The Great pyramid, located west of Cairo, is the only standing remnant of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Built more than 4000 years ago, the great pyramid is comprised of over 2 and a half millions blocks of limestone, some weighing 70 tons each. The Structure stands 454 feet tall with a base that expands over 13 acres. The four sides slope upward at a fifty one degree angle and each outside wall spans 5 and half acres. Between each stone is an area one fifteenth of an inch thick with extremely strong cement holding it together. The pyramid was said to have been erected during the reign of Khufu. The great Pyramid also known as the great pyramid of Giza is the largest of three pyramids in the same location. There are many mysteries regarding the great pyramid that are yet to be solved. Would such an abstract structure be a mere tomb?
Architectural Design:
Unlink the other two structures the great pyramid appears to be uncompleted with a flat top where a stone cap should be. Another mystery is why the pyramid was even built. There has been speculation that it was a tomb or monument for a pharaoh like most other pyramids, and also theories of it as an astronomical observatory, a place for Egyptian rituals, a giant sundial, and many other things, some very strange. The list of who built the pyramids includes the Egyptians along with Atlantians, Sethites, and even aliens. The internal structure of the great pyramid of Giza is what makes it extremely unique and unlike all the others. Within the walls of the massive structure lay a massive cavity known as the grand Gallery which you pass as you ascend upward towards the “King’s Chamber”. The Purpose of this magnificent gallery still remains a mystery as well. Before years of weathering and other elements took its toll on the structure the pyramid was recorded by the Greek historian Herodotus as being covered in a highly polished limestone and that the joints were so fine you could barely see them, giving the pyramid the look of being comprised of one piece.
Symbolism and Sacred Objects:
Once exploration began many investigators uncovered some of the pyramids secrets. In 1637, Oxford astronomer John Grieves discovered a well shaft at the entrance of the “Queen’s chamber” Next Nathaniel Davison discovered another chamber directly above the “King’s chamber” in 1763. Following Davison, Napoleon vested much interest in the pyramid. However it was in 1837 when Colonel Howard Vyse brought the pyramid into modern scientific investigation. Vyse uncovered some of the original polished limestone coverings, and opened up the air shafts to the king’s chamber which allowed air flow in from outside and kept the room at a constant 68 degrees regardless of the temperature outside.
How it is used by Worshipers:
The study of the pyramids reached a new era in the second half of the nineteenth century with the start of “Pyramidology” Pyramidologists such as John Taylor, Piazzi Smith, and Joseph Seiss began to look at the structure as a divine treasury of Chronological, astronomical, mathematical, and biblical truths. Adam Rutherford one of the most famous pyramidologists believed in the prophetic timeline of the pyramid, and also predicted the second coming of Christ and the end of life. The argument that these people held was that the structure of the pyramid was much too complex and had significant details that most tombs would not have. They argued that it must have been a place of worship.
SOURCES:
http://www.gizapyramid.com/overview.htm Introduction and overview of the Great Pyramid of Giza
The Origin and Significance of the Great Pyramid, by C. Staniland Wake, [1882], at sacred-texts.com
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