Secret secrets of the Egyptian pyramids. Ancient pyramids of Egypt: history, description and secrets

The first wonder of the world of all time, one of the main structures of our planet, a place full of secrets and mysteries, a point of constant pilgrimage for tourists - the Egyptian pyramids and in particular the Cheops pyramid.

The construction of giant pyramids, of course, was far from easy. Enormous efforts of a large number of people were made to deliver stone blocks to the Giza or Saqqara plateau, and later to the Valley of the Kings, which became the new necropolis of the pharaohs.

IN currently There are about a hundred pyramids found in Egypt, but discoveries continue and their number is constantly increasing. At different times, one of the 7 wonders of the world meant different pyramids. Some meant all the pyramids of Egypt as a whole, some the pyramids near Memphis, some the three large pyramids of Giza, and most critics recognized exclusively the largest pyramid of Cheops.

Afterlife of Ancient Egypt

One of the central moments in the life of the ancient Egyptians was religion, which shaped the entire culture as a whole. Particular attention was paid to the afterlife, perceived as a clear continuation of earthly life. That is why preparation for life after death began long before death and was set as one of the main life tasks.

According to ancient Egyptian belief, man had several souls. The soul of Ka acted as a double of the Egyptian, whom he was to meet in the afterlife. The soul of Ba contacted the person himself and left his body after death.

Religious life of the Egyptians and the god Anubis

At first, it was believed that only the pharaoh had the right to life after death, but he could bestow this “immortality” on his entourage, who were usually buried next to the tomb of the ruler. Ordinary people were not destined to enter the world of the dead, the only exceptions being slaves and servants, whom the pharaoh “took” with him, and who were depicted on the walls of the great tomb.

But for a comfortable life after death, the deceased had to be provided with everything necessary: ​​food, household utensils, servants, slaves and much more necessary for the average pharaoh. They also tried to preserve the person’s body so that Ba’s soul could later connect with him again. Therefore, in matters of body preservation, embalming and the creation of complex pyramid tombs were born.

The first pyramid in Egypt. Pyramid of Djoser

Speaking about the construction of pyramids in Ancient Egypt in general, it is worth mentioning the beginning of their history. The very first pyramid in Egypt was built about five thousand years ago on the initiative of Pharaoh Djoser. It is in these 5 thousand years that the age of the pyramids in Egypt is estimated. The construction of the Pyramid of Djoser was led by the famous and legendary Imhotep, who was even deified in later centuries.

Pyramid of Djoser

The entire complex of the building being erected occupied an area of ​​545 by 278 meters. The perimeter was surrounded by a 10-meter wall with 14 gates, only one of which was real. In the center of the complex was the pyramid of Djoser with sides 118 by 140 meters. The height of the Djoser pyramid is 60 meters. Almost at a depth of 30 meters there was a burial chamber, to which corridors with many branches led. The branch rooms contained utensils and sacrifices. Here archaeologists found three bas-reliefs of Pharaoh Djoser himself. Near the eastern wall of Djoser's pyramid, 11 small burial chambers were discovered, intended for the royal family.

Unlike the famous large pyramids of Giza, Djoser's pyramid had a stepped shape, as if intended for the pharaoh's ascension to heaven. Of course, this pyramid is inferior in popularity and size to the Cheops pyramid, but still the contribution of the very first stone pyramid It is difficult to overestimate the culture of Egypt.

The Pyramid of Cheops. History and Brief Description

But still, the most famous for the ordinary population of our planet are the three nearby pyramids of Egypt - Khafre, Mekerin and the largest and tallest pyramid in Egypt - Cheops (Khufu)

Pyramids of Giza

The pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops was built near the city of Giza, currently a suburb of Cairo. At present, it is impossible to say for sure when the Cheops pyramid was built, and research gives a strong scatter. In Egypt, for example, the date of the start of construction of this pyramid is officially celebrated - August 23, 2480 BC.

Pyramid of Cheops and Sphinx

About 100,000 people were simultaneously involved in the construction of the wonder of the world, the Pyramid of Cheops. During the first ten years of work, a road was built along which huge stone blocks were delivered to the river and the underground structures of the pyramid. Work on the construction of the monument itself continued for about 20 years.

The size of the Cheops Pyramid in Giza is amazing. The height of the Cheops pyramid initially reached 147 meters. Over time, due to sand filling and loss of lining, it decreased to 137 meters. But even this figure allowed her for a long time remain the tallest man-made structure in the world. The pyramid has a square base with a side of 147 meters. To build this giant, it is estimated that 2,300,000 limestone blocks were required, weighing an average of 2.5 tons.

How were the pyramids built in Egypt?

The technology of building pyramids is still controversial in our time. Versions vary from the invention of concrete in Ancient Egypt to the construction of pyramids by aliens. But it is still believed that the pyramids were built by man solely by his own strength. So, to extract stone blocks, they first marked out a shape in the rock, hollowed out grooves and inserted dry wood into them. Later, the tree was doused with water, it expanded, a crack formed in the rock, and the block was separated. Then it was processed into the desired shape with tools and sent along the river to the construction site.

To lift the blocks up, the Egyptians used gently sloping embankments, along which these megaliths were dragged on wooden sleds. But even with such a backward technology by our standards, the quality of work is surprising - the blocks fit tightly to each other with minimal mismatches.

We can talk for a long time about the pyramids shrouded in myths and legends, their labyrinths and traps, mummies and treasures, but we’ll leave that to Egyptologists. For us, the Cheops Pyramid is one of the greatest structures of mankind throughout its existence and, of course, the only First Wonder of the World that has survived to this day from the depths of centuries.

Scheme of the Cheops pyramid

Video about the pyramids of Egypt

Video about the Cheops pyramid

The Egyptian pyramids - the only one of the “seven wonders of the world” that have come down to us - for many centuries have not only caused surprise, but also attracted researchers from various countries peace. Archaeologists, Egyptologists, mathematicians, and nowadays physicists, chemists and architects put forward various hypotheses and assumptions, trying to understand the purpose of the pyramids and explain how 5 thousand years ago builders, possessing only primitive tools and tools, were able to erect megaliths that would amaze even our contemporaries with its grandeur and precision of engineering calculations. This is what official or, in other words, orthodox Egyptology believes...

More than 90 pyramids have survived to this day. Some of them have collapsed over time, despite the fact that there is an Arabic proverb: “Everything in the world is afraid of time, and time is afraid of the pyramids!” Part of the pyramids is currently covered with sand. The pyramids are located on a rocky plateau that separates the fertile Nile Valley from the dead Libyan desert.

neither. They rise, lined up for 65 kilometers from Cairo to Fayum, as if in a huge parade square, where they are inspected daily by the Egyptian Sun God,

Scientists believe that there were significantly more pyramids in Ancient Egypt than have been discovered to date. In connection with this, in recent decades, international scientific expeditions have carried out intensive excavations, for example in the Saqqara area (south of Cairo), where the most ancient pyramid Pharaoh Djoser.

According to indirect evidence, this is where similar structures should be hidden. Back in the early 1980s, attempts were made to carry out excavations in the depths of the sand deposits, but they did not lead to anything. Success came when archaeologists decided to demolish the top of one of the sand hills. Under him was masonry, and soon another step pyramid was discovered, made of massive monoliths. According to preliminary data, this tomb was built 4,700 years ago. It will take a lot of time to fully research it...

None of the monuments of antiquity, in all likelihood, was the subject of such reverent treatment and not one of them was heaped with so much pseudoscientific and almost mystical nonsense as about the three pyramids - Cheops (Khufu), Khafre (Khafre) and Mikerin (Menkaura).

In a burst of enthusiasm unprecedented before or since, the pharaohs of the Fourth Dynasty are believed to have built these pyramids between 2700 and 2550 BC. To implement their plans, 11 million cubic meters of stone were broken out in quarries, delivered to the construction site and laid in the bodies of the pyramids, in temples and pavements.

