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Egyptian Stuff
(Revised December 2003)
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This
section contains stories and information on various
topics connected with Egypt. It is not intended to be a
news service. Each link below takes you to an overview
of the subject being covered with onward links to the
full story. Some of the items started life as news
stories which, although now "time expired", have been
retained because they still provide useful background
material for those new to this area of interest. |
Contents
From The Antiquity Archives...
For those interested in the Great
Pyramid and theories about its use, The Towers On-Line is pleased to
present an excerpt from an article entitled
Pyramids And Their Purpose by
Noel F. Wheeler. It was published in the Spring 1935 edition of
Antiquity, an international journal of expert archaeology. The
excerpt firstly gives a description of how the Great Pyramid may
have been used in the funeral rites of the Pharaoh, secondly
identifies discrepancies in its construction that suggest it was
never used as a tomb, and thirdly presents a theory on where Khufu
was actually buried. It still makes for fascinating reading today,
sixty four years after it was first published.
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Digging Up The Past - A Dig Too Far...?
Join the Daily Mail's 'Special Correspondent' on a daytrip to Meidum
back in 1930. Read the eyewitness account of how it all went wrong
when the excavators tried to recover the contents of a newly
discovered intact burial. Some might say it was a
A Dig Too Far. It serves to remind us
how much of the past has been lost. The article is reproduced by
kind permission of and remains the copyright of The Daily Mail.
(added 30/01/99)
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Construction Of The Great Pyramid...
The following is a
description of the construction of the pyramids as told to a Greek
called Herodotus by various foreigners who had lived in Egypt.
According to Encarta '95, Herodotus (484?-425 BC), was a Greek
historian, known as the father of history, born in Halicarnassus
(now Bodrum, Turkey). He recounts the construction of the Great
Pyramid as follows: "The pyramid was constructed in tiers or steps,
something like battlements, and when the base was completed the
remaining blocks were lifted by a kind of crane made of short
timbers onto the first tier. On this first tier there was another
lifting-crane which raised the blocks a stage higher, then yet
another which raised them higher still. Each tier had its own crane
or it may be that they used the same one which being easy to carry,
they shifted up from stage to stage as soon as its load was dropped
into place. I describe the two procedures given in the two versions
which I have heard about. The finishing off of the pyramid started
at the top and worked downwards, ending with the parts nearest the
ground.
An inscription on the pyramid in
Egyptian characters records the amounts spent on horse-radish, onion
and heads of garlic, and if I remember correctly what the
interpreter who read me the inscription said, the sum involved was
1600 talents of silver (41,884 kilogrammes). If this is true, how
much must have been spent on the iron used, on other foodstuffs and
on the clothing of the labourers? Not to mention the time it took,
which cannot have been negligable, to quarry and haul the stone and
to build the underground burial chamber". It is interesting to note
that Herodotus makes reference to an underground burial chamber, but
no reference to the "King's Chamber" or "Queen's Chamber" as burial
chambers. Four centuries after Herodotus, the historian Diodorus of
Sicily (1st century B.C.) visited Egypt. His account speaks of all
three pyramids which he presents as being a funerary ensemble of the
fourth dynasty. He also evaluated the sum spent on horse-radish,
onions and garlic for the labourers on the Great Pyramid at 1600
talents. He disagreed with Herodotus in that he believed the
pyramids did not contain the bodies of the pharaohs, which according
to him, had been buried in safe and secret hiding places. The above
information is taken from a book titled "All Of Egypt" published by
Bonechi.The photograph of the scene at Giza is © 1996 S. R. Simpson.
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Door Into The Dark...
Door Into The Dark is the title of an article published in the
London Sunday Telegraph back in January 1995. It tells the story of
the delays and politics regarding the exploration of the "air
shafts" in the Great Pyramid at the time. The article is reproduced
here with the kind permission of The Telegraph Group Limited. It
remains the copyright of The Telegraph Group Limited.
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The Investigation Of The Queen's
Chamber Airshafts...
This section tells the story of the interminable delays in the
exploration of the Queen's Chamber southern airshaft. In 1998, Dr
Zahi Hawass, Director General of the Giza Plateau and Saqqara made
some statements regarding the continued exploration (or not) of the
shaft with which Rudolf Gantenbrink was not in agreement.
Rudolf's
views on the matter at the time are reproduced with his kind
permission. We also relate his thoughts regarding the breakdown and
subsequent replacement of the Great Pyramid ventilation scheme which
he designed and installed in 1993. The section also bring matters
more up-to-date with the investigation of the airshafts in September
2002.
Rudolf has his own official website called
The Upuaut Project which gives a
complete technical report on the investigation of the "air shafts"
from the beginning right up to the end of the work in 1993. The site
cannot be too highly recommended, both in terms of its content and
layout.
The full interview with Dr Hawass can be found on his official
website
The Plateau on the
interviews page under the title
"Guardian's Spotlight - Interview".
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Dr Zahi Hawass Official Website /
Guardian's Egypt...
Dr Zahi Hawass now has an official website known as The Plateau.
Having read his article on the future conservation of Egypt's
treasures and several other articles he has written, I have no doubt
whatsoever about his passion for his work or for his concern about
the long term future of Egypt's heritage. It is unfortunate that his
alleged "withholding of information" and dismissal of alternative
theories where no supporting evidence has been produced seems to
upset some people, resulting in the never-ending "conspiracy"
stories. It is noteworthy that Dr Hawass is now on amicable terms
with some of those with whom he had (and still has) significant
disagreements. Statements of support from these individuals have
been posted at Dr Hawass's website, presumably to make everyone's
position clear. This coming together of parties can only bode well
for the future.
