ancients" could teach a few things to some of the modern morons who pass for construction superintendents and architects.
Architect claims to solve pyramid secret
“They get smaller at the top!”
Prove it! I can tell that’s your pet theory backed by no Internet sources at all! Much less computer models:)
By jove, I think you have something: The Egyptians used Brontosauruses to build the pyramids!
"They get smaller at the top!"
The National Lampoon once ran an article on Great Engineering Disasters.
On the building of the pyramids, they drew, in ancient Egyptian convention of profiles, two engineers arguing over a blueprint.
In the background, a forest of timbers was supporting an inverted pyramid, as workers and stones were falling off.
They were holding the blueprint upside down.
I’m confused....my neighbor assured me the pyramids were built with long lost technology-crystal power.
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