Granite for finishing the pyramids in Giza was transported, for example, from the Aswan region, 1000 kilometers away. Meanwhile, Egypt of the Ancient and Middle Kingdom eras did not yet know the wheel. It appeared in this country only in the 17th century before

AD, during the era of the Hyksos invasion. But the wheel would still be of little use, since under such a weight it would sink up to its hub in the soft muddy soil... ; Despite scientific research carried out for centuries, despite numerous excavations and a whole stream of highly scientific works, no one to this day knows exactly how the ancient Egyptians delivered

stone blocks from quarries to the pyramids, what methods of organizing work and geodetic techniques they used to achieve incredible accuracy in the construction of these gigantic structures.

There has been a lot of debate and is happening now about the purpose of the pyramids, but for some reason the Cheops pyramid has always served as a starting point both for numerous studies and for the formulation of various hypotheses, guesses and even fictions... This assumption, however, has certain grounds, since there is an opinion that all the other pyramids of Egypt are just an attempt to imitate it without understanding and the intention of putting any special scientific meaning into their construction.

It is strange that the Pyramid of Cheops is not mentioned in early Egyptian written sources. The first mentions of it are found among the Greeks and Romans who traveled through Egypt. However, there is an alternative point of view that there seems to be no reason to believe that this pyramid had a different purpose than the other 90 of its smaller and even very small “sisters”...

And yet, numerous circumstances make it possible to give the Cheops pyramid the “palm” among other contenders for research. First of all, it really is a “pyramid of pyramids” (or Great Pyramid). For example, it was built so carefully that the gaps between its stone blocks are no more than 5 millimeters wide; one side of the base is only 20 centimeters longer than the other - this is an error of only 0.0009%!.. Its edges are quite accurately oriented to the cardinal points, and the deviation from the true north-south direction is approximately only 5 arc minutes.

The Cheops Pyramid is built from two and a half million blocks, each weighing on average 2.5 tons (the heaviest about 15 tons); its height is 147 meters, the length of the base side is 230 meters; volume - more

2.5 million cubic meters; this structure weighs more than six million tons...

Many people came to the pyramids. You can’t count how many of them there were - conquerors and adventurers, ordinary robbers and civilized marauders who transported the treasures of ancient Egyptian culture to European museums and private collections, scientists and madmen, travelers and military intelligence officers... All of them were amazed by what they saw: both the hidden greatness and the harsh severity and silent beauty...

KHAPHREN'S PYRAMID INCIDENT

The event discussed below occurred in April 1984. As always, there were tourists at the Pyramid of Khafre - the second largest on the Giza plateau after the majestic Great Pyramid. A rather impressive queue stood at the entrance to the tunnel leading into the bowels of the pyramid. They were waiting for a group of tourists to appear from a dark passage, having previously gone to Khafre’s burial chamber - a small room with an empty sarcophagus, where once there was the mummy of the ruler, who, in addition to his pyramid, is believed to have built the Great Sphinx - the mysterious “human colva.”

And finally they appeared, but in what form! People emerged from the tunnel, choking from coughing, with red eyes, staggering from nausea and weakness. Then the tourists said that they all felt pain in the eyes, irritation in the respiratory tract, and severe lacrimation. Many later claimed that they had difficulty breathing.

They tried to provide first aid to the injured tourists, during which it turned out that the best medicine is fresh air. Nevertheless, they were subjected to a scrupulous medical examination, but no concrete results were obtained, despite numerous

tests, it didn’t work. It was announced that a mysterious gas had leaked into the pyramid through an unknown means.

The pyramid was closed to visitors, and a special commission was urgently created. She had to determine the source and chemical composition of the gas, which was believed to have neither color nor odor and spread throughout the few rooms of the pyramid. Those responsible for tourism in Egypt just shrugged their shoulders, and the local and world press once again remembered the “curse of the pharaohs,” which we will talk about a little later...

Immediately after the incident with tourists in the Pyramid of Khafre, several working hypotheses were put forward to try to explain what happened. According to one of them, gases dangerous to humans could emerge from the bowels of the earth through faults in the earth’s crust; according to another, it was caustic gases from the Cairo sewer system that somehow penetrated the pyramid; according to the third, these are the actions of a certain attacker who released an unknown gas into the premises of the pyramid and whose handkerchief with a suspiciously irritating smell was allegedly discovered...

However, the most interesting version for historians is the one that claims that the unknown gas that appeared in the pyramid is clearly artificial. In other words, that he is one of the traps that the ancient builders built on the path of the robbers who attempted to destroy the tombs of the pharaohs, their relatives, high officials and rich people in general.

This version has the right to exist. The fact is that the ancient Egyptians actually robbed their rich dead. Exists a large number of papyri from the end of the New Kingdom, telling about the trials of tomb defilers, who were a constant object of desire for treasure hunters of all stripes and ranks. Judging by the testimony of the accused and witnesses, everyone was robbed - from priests and high officials to simple slaves.

Gangs of robbers literally followed on the heels of the funeral processions, hoping to profit at the expense of the pharaohs... The builders secretly took down the plans of the tombs, entered into an agreement with the guards, and sometimes with the priests. And they calmly carried the treasures outside. If it was not possible to reach an agreement, such plans were left as a legacy to the children, who later carried out what their fathers had planned.

As an example, we can recall the robbery in Giza of the tomb of Queen Hetep-Heres, the mother of Pharaoh Cheops. She was robbed almost the day after the funeral. But the dignitaries in charge of the security were afraid to tell the truth to the ruling pharaoh. They only reported that there had been an attempted robbery, but everything remained untouched. And then, in the dead of night, secretly from everyone, including the pharaoh, they moved all the valuables still remaining in the tomb to another place...

Historical facts indicate that, despite the solid walling of the tombs and all sorts of traps (“wolf pits”; labyrinths; falling boulders from above that blocked the entrances and exits; filling the buildings with tons of sand falling from above, etc.), Almost all ancient tombs were robbed...

But let’s return to our story... The Egyptian Ministry of Culture and the Department of Antiquities “liked” the version about the attacker, which they immediately adopted. True, representatives of the chemical service of the Egyptian army were also called to the area of ​​​​the Pyramid of Khafre. They took air samples from all the corridors, manholes and interior spaces of the pyramid to carry out the necessary tests, but no official results were reported.

From this it was concluded that there was indeed a dangerous basin in the pyramid; but they don’t want to report this so as not to scare away visitors. Now the Pyramid of Khafre has long been “rehabilitated” and, as before, welcomes tourists. However, although small, the unresolved mystery of the Pyramid of Khafre still remains...

ASPERGILUS FLAVUS - “CURSE OF THE PHARAOHS”

For a long time, there have been legends that pharaohs take revenge on people who risked disturbing their eternal peace... These legends about the so-called curse of the pharaohs are usually associated with the famous Valley of the Kings, which is located near present-day Luxor and which the rulers of Ancient Egypt chose during the New Kingdom as his final resting place. About eighty years ago, in November 1922, a certain Howard Carter, a young and ambitious English archaeologist, excavated the tomb of Tutankhamun. He managed to open the only burial chamber in it, almost untouched by the robbers. The word “almost” is used here because next to the tomb lay three skeletons of ancient robbers who did not manage to carry away the rich booty...

Until recently, it was believed that the scientist and his titled patron Lord Carnarvon, who paid the expenses of the expedition for many years, only looked through the well at the found tomb and immediately called the Egyptian authorities. It turned out, however, that before the arrival of officials, Carter and Carnarvon managed to “add” the most valuable things to their personal collections. This belated but sensational announcement was made former director American Museum “Metropolitan” Hoving in the book “In Search of Tutankhamun” published in the late 70s of the 20th century. Its author notes that the stolen treasures were subsequently sold to American museums, whose directors diligently concealed the origin of these exhibits... But let's return to the tomb of Tutankhamun...

From below to the very top it was filled with wonderful works of art of the ancient Egyptians. With the precision of a scientist, Carter later described it historical event, each of the things found and handed over to the Egyptian authorities. But I missed two details, although they

as some witnesses claim, they are immediately noticeable. The first of them is a clay stele, or, more precisely, an inscription on it:

“Death will come on its wings to those who disturb the peace of Pharaoh.”

No less ominous was the second inscription - on the statue of the guardian angel at the entrance to the tomb:

“It is I who drives away the tomb robbers with the flames of the desert, I am the keeper of the tomb of Tutankhamun.”

And then the incomprehensible happened: within a few months, out of the twenty people present at the opening of the seals, thirteen people left for another world. And mainly under strange circumstances...

