Questions: How far away from a major water source are/were the pyramids? Is there any evidence that perhaps, and here goes my big WAG, a lake was built around the “P” and the blocks floated into posititon? Just my two cents.
Tee hee hee…
and here I was all hot under the collar assuming it actually had something relevent to do with the topic of discussion… how silly of me. P-H-A-R-O-A-H; with my newfound wisdom I shall rule the Earth and all mere mortals shall bow before me… um, yeah :D. Back on topic, I don’t think a lake could have been built to float the blocks up. The complex is on a plateau, which would be very hard to flood deep enough (~480 feet). Also, desert sand is pretty bad at holding water. It would have made moving blocks easier, but to make such a lake would require exponentially more effort than the pryamid it’s self.
Wasn’t that right around the time Omar Sharif did that whole “Mysteries of the Pyramids” thingie?
May have been. I never saw it.
I seem to recall hearing something about Khufu/Khafre/Cheops (are these all the same person?) not being the one responsible for building the Great Pyramid, but just coming along later and claiming credit for it.
Is there any evidence to suggest that this is the case?
Egos, maybe. Couldn’t these things be one big pissing contest? Didn’t cost the pharohs anything.
I’ll offer up a WAG as to why the pyramids got built. The pyramids (does pyramid get capitalized in this context?) are all descendants of the earliest stone building, which according to this site was the step pyramid. I did think that there was an earlier building Egypt. Also, there is an early phase of Stonehenge that is a contemporary of the pyramids (roughly 2500 bce), but Stonehenge is more of a construct than a building. The pharaohs must have seen the step pyramid and said, “that isn’t bad, but build me a big, pointy one and you may have something.”
Of course, when god incarnate asked for something, you gave it to him.
A hypothetical scene as to how the pyramids came about…
Cast of Characters:
Amazingotep: Chief Archetect to Pharoah
Pharoah: The living Sun incarnate, wearer of the two crowns, guardian of the land of Chem, etc…
Amazingotep: Oh, mighty Pharoah! God made manifest! I have a plan to magnify your name and make easy your trip to the next life!
Pharoah: Go on…we will listen…we were pleased with your previous projects, although we wonder why you put animal heads on the statues…
Amazingotep: Ah…yes…well, as I was saying, oh Master of the two realms, your ancestor’s tombs have, while glorious, been simple mastabas and step pyramids. My plan outdoes them. We will build a pyramid, on the west bank of the nile, because, as you know, the west is the gateway to the land of death. Instead of a step pyramid, this will be a true pyramid…as the sun shines down on mankind, so shall it be here, with the pyramid rising to a point that will represent the sun. We will further build the outside with sandstone, so that, as the rays of the sun hit it, it will glow with the reflected light. There you will rest, prior to your journey to the next realm.
Pharoah: But how will you get the material there to build it?
Amazingotep: We shall first gather the stones near the pyramid site, then, once the harvest is brought in, the peasants shall load them on sledges, and then take them to the site. Then using a series of ramps and pullies, we will move the stones to where they need to go.
Pharoah: But couldn’t you just get those friendly aliens to help?
Amazingotep: Sire, you’ve been listening to Vandanken-ra again! Besides, they can’t help us…I asked and they said they were heading over the western ocean to draw lines in sand or something.
Too funny. ROTFLMAO.