From the same stable comes
Guardian's Egypt - the place to go
for a comprehensive tour of Egypt's monuments without leaving the
comfort of your own home. The site has won many awards for its
presentation and certainly deserves a look.
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Egypt Plagued By New Age 'Pyramidiots'...
The antics of "crystal-clutching new agers" are giving cause for
concern. They are also upsetting national pride by claiming that
aliens rather than the pharaohs built the Pyramids of Giza. In 1996,
five thousand people paid six hundred dollars each for an experience
like the one provided by Power Places Tours of California. This
particular outfit offers an opportunity to enter the King's Chamber
in the Great Pyramid, lie down in the stone sarcophagus and "connect
to spiritual experiences once available only to Egypt's highest
initiates". To orthodox muslims, such activities look like blasphemy
and some think they should be forbidden.
The authorities are keeping an open mind
about it, maybe because the Supreme Council for Antiquities can
charge two thousand egyptian pounds for a night inside the great
pyramid. Zahi Hawass, director of the Giza plateau has recently
stated that the new age ideas offend him. He says they are stealing
Egypt's history and he refers to them as pyramidiots. He is
particularly annoyed with the writings of Robert Bauval, Graham
Hancock and John West who all argue that the pyramids were built by
beings from Atlantis, by extraterrestrials or by angels. The culture
minister, Farouq Hosni has stated "This is piracy. Our history and
our civilisation must be respected." - source London Sunday Times.
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Excavations Around The Sphinx...
Click on the link for the official line on
excavations around the
Sphinx as told by Doctor Zahi Hawass, the egyptian government
official in charge of conservation work and excavations at Giza..
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New Chambers Found Inside The Great
Pyramid?
On Saturday 18th April 1998, The London Daily Mail published an
article entitled
Will this tunnel lead us to the treasure of the
Pharaoh? The article quoted a team of British researchers, namely
Simon Cox, Clive Prince and Lynn Picknett. A rebuttal of the article
was subsequently issued by Mr Cox. The Daily Mail article and Mr
Cox's rebuttal are reproduced in full along with the true facts as
on the 6th June 1998. Thanks is due to the Daily Mail for giving
permission for the article to be reproduced here and to Simon Cox
for permission to reproduce his rebuttal.
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The Shaft, The Subway And The
Causeway...
What is the story behind the shaft which passes through the subway
under Khafre's Causeway? Is it a shaft tomb of the twenty sixth
dynasty as described by famed archaeologist Dr Selim Hassan? Does it
have some connection with the ancient mystery schools of Egypt? Is
it a symbolic "Tomb of Osiris"? The Shaft, The Subway and The
Causeway is a series of pages that try to cast some light on these
questions. See the Contents Page for a full rundown of the material
available. Alternatively,
click here to go directly to our report on
how the FOX TV Special broadcast in March 1999 covered the location
and an analysis of the issues raised, or to cut to the chase,
see
the conclusion which finally reveals whether the beautifully
decorated chambers described by the Imperator of the Rosicrucian
Order, AMORC in the appendix to his book "The Symbolic Prophecy of
the Great Pyramid" actually exist.
See also the Egyptian State Information Service item about the
location entitled
Osiris' Tomb near Cheops' Pyramid, excavated and
Doctor Hawass's own article entitled
The Osiris Shaft.
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Phenomena Magazine...
If you are looking for news stories about Egypt, try the
Phenomena
Magazine website. It is frequently updated with links to stories
covering the latest developments in both mainstream and alternative egyptological research and beyond. The site also includes daily news
updates and a discussion board where you can have your say. Sounds
very much like...
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Duat Magazine / The Daily Grail...
... which is no surprise because it is run by the editorial and news
team that helped to set up Phenomena magazine after being enticed
into taking The Daily Grail under Phenomena's wing but then split
away again to reemerge, pheonix-like as
Duat Magazine. My head
hurts. Anyway, this excellent site run by Greg Taylor is rare indeed
in that it has a real sense of community. It is updated daily with
links to stories covering the latest developments in both mainstream
and alternative egyptological research and beyond. At the end of
each month, the daily reports are added to the site archive for
reference purposes. The site is also used by well-known authors to
provide updates on work-in-progress as well as featuring interviews
with them that cannot be found elsewhere.
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Luxor Sheraton Hotel Band Video...
If you feel like some light relief, take a look at this two minute
video (RealVideo format) filmed outside the Sheraton Hotel, Luxor in
February 1998. Things start to get interesting around one minute
into the video... Click on the
low, medium or high speed link
depending on your connection to the internet. Please advise if you
cannot watch the video, contact details at the end of the page.
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The Trumpet Of Tutankhamun
This remarkable program by Hans van den Berg contains a recording of
one of the trumpets found in the boy-king's tomb actually being
played in Cairo back in 1939. The program is divided into three
sections. The first section describes the discovery of the trumpet,
and gives information on its probable use in Ancient Egypt. The
second section lets you hear the trumpet being played in the
Egyptian Museum, Cairo for BBC radio and gives a description of this
unique event. The third section contains a photograph showing the
decorative features on the trumpet bell. You may
download the
program as a zip file (487k, runs under Windows 3.x. and Windows
95/98 and presumably later editions as well). Just unzip it and the
executable is ready to go. The program is ©1996, CCER - Utrecht
University, The Netherlands, and may be freely distributed without
cost provided it is not changed in any way.
Important Notice: The Towers On-Line has checked the
executable program "The Trumpet Of Tutankhamun" for viruses using
McAfee VirusScan and believes it to be virus-free, however The
Towers On-Line cannot accept liability for damage caused either to
your data or your computer system by using this program. If you do
not agree with these conditions, you should not use the program.
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