On November 26, 1922, Carter, together with Carnarvon, whose money was used to organize the excavations, opened the pharaoh’s sarcophagus, and on April 6, 1923, Lord Carnarvon died unexpectedly at the Continental Hotel, having fallen ill with a fever caused by a mosquito bite.

In the same Continental Hotel, American archaeologist Arthur Mace, who was present at the sacrament and celebration of the opening of the tomb, died of an unknown transient disease. The first victims were followed by others: Carnarvon’s wife died from an insect bite, radiologist Weed, who examined the pharaoh’s mummy right in the tomb, English writer La Fleur, conservation specialist Mace and Carter’s secretary, Richard Bethel. By 1930, of the direct participants in the excavations, only Howard Carter remained alive...

And in the early 1980s, this sad list of “victims of the tomb” was replenished. On this list were the pilot and flight engineer of the British military aircraft that carried the treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb to London in 1972. Both died of heart attacks. Other crew members were also injured: one broke his leg,

another's house burned down, the only woman on board became seriously ill, and her husband divorced her...

Soon another “victim” was found, this time on the American continent. She turned out to be San Francisco police lieutenant George Lebarche, who guarded the exhibition of Tutankhamun's treasures in 1978 when it was in the United States. His post was just opposite the golden mask of the Egyptian pharaoh. A year later, the policeman was paralyzed, and three years later, Lebarche filed a lawsuit in the San Francisco courts for damages in the amount of about 20 thousand dollars. He claimed that the cause of his illness and loss of ability to work was “the curse of the pharaoh.”

“The Egyptians believe in a curse placed by the death god Osiris on anyone who disturbs the dead,” said lawyer Lebarsha. “Was my ward another victim?” Deputy City Attorney Dan Magure called the argument “far-fetched” and postponed the hearing. Lebarsh apparently lost his claim, since a positive court decision in this case would have become a “world sensation”...

Attempts to explain the mysterious series of deaths associated with the “curse of the pharaohs” on a scientific basis have not yielded results. I also remembered, of course, that the priests supplied the tombs with various traps against those who encroached on the wealth of the deceased pharaohs. The notorious “bioenergy”, which the ancient Egyptians allegedly possessed, did not go unnoticed. But all these assumptions did not explain the main thing: what caused the death of many researchers?

Some scientists expressed the opinion that the cause of death was pathogens unknown to science, in particular viruses, which have amazing vitality. This hypothesis was remembered when a similar incident occurred in Poland.

A mysterious death befell most of the fourteen who participated in the 1973 autopsy of the tomb of the Polish king Casimir IV in the crypt of Wawel Castle.

Jagiellonian, who reigned from 1447 to 1492. The procedure was not very long, but its results were disastrous: soon after it, of those who were present in the crypt, only two remained alive. The rest died from pulmonary diseases or from general poisoning (intoxication) of the body.

The Krakow version of the “curse” prompted scientists to undertake a detailed study of the circumstances of this drama. As a result of the analysis, not only unknown bacteria were found in the sarcophagus, but also one particularly aggressive microbe, which is usually found in swampy areas and buildings rotten from moisture. This microbe was found in the tissues of the body of King Casimir IV, and later in many ancient Egyptian mummies.

Previously, scientists did not imagine that this microbe, whose Latin name is “Aspergilus flavus,” could live hundreds of years underground without access to air and retain its qualities.

The microbes in question are ubiquitous: they are in spoiled foods, in soil and in water. They do not cause much harm to humans. However, their colonies, living for hundreds of years in one place and systematically poisoning their habitat, gradually become poisonous themselves. This microbe is especially dangerous for people whose bodies are already weakened by illness...

For example, French researchers found that almost everyone who fell victim to the “curse of the pharaohs” suffered from pulmonary or bronchial diseases. Lord Carnarvon's lungs were damaged after a car accident, and so he spent the winter months in the warm and mild climate of Egypt.

Actually, Aspergillus flavus always attacks the weakest organ in the human body, and since everyone dies from different causes - hemorrhage, heart attack, cancer - no one connects the consequences with a common cause. When they tried to unravel the “curse of the pharaohs,” the mechanism of action of this microbe was not yet known. The question remains unanswered: whether the “asper-

hilus flavus” into the Jagiellonian phobnitz by accident or was it placed there intentionally.

This is the topic of special research, which could possibly confirm the hypothesis that both in Ancient Egypt and in the Jagiellonian era, there was a special method of protecting perishable remains from future robbers, who would sooner or later be punished. Some Polish researchers claim that similar methods were used, for example, in the burial of Lithuanian princes.

So, for a long time, the “curse of the pharaohs” remained an unsolved phenomenon, but then a supposed “ray of light in the dark kingdom” appeared, namely: the microbe “Aspergilus flavus”... However, several decades later it was discovered that the terrible “curse of the pharaohs” protects not only ancient tombs... For example, the Soviets suddenly began to feel it, and now Russian soldiers and officers who spend a long time in underground bunkers of strategic missile launchers.

High temperature, headache, chills, and then loss of consciousness - in general, everything that archaeologists from “Lord Carnarvon’s team” felt before death. True, the mortality rate was not total, as in the case of the expedition of the English lord... When the unconscious attendants were raised to the surface, they were gradually cured with the help of antibiotics. But this unusual and inexplicable phenomenon gave rise to mystical fear among rocket scientists. Scientists and microbiologists came to the rescue here, establishing that the “curse of the pharaohs” manifested among the rocket scientists is a consequence of the influence of a microscopic pathogenic fungus that lives mainly in the dark...

In the early 90s of the 20th century, Seind Mohammed Sabet, a professor of medicine at Cairo University, made a discovery that to some extent sheds light on the problem of the “curse of the pharaohs.”

While accidentally walking through the Mummy Gallery in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo with a radioactivity counter, he discovered

lived that the counter began to register an increase in radiation levels. Subsequent studies of two dozen mummies confirmed that each of them was a source of radioactivity. What could this mean?..

According to Professor Sabet's assumption, the radioactive substance is contained either in the “stone heart” of the pharaoh, or in the so-called heart scarab - a small box that is necessarily present in every mummy. As an indirect confirmation of his hypothesis, Sabet refers to the fact that when he tried to examine mummies using X-rays, this did not work: the film behaved as if an intense source of radioactivity was present.

According to atomic scientist Louis Bulgarini, “the unexplained weakness and impairment of brain activity from which many pyramid researchers suffered is a consequence of exposure to radiation.” Apparently, the priests used uranium ore (which is still mined in Egypt today) to line the tombs of the pharaohs.

It turns out that the legend about the “curse of the pharaohs” has a real basis: the substance emitting deadly rays was known to the Egyptians five thousand years ago?..

“JAPANESE” MINI PYRAMID OF GIZA

To unravel the mysteries of the creation of the pyramids, Egyptologists tried many different methods. But perhaps the most unusual and expensive method was proposed in the late 1970s by the Japanese television company Nippon. In collaboration with Waseda University researchers, the company built a fourth mini-pyramid next to the three famous ones at Giza.

The purpose of this scientific experiment was supposed to be to find out how the ancient Egyptians were able to create these remarkable structures. At the same time

time in Egypt, it became known about the discovery of a group of archaeologists conducting excavations in the burial area of ​​Pharaoh Amenemhat II. Inside his tomb, dating back to the end of the 19th century BC, they discovered... a model of a hitherto unknown pyramid with all the internal rooms and passages. This find undoubtedly helped to understand the secrets of construction Egyptian pyramids and, of course, was used by Japanese specialists to implement their project.

The “Japanese” pyramid was built from granite and reached a height of about 20 meters, and its width was approximately 29 meters. The construction of the Japanese “wonder of the 20th century” took several months; several thousand people were involved in all these “events”.

During construction, following the recommendations of historians, techniques were used that were believed to have been used during the time of the pharaohs. For example, more than 70 Egyptian workers, using primitive tools, hewed stone blocks delivered from Helwan; they erected a flat sandy embankment along which these blocks were lifted up on special carts, and successively formed more and more rows of mini-pyramids, etc.

However, contrary to the intentions of Japanese scientists, they were not able to accurately follow the methods of the ancient masters at all stages of construction. Firstly, the cutting of facing slabs was carried out not with stone, but with metal tools. Secondly, at the final stage of construction it was necessary to use a crane, since the inclined plane was too steep to drag the stone blocks of the last tiers along.

