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A Newport engineer claims the long-held theory that the Egyptians used
outer ramps to construct the pyramids is 'impossible'. He believes that
the Egyptians built an inner core of zigzagging stairs, using smaller,
lighter blocks while the larger outer casing stones were placed on the
outside using scaffolding |
Were the pyramids built INSIDE OUT? Engineer claims ancient Egyptians built burial chamber first and then worked outwards
Dec 19, 2013 | DailyMail Online | Victoria Woollaston
For centuries it's been thought that
the ancient Egyptians built their huge pyramids by hauling heavy granite
blocks up specially crafted ramps.
Yet
Newport engineer Peter James has branded this ‘impossible’, claiming
the ramps would need to have been a quarter of a mile long or else they
would have been too steep to carry the large blocks up.
He
believes, instead, that the Egyptians built an inner core of zigzagging
ramps, using smaller, lighter blocks while the larger outer casing
stones were placed on the outside using scaffolding.
This means the pyramid was built up in layers and the top would have been built using scaffolding on the outside.
Peter James and his company
Cintec are experts in construction and have been restoring the Egyptian pyramids for the past 18 years.
Mr James told the MailOnline: ‘Looking
at the pyramids from a builder’s point of view, and not an
archaeologist’s, it’s clear that the current theories are nonsense.
‘Just
look at the numbers. Under the current theories, to lay 2 million
blocks, the Egyptians would had to have laid a large block once every
three minutes.
HOW WERE THE PYRAMIDS BUILT: CONFLICTING THEORIES
For
centuries archaeologies believed that the ancient Egyptians built the
huge pyramids by hauling heavy granite blocks up specially crafted
ramps.
Under this
theory, to lay 2 million blocks, the Egyptians would had to have laid a
large block once every three minutes and it would have taken 100,000
people.
Newport
engineer Peter James has branded this ‘impossible’ claiming the ramps
would need to have been a quarter of a mile long or else they would have
been too steep to carry the large blocks up.
He
believes, instead, that the Egyptians built an inner core of zigzagging
ramps, using smaller, lighter blocks while the larger outer casing
stones were placed on the outside using scaffolding.
They would have set out the four
corners a pyramid, like the four corners of a house. They then would
have built four access points in the centre of the pyramid.
Next they would have established where the burial chamber would need to be built, and that would have been built using granite.
Starting
from the walls of the burial chamber, the Egyptians could then build
ramps using the lighter, smaller rocks in zigzags (pictured above left)
around the structure, placing these rocks on top of each other as they
went in order to build the pyramid up in layers.
The
heavy blocks could then be either pulled up these ramps on sledges, or
placed on the outside using scaffolding made from timber and lashings.
This
theory builds on the work of French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin who,
in 2007, similarly claimed that the pyramids were built from the inside
out.
He suggested the
ramps would have been built in the centre of the pyramid, or in a spiral
30 to 50ft beneath the outer skin (pictured centre and right).
The
scaffolding used by the Egyptians would have been made from timber and
lashings and James knows this would have been successful because he used
these materials when repairing the pyramids.
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The theory is also supported by the maze-like inner structures of the
pyramids. This is the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid of Giza |
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The theory is also supported by the maze-like inner structures of the
pyramids. This is the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid of Giza |
‘Heavy blocks could
then be either pulled up these ramps on sledges, or placed on the
outside using scaffolding made from timber and lashings.’
James
continued that once the rest of the pyramid was built, the top blocks
would had to have been placed from the outside, but would fit together
like ‘Lego.’
He also said
that he was sure of this theory because when studying the structures he
noticed that none of the blocks on the later pyramids were bigger than
30 or 40cm thick.
According
to Mr James, as the different pyramids were built from the Step pyramid
to the Bent and Red pyramid and finally to the True pyramids, it was
clear that the Egyptians were innovators.
‘Really
these pyramids show a lot of innovation of how [the Egyptians] overcame
problems, and how they resolved them in the next pyramid.'
He
was inspired by this alternative theory when he was asked to look again
at the Step pyramid after the burial chamber had collapsed.
‘People believe the Egyptians built this as a stairway to the heavens and to the gods, but it’s more simple than that.
On
timber and lashing scaffolding, the Egyptians would not have wanted to
go higher than 10 metres at a time, so they built 10 metres, took a step
inwards and built another 10 metres. It’s not symbolic, it’s
practical.'
Whichever method was used, on these different pyramids, it would still have been a substantial job.
The
Great Pyramid of Giza, for example, is believed to have been 481ft tall
when it was built but has sunk slightly and is now around 455ft tall.
The base is said to cover 756ft.
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Originally, Giza, pictured, and other pyramids would have been covered
by casing stones. This would have given them a smooth outer surface, yet
this is missing from the current structure and all that remains is the
underlying core. James believes the larger stones would have crumbled
because of 4,000 years of heat exposure |
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MYSTERY OF THE OUTER CASTINGS
Originally, Giza and other pyramids
would have been covered by casing stones. This would have given it a
smooth outer surface, yet this is missing from the current structure and
all that remains is the underlying core.‘Some
locals claim that these stones were stolen, but I can’t see anyone
wanting to climb that high to do that,’ said Peter James.
‘Archaeologists
claim that the pyramid casing fell off, especially on the bent pyramid,
because of the foundations. But it’s not that either. Not at all.‘It’s
a simple temperature problem. The outer blocks heat up to 40 and 50
degrees during the day and at night it cools to 4 or 5 degrees.
‘When
limestone heats up, it expands and it never goes back to where it
starts. This would have caused the casing and the structure to warp and
bend meaning the problem was all over the pyramid, so it couldn’t be
foundations.
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Originally, Giza and other pyramids
would have been covered by casing stones. This would have given it a
smooth outer surface, yet these are missing from the current structure
and all that remains is the underlying core.
‘Some
locals claim that these stones were stolen, but I can’t see anyone
wanting to climb that high to do that,’ continued James.
‘Archaeologists
claim that the pyramid casing fell off, especially on the bent pyramid,
because of the foundations. But it’s not that either. Not at all.
‘It’s
a simple temperature problem. The outer blocks heat up to 40 and 50
degrees during the day and at night it cools to 4 or 5 degrees.
‘When
limestone heats up, it expands and it never goes back to where it
starts. This would have caused the casing and the structure to warp and
bend meaning the problem was all over the pyramid, so it couldn’t be
foundations.
'And after 4,000 years, that’s a lot of expanding and movement. There’s a builder’s story to be told here. Not an academic one.’
The reason Egyptian chose the pyramid shape is believed to stem back to the Egyptian sun god Ra.
Ra was said to have created himself from a pyramid-shaped mound of earth before he created all other gods.
The
shape is also thought to be symbolic of the sun’s rays and they were
usually placed on the western side of the Nile so the pharaoh’s soul
could join the sun as set.
James’
theory supports that suggested by French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin
in 2007. Like James, Houdin began working on the riddle and quickly
found flaws in the two existing theories.
He claimed the ramp must have been a spiral 30-50ft beneath the outer skin.
He
added that his theory could be proved by radars and heat detecting
cameras as the ramp had to remain inside the finished structure.
The
two theories mean that that 4,000 people could have built the pyramid
using the techniques outlined - rather than previous estimates of around
100,000.