Nexus - 0601 - New Times Magazine-pages

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a ramp massive enough to accompany these huge blocks. While — planes—a top, a bottom, a back, two sides—and a slanted front orthodox Egyptologists remain mired in the worn-out cliché that cut at 51.51 degrees. Kunkel deduced that once the first four rows ‘with enough people you can move anything’, Noone ascribes a far of those casing stones were put in place, you had a huge square greater degree of technological and engineering prowess and into which you could introduce and impound water. Those casing intelligence to the ancient Egyptians than the mainstream is will- stones would hold a pond covering the 13 acres inside of those ing to do. blocks. Men would then be working waist-deep in water. About the ramp theory, Noone had this to say. "The single "With a simple water lock at one corner, blocks could be ramp theory, the long ramp, was dis- brought into the work pool on a counted because every time a level " the long ramp [theory] was barge. One man would than walk in of blocks would be laid, you'd have . . waist-deep water, guiding a block to raise the level of the ramp. The discounted because every time a which would be called a 'back-up a Id be a mile 1 and A block' that Id go behind th would have to be taised every time level of blocks would be laid, of casing stones, gently sliding it off you went up a level. The ramp | You'd have to raise the level of the back of the barge to put it in would consume four times more the ram place. The placement would be aided material than the Great Pyramid p- with a thin lubrication film of cement, itself! After this theory was dis- The ramp would consume four one-fiftieth of an inch thick. This times more material than the counted in the early days, a clever fellow came up with the idea that cement boggles the mind of stone masons today because it was stronger spiral ramps, wrapped around the Great Pyramid itself!" than the stone it bonded together. Pyramid, were used to drag the This is how you can handle stones blocks up to a higher and higher without leaving handling scars. By level, 20 to 45 storeys high. The ramps 'somehow' stayed dragging precision-cut stones across miles of desert, you would attached to the Pyramid with some unknown type of superglue. chip them and there would be scars; but there are none on these But turning the corners with the larger blocks of stone would have blocks. By using water as your transport-and-setting medium, been quite impossible." you simplify the process. When they wanted to go up higher, they Noone suggests examining what makes sense. "Anyone who would raise the level of the water that was impounded by the cas- has been to the Great Pyramid will know you can still see some of ing stones and add the new ones. After that, they floated in a sec- the original casing stones. These are stones that are cut in five ond level of casing stones to be set on top of the first row. the ramp. "Zig-zagging across the northern face can be traced an ancient ‘carriage road’. Along its route are holes 8" round. This road was afterwards filled in with small stones. No evidence showed that it was used as such. A system of locks seemed more logical." Edward Kunkel's depiction of how the Great Pyramid could have been constructed utilising a system of water locks to float the blocks to the next highest course of construction. NEXUS - 43 The ramp would consume four times more material than the Great Pyramid itself!" DECEMBER 1998 - JANUARY 1999