Nevertheless, cameramen carefully recorded on film every stage of the construction of the mini-pyramid, details of the life of Egyptian workers, etc. It was assumed that no matter to what extent this unusual project would expand our understanding of ancient Egypt, the television films filmed here would be immersive.

fifth expensive experiment. This was especially important because, under the terms of the contract, the Nip-Pon company was obliged to dismantle the mini-pyramid immediately after filming the last frame of its construction.

The Egyptian press recognized the Japanese construction of a mini-pyramid as a failed experiment and almost immediately started talking about the notorious “curse of the pharaohs,” which allegedly affects all those who try to unravel the secrets of the ancient Egyptian pyramids and tombs. . If in the 20s and subsequent years of the 20th century, after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, Egyptian newspapers reported, the “wrath” of the pharaohs turned against English archaeologists and their assistants, now the “curse” fell on Japanese specialists who built a small copy of this next to the Cheops pyramid miracle Ancient world. Thus, the construction manager was paralyzed, and two other Japanese specialists received serious head injuries under mysterious circumstances.

Cairo newspapers saw the result of the “curse of the pharaohs” in the fact that Japanese scientists and builders never completed their task: they did not answer the main questions that were put to them.

The Japanese “miracle of the 20th century” was dismantled in accordance with the agreement, and the mystery of the construction of the great pyramids remained, as before, unsolved...

WHEN AND BY WHOM WAS THE PYRAMID OF CHEOPS BUILT?

The Great Pyramid... The Pyramid of Cheops... It’s strange, but not a single archaeological structure in the whole world has been studied for such a long time and as scrupulously as this artificial one.” stone mountain“...Basically, the questions posed in the title of this subsection are answered by A. Petukhov’s article “Pyramids - anti-nuclear shelters?”, the main theses of which we will introduce readers to.

Describing the Great Pyramid - a miracle of the Ancient World, Herodotus (5th century BC) and other travelers who visited Egypt at different times, referring to the testimony of local priests, certainly noted that the largest stone pyramid was built during the era of the Old Kingdom by order of Pharaoh Cheops. This happened more than 4500 years ago. This opinion is so established in our minds that few people ask themselves the question: “Is this true? Could this particular pharaoh have built it on the day of his death?”

As Herodotus writes, 100 thousand people worked in hard labor conditions for ten years to build this pyramid-tomb, and it took ten years to build the access roads alone. According to our current understanding, all this work was 95% done manually, and the total weight of processed and laid stone blocks is 6.5 million tons! Calculations of the efficiency of using muscle power show that even a 100,000-strong army of builders could not cope with this work in 30 years...

As you can see, the mystery in this case is not so much the parameters as the timing of the construction of the pyramid.

It turns out that Cheops ruled for only 23 years... There is a problem here: he couldn’t have given the order to build his own tomb without becoming a pharaoh? If he gave the order to begin construction work on the day of his accession to the throne, then where was his mummy kept for seven years? After all, according to ancient Egyptian customs, the soul of a deceased pharaoh found peace in the afterlife only after performing the honors appropriate to his rank during the funeral process and burying the body in a pyramid specially designed for this purpose.

About 140 years ago, some Egyptological scientists expressed doubts that the Great Pyramid of Giza is related to Pharaoh Cheops: The fact is that in 1850, a stone stele was dug up near the pyramid, which, in addition to self-praise to Cheops, contained information that the Great Pyramid and

The Great Sphinx had long been in place by the time the pharaoh appeared on the historical stage...

A group of scientists immediately formed who clearly declared the stele a fake, since the information contained on it in no way fit into long-established dogmas. Furthermore, about a decade and a half earlier, inscriptions were “discovered” inside the Cheops pyramid, which were interpreted as “stamps” of stonemasons, allegedly “stamped” on the stone in the 18th year of the reign of Cheops.

It is possible that to this day there would have been endless disputes over whose hieroglyphs are “more truthful” (on the stele or the blocks of the pyramid), if not for the research of the amateur historian Zecharia Sitchin. He proved that the main organizer of the falsification with “stamps” was... the English millionaire, Colonel of the colonial troops R. Howard Wiese, who was infected with the fever of archaeological discoveries.

It must be said that the forgery of “stamps” recorded in the diary entries of the colonel’s assistant secretary was very crude. For example, the inscriptions were made in “hierarchical writing”, which appeared only several centuries after the reign of Cheops; gross errors were made in them, which were not typical of the pharaoh's scribes - the most literate people of that time, and, finally, a “primary source” was established, which Howard Wiese used to apply “his hieroglyphs”.

This source turned out to be D. Wilkinson’s book “The Matter of Hieroglyphs,” which, by the way, contained all the inaccuracies and errors made by the English falsifier of history. And lastly... Howard Wiese made an inscription in the pyramid with two royal names - Khufu (Cheops) and Khnum- Khuf (grandfather of the first), from which a paradox followed: the grandfather continued the construction begun by his grandson!?

Thus, the conclusions from the studies of Z. Sitchin and other Egyptologists, associated with some features of the Great Pyramid, indicate that its binding

by the time of the reign of Pharaoh Cheops, it does not have any reliable justification.

Of undoubted interest in this regard is the message of the Arab scientist of the 9th century Abu Zeid al-Balkhi, which states that on the facing slabs of the Great Pyramid, now no longer preserved, inscriptions were extruded, from which it followed that since the construction of the giant pyramids of Giza many thousands of years have passed...

Apparently, “traces of their true creators must be sought in extremely distant prehistoric eras... Today, many scientists do not exclude the possibility that once upon a time there was a very developed civilization on Earth, which, in particular, was accessible to many achievements that seem fantastic to us today .

It is not without reason that some popular science sources connect them with the time of the existence of Plato’s legendary Atlantis (approximately 13.5 thousand years ago). Representatives of such a civilization could, for example, create “libraries” from Ica stones, and build pyramids in Giza, and even fly into near and far space...

Let's turn to the relatively recent research of the Cheops pyramid, carried out in March 1983 by robotics engineer Rudolf Gantenbrick, who sent a controlled robot into the southern shaft of the Queen's Burial Chamber. Having walked 65 meters, which was about half the distance, the robot transmitted an image of the door... This undoubtedly indicates the existence of something special there (perhaps more important than the supposed location of the pharaoh's mummy somewhere in the pyramid) and that the ancient Egyptians tried carefully cover...

Hence, the assumption naturally arises that the Great Pyramid was built for some other purpose and is not an ordinary tomb of a royal person... Another thing also became clear: the main purpose of the pyramid shafts is not ventilation at all, but orientation to a certain

named constellations, which may have been associated with the religious ideas of the Egyptians.

In 1996, the book “Secrets of the Pyramids” by Robert Bauval and Adrian Gilbert was published in Russia; and in 1997 - Graham Hancock's book “Traces of the Gods”. From these books it follows that as a result of many years of studying the Great Pyramid, the Belgian civil engineer R. Bauval (taking into account the measurements of the angles of the pyramid shafts carried out by R. Gantenbrick) made an amazing discovery in 1993.

He found that the southern shaft of the Pharaoh's Funeral Chamber is aimed at the stars of Orion's Belt, associated with the god Osiris, who brought civilization to the Nile Valley, and the shaft from the Queen's Chamber is oriented towards Sirius, the star of the goddess Isis. This situation is by no means accidental, but, apparently, is connected with the purpose of the Giza pyramids.

Bauval saw in the sky what Egyptologists, accustomed to looking only at the ground at their feet, missed, namely: the two lower stars of Orion's belt, Al-Nitak and Al-Nilam, form a perfect straight line, and his third star, Mintaka, turns out to be displaced to the left of the observer, that is, to the east. This is how the three most famous pyramids turned out to be located on the Giza plateau. Bauval discovered that on the plan of the Giza necropolis, the pyramid of Cheops corresponds to the position of Al-Nitak, the second pyramid of Khafre occupies the place of Al-Nilam, and the third pyramid of Mikerin is shifted to the east in relation to the diagonal formed by the other two.

Thus, the three pyramids of Giza are a kind of map of the three stars from Orion’s Belt, and they not only accurately display their relative positions, but also characterize their stellar magnitude by their relative sizes.

Further research showed that the Giza monuments as a whole are placed so that they form a map of the sky. But this map looks absolutely not the way it should have looked in the era of the IV dynasty (2500 BC), but the way it looked (and only that way!)

around 10,450 BC (it seems to us that more precisely - in 10,478 BC. - A.V.). In other words, this map of the sky takes into account the changes that occur as a result of precession...

Let us recall that precession is the extremely slow movement of the Earth’s rotation axis along a circular cone, the cycle of which lasts 25,980 years. It is clear that this phenomenon is hardly noticeable and can be recorded during long-term observations of stars.

Surprisingly, the “true builders” of the Giza pyramids, orienting the shafts of the burial chambers of the Queen’s Chamber and the Pharaoh’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid strictly towards certain stars, knew that these stars would certainly change their position over time, but their orientation would repeat after a certain time according to a cyclic law as a result of precession .

And the “true builders” also knew that this orientation of the mine would, as it were, “fix” some “time point” from the general time cycle... But why did they mention 10,450 (or 10,478) BC? Why exactly on this date did the “true builders” of the pyramids of Giza want to attract someone’s attention?..

R. Bauval established that the positions of the pyramids of the Giza complex always approximately reproduce the position of the stars of Orion’s Belt, but exactly corresponds to it, as Bauval said, only in one case:

“In 10,450 BC - and that’s it! -the location of the pyramids on Earth accurately reflects the location of the stars in the sky... First, completely by chance, the Milky Way as seen at Giza in 10,450 BC is accurate; secondly, to the west of the Milky Way, the three stars of Orion’s Belt were at their minimum altitude according to the precession cycle...”

Let's say a few words about a date very close to the above, namely 10,478 BC. In the book “Secrets of Atlantis”, published by the publishing house “Veche”

The reason for this was the approach of Halley’s comet to the Earth and the intense “bombardment” of the latter with fragments - the comet’s fellow travelers. So, the date 10,478 BC is also the time of the next subsequent rapprochement of the two above-mentioned celestial bodies, which apparently coincided with lowest point precessional cycle of the constellation Orion.

Perhaps the “true builders” of the pyramids, who decided to create an eternal memorial in Giza in 10,478 BC, were representatives of a highly developed human civilization, which could be called... Plato’s Atlantis!

And the gap of 8,000 years between the dating of the beginning of the construction of the pyramids and, possibly, its completion is, of course, a long time. However, it is not too long for a purposeful cult, which has set as its goal to convey to its descendants information about the global cataclysm that happened on Earth about a thousand years earlier, and that the almost complete destruction of humanity is an integral part of its life on our planet, what is The event has apparently happened many times already and will probably happen again...

WHY WERE THE PYRAMIDS BUILT?

At first glance, it may seem strange to pose the question: why was it necessary to build the pyramids? Orthodox Egyptology gives an unambiguous answer to this: for the burial of the mummy of the deceased pharaoh, so that his soul would find eternal peace after death.

Yes, there is no doubt that the previously built pyramids were used by the Egyptians as tombs. But were they originally intended for this?.. And this is far from an idle question, “since they have -

There are quite good reasons, if not to refute, then at least to doubt the claims of Egyptologists...

For example, there is a fairly widespread opinion that such giants as the Great Pyramid (and others like it) served not only as tombs of the pharaohs. Many ancient authors believed that in the size, shape, and wall inscriptions of the pyramids, their builders, who had deeper knowledge of the Universe than we - people of the 21st century, tried to preserve them for future generations.

Some modern researchers agree with this point of view, who sincerely doubt that such a gigantic and complex structure like the Cheops pyramid was built only as a tomb, even if it was one of the greatest and most powerful pharaohs.

If we assume that the Great Pyramid is a tombstone, then it should contain the mummy of the pharaoh, the accompanying treasures and utensils, which the ancient Egyptians usually placed next to the deceased in the belief that they would be useful to him in the afterlife. At the same time, it is known that the first “burglar” of the Cheops pyramid, the Baghdad caliph al-Maamun, did not find anything like that in it. However, as noted above, it is unclear whether all the premises of the pyramid are known today...

The mysticism of the pyramids for many centuries was fueled, as it was believed until recently, by the unbridled imagination of Herodotus, who was “guilty” of spreading the legend that the pyramid of Cheops was built over underground lake, in the middle of which there is an island where the pharaoh and his countless treasures are buried. By the way, in the last years of the 20th century, Russian builder A.A. Vasiliev put forward a hypothesis that confirms... the correctness of Herodotus.

At the end of November 1986, an article by N. Bondrovsky and S. Kashnitsky “The Last Riddle of the Sphinx” was published in Moskovsky Komsomolets, which talks about

hypothesis of A.A. Vasilyeva. This researcher suggested that the Cheops pyramid was not built at all as Herodotus says (from hundreds of thousands of individual blocks), but is essentially a built-up rock.

A. Vasiliev reconstructed the technology of constructing the pyramid, from which it followed that, in addition to the long-known galleries, there should have been a hidden tunnel in the pyramid. It is he who, as the author of the hypothesis believed, could lead researchers to the tomb of the pharaoh and his treasures. A. Vasiliev proposed testing his hypothesis and pointed out several “distinctive points” in the pyramid, the study of which could confirm it (the hypothesis).

So, Nikolai Bondrovsky decided to solve the “Vasiliev problem” during his trip to Egypt. It should be noted that Bondrovsky was very lucky in this regard, since, thanks to the support of the Egyptian authorities, he “found himself in the pyramid not as a tourist, but as a researcher.” He calmly photographed everything and visited places where “mere mortals” were not allowed anywhere near.

Bondrovsky, unfortunately, was unable to either confirm or refute our compatriot’s hypothesis. It turned out that Vasilyev was wrong in some of his assumptions. Some “points” proposed for verification simply turned out to be inaccessible. But it was confirmed that “the passages in the pyramid were made in the rocky ground.” True, it turned out to be impossible to determine to what height this is true. In addition, Bondrovsky “was able to see the block that, according to Vasiliev’s version, blocks the entrance to the secret gallery. This is an amazing discovery!”...

In an interview with S. Arsenyeva (“If the Sphinx laughs..,” “Moskovsky Komsomolets” dated December 16, 1994) to her question: “Why haven’t you organized a serious expedition yet?” N. Bondrovsky answered:

“Having devoted several years to this problem, I realized that attempts of this kind are ineffective. Funny, know

Many are of the opinion that the Egyptian pyramids stand in the desert. Dig for your health... Nothing like that!

The pyramids are located on the outskirts of Cairo, in a residential area called Giza. The Pyramid of Cheops... is guarded more closely than our mausoleum. And I don’t have the slightest doubt that the EGYPTIANS KNOW PERFECTLY WHAT AND WHERE IS IN IT. It would be strange to think that they are just sitting and waiting for smart Japanese, Americans or French to reveal their secrets! The pyramid is regularly repaired, restored, and EGYPTIAN SCIENTISTS KNOW EVERYTHING THAT IS PUBLISHED ON THIS TOPIC IN THE WORLD, ALL OUR HYPOTHESES AND FANTASIES... Obtaining permission to conduct an expedition is a whole problem. Dozens of world-renowned universities are queuing up. I suspect that IF THE APPLICATION INDICATES SOMETHING REALLY CAPABLE OF LEADING TO THE SOLVING OF THE PYRAMIDAL MYSTERIES, THE EXPEDITION WILL HARDLY TAKE PLACE. There are several reasons for this. The first, the simplest: tourism is not the country’s last source of income, and the pyramids are a magnet for tourists. Especially while they keep their secrets. Agree: a gutted treasury, despite all its antiquity, is much less attractive. The other reason is less obvious. There are legends (not only in Egypt) that the discovery of the secret of the Sphinx and the pyramids is directly connected... with the end of the world... It is quite natural that there is hardly an eccentric who will allow anyone to conduct such risky experiments in his home . There are also technical difficulties: Egyptian scientists know very well how quickly the most valuable finds, except, probably, gold, turn to dust if they are not immediately preserved on site. It's too difficult for now.

In short, the DEPARTMENT OF ANCIENTS IS VERY CAREFUL TO MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE FOUND ANYTHING EXTRAORDINARY. Scientists are required to make all research results available to him, and ONLY THE DEPARTMENT DETERMINES WHAT PART OF THE INFORMATION CAN BE PUBLISHED.”

The opinion of N. Bondrovsky can be trusted. This fact is evidenced by...

It is known that in China, near the city of Xi’an, Europeans “discovered” several dozen pyramids at the end of the 20th century. German archaeologist Hartwig Hausdorff and his Austrian colleague Peter Crass visited this area of ​​China and noticed that the Chinese had been planting the slopes of earthen pyramids with fast-growing trees and shrubs for several years.

As scientists studied the pyramids, they came to the conclusion that these plantings were carried out deliberately in order to “disguise” the pyramids as natural hills. P. Krassa asked one of the leading Chinese archaeologists, Professor Qia Nai, why scientists do not open the pyramids to study their contents.

“This is a matter for future generations,” replied Tsia Nai. It is possible that the Chinese do not dare to undertake such research for fear of finding in the pyramids certain material evidence of events that could “overturn” today’s ideas about the history of China, and indeed ancient history humanity!..

However, let's return to Egypt and try to sum up some results...

Yes, the pyramids in Tiese are grandiose... But they are not inferior to the “pyramids” of hypotheses and assumptions that have appeared over many centuries, as well as in recent decades, about their true purpose and role in the ancient history of mankind. Already a simple list of some of the put forward versions, and sometimes speculations, speaks volumes...

So, what are the Egyptian pyramids of Giza? They may be:

Tombs or cenotaphs (false tombs) of the pharaohs,

Encyclopedias of knowledge,

Stone textbooks on astronomy, geometry, etc.,

Astronomical observatories,

Solar temples (clocks) marking the equinoxes each year,

Theodolites for taking terrain plans,

Barrages against the advancing desert sands,

Border fortresses,

Shelters from floods and floods,

- “beacons” of the desert,

Granaries (the granaries of the biblical Joseph),

Anti-nuclear shelters from the effects of “divine weapons”,

Moorings for the biblical ark of Noah,

Lightning rods,

Architectural standards containing a specific building module,

Temple of the Holy Grail,

Alien information capsule,

Landing pad for UFOs, etc.

So, everything that is known about the pyramids has been known for a long time. We know everything or almost everything about them... It is today that scientists come up with various useful applications for them to justify the appearance of the pyramids, they argue fiercely about whether they were granaries, observatories or a berth for UFOs...

However, more than a hundred years ago, books were published in which the pyramids were called, for example, places for various magical and religious ceremonies, including initiation and dedication. But orthodox scientists even now treat this mystical literature with disgust...

“As follows from the analysis of the composition of the pyramids in Giza, they were conceived and designed as a single interconnected complex of structures that had a common multi-purpose purpose, and at the same time, each of the objects performed its own functions, unique to it...

In my work... I made the assumption that, apparently, a previous civilization (possibly Atlantis) prepared 10 thousand years ago the drawings, technology and location for the construction of the pyramids, and perhaps also made some kind of layout of them on the ground , and found a way to transmit documents to her descendants for thousands of years to come. The coincidence of the configuration of the pyramids with the Belt of Orion indicates that underground and zero-cycle work was carried out on the Giza plateau 12,500 years ago...

Approximately 12.5 thousand years ago there was a transition from the era of Virgo to the era of Leo... Preparations for laying the foundations of the pyramids and the creation of the Great Sphinx took place about 13,000 years ago... The Sphinx was carved at a turning point - with its head to the east. That is, to where, after 13 thousand years, a new transition will occur, but this time the autumnal equinox point from the constellation Virgo to the constellation Leo. The cycle of precession will end, and this completion will be as difficult and unimaginably dangerous for humanity as the previous one, which entailed the death of Atlantis.”

Thus, from the above we can conclude that any egyptian pharaoh, who built the pyramid, did not determine its purpose and did not choose the location of its installation. In fact, the pharaoh did not build the pyramid: he only supervised the construction.

At the same time, a powerful apparatus of priests seemed to direct its creation, although it is very likely that the priests also did not know the final goals of construction...

As if confirming everything said above and developing further, A. Chernyaev in his latest book “The Time of the Pyramids - the Time of Russia. A single plan”, co-authored with S.N. Udalova in 2000, expressed the following thought:

“...The pyramid fields, built over almost a millennium, formed on the surface of Ancient Egypt a GIANT EGG CONTOUR about 85 kilometers long, and the sharp end of this contour is directed strictly to the south.

This is the main goal of the Creator, which the people of Egypt unconsciously or consciously, painfully and joyfully carried out for many centuries, creating “separate”, “randomly planted” pyramids in the desert, as if at the will of their “tormentors” - the pharaohs... That is why the peak of the giant pyramid building ends with Giza, and subsequent pyramids became qualitatively different - imitators. TO DISTRACT ATTENTION FROM THE CONFIGURATION FORMED BY THE PYRAMIDS, THEIR BEGAN TO BE BUILDED IN A CONSTRUCTURALLY UNQUALITY WAY, TRANSFERING THE ATTENTION OF FUTURE GENERATIONS OF RESEARCHERS FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE PYRAMIDS TO THE INSIDE, FILLING THE INTERIOR ROOMS WITH DIFFERENCES CHINA RELIGIOUS TEXTS...”

“All... factors turn out to be unproven when it turns out that the “random” method of constructing the pyramids “outlined”, ultimately, an area of ​​85x55 kilometers.

GO EGGS - a symbol of the rebirth of life, thereby proving that the construction of the pyramids was carried out by the hands of people according to the Creator and for a specific purpose.”...

A. Chernyaev speaks about the “giant” or “huge” contour of the egg, which forms the complex of pyramids in Egypt, but he in no way explains the prerequisites for the “origin” of this pyramidal formation... Perhaps, to some extent, first discovered by A. Chernyaev “PYRAMID EGG” is associated with the idea of ​​the African Dogon tribe, about which A. Chernyaev writes in his book:

“... In this description (we are talking about the formation by the Dogon deity Amma of all the spiral star worlds of our world. - A.V.), two things are striking: the creation of a living spiral Universe - the “Egg of the World”, “infinite, but measurable”... and the unity of all living things. It should be noted that MODERN SCIENCE HAS NOT RISEN TO THIS LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIVERSE, it was sucked in by the so-called Big Bang theory. Or, which is the same thing, the theory of the dead Universe."

So, despite their venerable age, and perhaps precisely because of this, the Egyptian pyramids continue to spin the heads of those scientists and adventurers who are sincerely convinced that not all the secrets of these colossi have been revealed. Is such a statement correct - further research will show, if no one interferes with them, of the Egyptian pyramids...

The most famous pyramids are located in Cairo (there are also in Saqqara, Dahura, Medum), they are considered the only survivor of the seven ancient wonders of the world. Here was the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, and the powerful kings of Egypt - the pharaohs built huge pyramids, which for two millennia were the most tall buildings peace. Egyptian civilization did not know iron, the only engines were the draft power of people and animals. The biggest mystery of civilization was how people in ancient times were able to build huge structures from blocks weighing several tons. These buildings are not just large - they are precisely oriented to the sides of the world, there are passages inside with traps for robbers and large cameras. They were probably filled with treasures in ancient times, but were robbed in ancient times. How these giants were robbed is also a mystery, since the protection of these tombs was very good.

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Egyptian pyramids - Interesting Facts about the history of construction. More than one hundred pyramids have survived in Egypt. They are of different varieties - stepped, as well as stepped, converted into flat ones, with a broken surface (the angle of inclination changed during the construction process). Archaeologists almost every year find new pyramids - both small ones, covered with sand, and unfinished ones, or even those that have been preserved at the foundation level.

The oldest pyramid belonged to Pharaoh Djoser and was built around 2650 BC. Before Djoser, mastabas were built - rectangles on one floor. Djoser began to build on floor after floor, and it turned out to be a pyramid. This was the first monumental structure in Egypt made of stone - before that, they were built mainly from mud brick. Brick, even unfired, was preserved under open air good, since it almost never rains in this country, especially in areas far from the Mediterranean Sea.

Pharaoh Sneferu built a step pyramid in Medum; its peculiarity was that it was stepped, but the Egyptian king ordered the walls to be made smooth by filling the steps with masonry. After some time, the stones that filled the steps fell, and in our time this structure again has a stepped appearance. After Sneferu, the construction of step pyramids ceased; they had smooth walls and slab cladding.

IN medieval Europe The pyramids were considered the barns of Joseph, who ordered grain from the fruitful years to be stored in them in order to provide for the seven hungry years, which Pharaoh dreamed of in the form of lean cattle. The Europeans did not know that the internal space of the structures was hollow by approximately 1 percent; nothing could be stored here in large quantities.

In Dahshur there is a “pink” pyramid of Pharaoh Snefru (the walls become pink in the rays of the Sun), its sides up to half the height are at one angle, and then the angle of inclination of the walls decreases, so the pyramid is called “broken.” This could have been done for two reasons: either they wanted to complete the tomb faster, or the load on the foundation became too great and they wanted to reduce it by changing the angle of construction of the walls. Also in Dahshur there is the pyramid of Amenemhat I, built of mud brick, it is called “dark”, apparently because of the color, which contrasted with the light limestone and sandstone of other pyramids.

The pyramids were surrounded by temples, as well as smaller pyramids that belonged to the pharaoh's relatives. Near the Pyramid of Khafre in Giza there is a statue of the Sphinx - a lion with a human head. Its length is 72 meters, height is 20 meters, which is almost equal to the height of a nine-story building.

Construction

Interesting facts - Egyptian pyramids and features of their construction. Supporters of various conspiracy theories and overly thoughtful and impressionable people have versions that the pyramids have a connection with alien civilizations, because it is as if people could not build such large structures with ancient technologies. But everything is very simple - the pyramids are simply the tombs of rulers. And they were made so large for a number of reasons:

• it was built not by slaves, but by free citizens, thus solving the problem of employing the Egyptian male population during the period when the Nile was flooding and people could not engage in agriculture;
• the problem of social stability was solved, because working people did not have the opportunity to organize riots;
• social function - the pyramids provided plenty of water and beer, the poor could thus feed themselves and their families;
• investments - the rich state did not have the opportunity to invest in anything important other than grandiose buildings;
• prestige - the rulers of neighboring states could not build anything like this, they thought carefully before attacking a powerful state that could build real mountains, and even completely lined with polished slabs (now part of the cladding has been preserved only at the top of Khafre’s pyramid);
• preserving the body of the pharaoh and the treasures that were placed near him is already a function of the Egyptian pagan religion, but it is not so important, because the pharaohs were buried in deep mountain mines, without making grandiose buildings.

It is not known exactly how the pyramids were built. The main difficulties were associated with lifting stone blocks to greater height. There are two versions - either they made a large inclined road, which was extended and raised as the tomb grew, or the road was made around the perimeter in the form of a spiral, completely covering the pyramid with earth, and clearing it after construction was completed. The first version is more convincing, since archaeologists found the remains of the beginning of the platform of one large inclined road far from the pyramid. Scenes of the construction itself are depicted on the corridors leading to the burial chamber. A village was found in which the builders lived; archaeologists discovered a bakery and a brewery in it.

Peculiarities

Interesting facts about pyramids - features. All pyramids in the past looked different than they do today. They were lined with smooth limestone slabs that shone in the sun. At the top there was a granite pyramidon, which in ancient times may have been gilded. The appearance of the tombs has changed local residents, which stretched the facing of smooth slabs onto the building material, the stone blocks are also stretched. Several pyramidons have been found and are now on display in the Cairo Museum.

The blocks of the pyramids are very precisely fitted to each other; even after four thousand years, you cannot insert even the tip of a knife between them.

The buildings are strictly oriented to the cardinal points. A level foundation was made under the pyramid. The sides of the pyramid differ in length by only ten centimeters. All this speaks about the development of science and construction technology in ancient Egypt.

The Pyramid of Cheops is 146 meters high, the weight of 2.3 million stone blocks is more than 6 million tons.

There were Nubian kingdoms on the territory of Sudan. Local kings, in imitation of the pharaohs, built pyramids for themselves, and eight centuries after the last Egyptian pyramid-shaped tomb was built. They are distinguished by a large slope of the edges, a lower height (up to 30 meters), and a visible entrance to the tomb, above which there was a pagan temple. In the 19th century, Italian explorer Fellini blew up the tops of 40 pyramids to find treasure. He managed to discover only one cache of gold; he brought the products to Europe, and they did not want to buy them from him, considering them to be fake.

Great Seven Wonders of the World - hanging gardens Semiramis, Alexandrian lighthouse, statue of Zeus, Colossus of Rhodes, etc. Everyone knows about them. But only one “miracle” of these seven has survived to this day. It's mysterious Egyptian pyramids, which are more than 4,500 years old.

Location and structural features of the Egyptian pyramids:

The pyramids stand on the territory of the ancient cemetery in Giza, which is on the opposite bank from (the modern capital).

Scientists note that during the existence of the Ancient Egyptian kingdom, more than 80 pyramids were built, but only a small part has reached us. There are three surviving pyramids in total - these are the pyramids of Cheops, Khafre and Mikerin (they also have Egyptian names - Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure). Only the first of this list formally belongs to the legendary seven. However, they are all mysterious and majestic.

The appearance of these buildings is impressive. They stand out clearly against the background of the blue sky and dark yellow sand. You notice them from afar, before you get close to them. The giant pyramids evoke sacred awe in anyone. They seem like something out of space; it’s hard to believe that man had anything to do with their construction.

The main pyramid is the pyramid of Cheops (Khufu). Each side of the base is 233 m long. The height of the pyramid is 147 m. The area of ​​the pyramid is more than 50 thousand square meters. Her interior spaces occupy a very small volume - no more than 4% of the total area.

Until the mid-19th century, the Cheops pyramid was considered the largest structure on our planet. According to Napoleon's calculations, the stone blocks from the three pyramids of Giza would be enough to encircle the entire wall with a height of three meters and a thickness of 30 centimeters.

All sides are almost symmetrical - such accuracy is surprising. The pyramid consists of 2,500,000 huge blocks, each of which weighs at least two tons, the heaviest block weighs 15 tons. The architect of this pyramid is also known - the Egyptian Hemuin.

Many misunderstandings arise due to the layout of the internal corridors and the so-called “main royal chamber” with the empty sarcophagus of the Cheops pyramid. As is known, a narrow passage - a ventilation duct - leads outside from this room at an angle, and above the chamber there are several empty unloading rooms, built in order to reduce the huge mass of stone. One of the mysteries, for example, is the location of the main room - it is not located along the central axis, as in all tombs, but is tilted to the side.

Pyramid of Khafre(Khefre) is almost as good as the Cheops pyramid. It is slightly smaller - 215 m long and 143 m wide, but due to the fact that it is located on steeper slopes, it appears larger. Khafre, the son of Cheops, is buried there.

Not far from this pyramid is the legendary Great Sphinx, which is also part of the funerary complex. The size of the figure is rather large: its height is 20, and its length is 57 meters. The figure, carved from a single rock, depicts a reclining lion with a human head.

Pyramid of Khufuso has reached our times in good condition compared to other pyramids: it is the only one that has preserved the lime cladding on its top.

Pyramid of Menkaure(Mykerina) is the smallest of the legendary pyramids. It is almost 10 times smaller than the Cheops pyramid. Its height is only 66.4 meters. The pyramid was intended for the grandson of Cheops.

History of the Egyptian pyramids:

The construction of the Egyptian pyramids dates back to the beginning of the Old Kingdom, which is approximately 2800 - 2250 BC. e.

Almost 5 thousand years ago (28 centuries BC), the founder of the III dynasty, Pharaoh Djoser, as soon as he ascended the throne, ordered the construction of his tomb to begin. The construction was entrusted to the architect Imhoten. The innovation that the architect used when building the tomb for Djoser was that he built it in the form of six benches stacked on top of each other. Moreover, each subsequent one was smaller than the previous one. Imhoten created the first step pyramid. Its height was 60 m, length - 120 m, width - 109 m. Unlike previous tombs, the pyramid of Djoser was built not from wood and brick, but from large limestone blocks. This pyramid is considered the ancestor of the great Pyramids.

The first of the great pyramids is the Pyramid of Cheops. It is absolutely impossible to imagine that it was built, according to the manuscripts that have reached us, in just 20 years. Even today, with all the modern technology, it is difficult to build such a huge structure, not to mention the fact that the pyramid was built 4,500 years ago, when no mechanisms were even thought of. Sometimes the opinion is expressed that the pyramids could not have been built by people living in the Bronze Age, and that ... aliens took part in the creation of these colossal structures. But, according to the official scientific version, the construction of the pyramid was the work of ordinary people. The main builders were almost 100,000 slaves.

Millions of blocks were literally chiseled out of the rocks using primitive red copper drills, which quickly became dull from such hard work. When fitting wooden boards under the future slab, they were constantly watered. The tree swelled and tore the stone away from the rock. Then the resulting block was carefully polished, giving it the required shape. One has only to marvel at the impeccable result, because, in fact, the work was carried out with completely primitive tools. Without any measuring instruments, we ended up with a block that was ideal in its proportions and shape. In the vicinity of Aswan, there are still ruins of ancient quarries, on the territory of which many ready-made blocks have been found. As it turned out, this was a waste material that was not used when laying the pyramids.

The processed blocks were transported by boat to the other side of the Nile. Then they were transported along a specially paved road, the construction of which took 10 years and which, according to Herodotus, is only slightly simpler than the construction of the pyramids. The pyramid was built on a bedrock limestone massif, cleared of sand and gravel. Workers pulled them into place using ramps, blocks and levers, and then pushed them towards each other without any solution. The stones of the pyramid are “fitted” so tightly that it is impossible to insert even a knife blade between them. To raise the blocks, the Egyptians built an inclined embankment of brick and stone with an elevation angle of about 15. When the main structure was completed, it resembled a series of steps. As the pyramid was built, the mound was lengthened. It is possible that wooden sleighs were also used, on which the blocks were dragged up by hundreds of slaves. Traces of these carts were found here and there.

When the construction was basically completed, the inclined embankment was leveled, and the surface of the pyramid was covered with facing blocks.

Construction ended in 2580 BC. e. Initially, the height of the pyramid was 150 meters, but over time, due to destruction and advancing sands, it became smaller - by 10 meters today.

There is no doubt that this pyramid was built as a tomb for Pharaoh Cheops. In ancient Egypt, it was customary to build burial structures long before the death of the person for whom it was intended. The Egyptians believed in an afterlife and carefully prepared for it. They believed that in the event of a person's death, his body should be preserved so that the spirit could continue to live after death. They removed the internal organs, filled the body with salts and wrapped it in linen shrouds. So the body turned into a mummy. Jewels were buried with the pharaohs, which, according to the ancients, could be useful to him in another world. In addition, a large number of servants were often buried along with the ruler, who would serve the owner even after death. The pyramids served the pharaohs, according to their religious beliefs, as a ladder along which souls ascended to heaven.

After the construction of the Cheops pyramid, the construction of the Khafre pyramid began. Huge money was invested in these constructions. According to the plan, the third pyramid should have been no less majestic. But Menkaur could not afford to build a large pyramid. The country was devastated by the construction of the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre. Hunger began. The population, exhausted by backbreaking labor, grumbled. But, despite its smaller size, the pyramid of Menkaure still looks incredibly beautiful.

Secrets of the Egyptian pyramids:

There are absolutely fantastic assumptions about the pyramids. For example, that these are not tombs at all, but something like observatories. Astronomer Richard Proctor argues that the descending corridor may have been used to observe the movements of certain stars, and the Grand Gallery, open at the top, was used to map the sky. But still, the official version is that the pyramids were built primarily as tombs.

Since the pharaohs were buried along with various valuable things, there is no doubt that jewelry can be found in them. The search for treasures in the tomb of Cheops does not stop today. There is still a lot of unknowns. That is why the ancient pyramids - favorite place for treasure hunters. For a long time, the main problem was considered to be theft of the pyramids. It seems that this problem existed even in the Old Kingdom, so the tombs were designed on the principle of labyrinths, with secret rooms and doors, baits and traps.

By official version, first entered the pyramid in 820 AD: the Arab caliph Abdullah Al Manum decided to find the treasures of Khufu. Immediately, the treasure hunters were faced with the fact that it was completely impossible to find the entrance to the tomb. After a long search, we decided to dig under the pyramid. They soon found themselves in a passage that led down. This digging continued for several months. People were simply in despair - as soon as they entered a corridor, it immediately ended in a blank wall.

The first room they found was what is now known as the "royal room." From it they were able to find a way out into the space at the junction of two corridors and come to the “large gallery”, which, in turn, led to the “king’s room” - about 11 meters long and 5 meters wide. Here they found only an empty sarcophagus without a lid. There was nothing else in the room.

Several years of work yielded nothing - no treasure was found. It is most likely that the tomb was plundered long before the arrival of Abdullah Al Manum, but the workers said that this was simply impossible, since all the slabs inside the pyramid were untouched, and it was impossible to pass through them. True, in 1638, John Graves discovered a narrow passage in the Great Gallery, which was littered with rubble. It is possible that all the treasures were taken out through this passage. But many scientists doubt this, since the passage is very small and a thin person can barely fit into it.

What happened to Khufu’s mummy and his treasure2 Nobody knows. Various explorations have not revealed any other rooms or passages. However, many still believe that the main rooms and the treasures hidden there have not yet been found.

In the distant hot sands of Egypt, a man-made wonder of the world was created, exciting the minds of researchers from different times. How many theories and hypotheses have already been expressed about their construction and purpose! The mysteries and secrets of the Egyptian pyramids worry not only scientists, but also ordinary people. How were such gigantic structures erected in ancient times? You involuntarily begin to think about the intervention of extraterrestrial civilizations.

Who built the Egyptian pyramids

Soviet occultist H. P. Blavatsky believes that the pyramids were built not 2500 BC, but 75 years earlier. And they were supposed to store the gene pool of humanity - the Atlanteans, who built the pyramids.

Nostradamus also expressed his opinion that the people of Atlantis built the pyramids, but they did it not by mechanical influence on the blocks, but by mentally acting on gravity.

Thanks to scientific research, we know about the voids under the pyramids, as well as under the Sphinx. Scientists launched the robot into the mines of the lower tier, but it did not go far - every now and then it came across limestone doors.

Giant structures are literally riddled with mines, canals and voids along their entire length! And it has already been scientifically proven that all mines and canals were laid according to star charts. Along the center line there is a vertical channel - supposedly for communication with the ancestors or the Universal Mind.

There are also a large number of rooms that have nothing to do with the burial ceremony. During the excavations, low-light lanterns were found - they were used for painting and arrangement inside the pyramids.

The mysteries of the Egyptian pyramids are directly related to Imhotep. His activities left an imprint on the entire history of Egypt - from 2630 BC. e. He is the high priest and chief adviser to the pharaoh. It was he who created the design of the first pyramid made of stone blocks. He was considered the god of medicine, architecture and philosophy.

Who actually built them? This question worries every person who is at least somewhat interested in the secrets of the Egyptian pyramids. Slave labor, primitive tools and less than 40 years of construction for each - and such a result?! After all, they didn’t even have modern technology...

And pyramids were built from stones mined in the Aswan quarries, which are located in the Macedonian Mountains - tens of kilometers from Giza. The Egyptians indicated that they transported stones along the Nile in boats, and then rolled them to the construction site. But the boats are light - they would easily sink from the weight of at least one such block. And even if the stones were rolled, a road would appear and pieces would break off from the blocks.

Date palms, with their very soft wood, would not have supported a single block, and there were not enough palm trees to support such a large-scale construction.

The weight of the pyramid is 6500 billion tons. The construction took 2,300,000 stone blocks. Not only did the blocks have to be mined and delivered to the designated place, they had to be dragged to a great height. According to scientists' calculations, it turned out that 20,000 workers placing 10 monoliths each would have spent 664 years to complete the construction of the gigantic structure. But it’s not realistic for a pharaoh to live a good six hundred years!

The frescoes of the Khufu pyramid depict figures very similar to airplanes, helicopters, ships and submarines. But how could the Egyptians know about such technologies? How was it possible to carve images so similar to modern technology? All that remains is to throw up your hands. For now, we have no way of knowing the answer.