THE PYRAMIDS of the COLD • Chapter 59 Polymath and engineer Imhotep was most probably the real mastermind behind the Great Pyramid's design for cold production

In summary: I would first like to emphasize once again the unique approach of the Pyramids of Cold and the importance of remaining open-minded at all times. Not only did I approach the decipherment of the Great Pyramid without preconceived notions, but I also did not hesitate to find clues and answers in areas that Egyptologists refuse to explore. If physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, and engineering do not interest you, and if you do not like to play with metaphors of decipherment, I regret to say, but you have no chance of understanding anything about ancient Egypt.

And it is not as if the ancient Egyptians themselves did not insist on this idea, for among the few non-royal figures to have been deified were Imhotep and Amenhotep, son of Hapu, two polymath engineers and "super scientists." Moreover, Imhotep was also an accomplished physician: he is the first known physician in human history and the first to have written a comprehensive medical treatise with the same scientific approach that we would adopt today.

We will see that it was quite possible that Imhotep was the true architect of the Great Pyramid of Khufu: he certainly could not have supervised and directed the building's construction, but he could well have had the time to design its entire architecture, and in particular its interior layout allowing for the production of cold by flash-evaporation. As we will see, Imhotep probably did not live long enough to observe the result of his design with his own eyes; he probably never saw the Pyramid ‘in action,’ and he never heard its heartbeat. But the fact that Imhotep was more than just an engineer, that he was also a physician, explains all the anatomical and medical metaphors we've already seen repeatedly in this study. This is how the famous legend of Khufu and the Magician was born, according to which Imhotep performed a magical and miraculous feat for Khufu. Of course, this ‘magical and miraculous feat’ is nothing other than flash-evaporative cooling, and we will see that this is also the reason why the second polymath ‘super scientist,’ Amenhotep, son of Hapu, was also deified while working for Akhenaten and Nefertiti. We have already seen the true explanation for Akhenaten's labeling as a ‘heretic’: by representing himself as the god Shu (the god of dry air) and Nefertiti as the goddess Tefnut (the goddess of humidity and moisture), their association gave rise to evaporative cooling, by which droplets of liquid water are forced into dry air.

Understanding ancient Egypt absolutely requires a polymath's attitude: it is not enough to focus on a single field. You must explore them all. But this only was ‘cutting-edge science’ of the time; today it is actually a very common knowledge in the 21st century: it is basic knowledge, such as basic anatomy and physiology, basic filtration technologies with the biosand filter, basic cooling technologies with flash-evaporative cooling, or basic chemistry principles such as the countercurrent exchanges between hot gases and brines needed in the Solvay process and chemical manufacturing of pure natron.

In short, if Imhotep was deified, it was only because he conceived the operation of the Great Pyramid, and maybe also because he glorified it by inventing some, or most, if not all, of the myths, gods, and goddesses that served only as propaganda tools. If Imhotep used all the knowledge of his time, in all fields, we must use exactly the same tools. Imhotep was a polymath, an ancient scientist who looked at everything around him with the eyes of curiosity, critical and analytical mind, and to understand ancient Egypt we must do the same. In short, to decipher ancient Egypt one must adopt a polymath approach simply because it was a polymath who conceived the whole thing.

As Duke Leto Atreides would say: "Without change something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.” Franck Herbert, Dune.

The Polymath: “Unlocking the Power of Human Versatility” by Waqas Ahmed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Polymath

59.01  The ancient Egyptian super-scientist, mathematician, physician, architect and polymath engineer Imhotep

“Imhotep (Greek name, Imouthes, c. 2667-2600 BCE) was an Egyptian polymath (a person expert in many areas of learning) best known as the architect of King Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara. His name means "He Who Comes in Peace" and he is the only Egyptian besides Amenhotep to be fully deified. In time, he became the god of wisdom and medicine (or, according to some sources, god of science, medicine, and architecture). Imhotep was a priest, vizier to King Djoser (and possibly to the succeeding three kings of the Third Dynasty), a poet, physician, mathematician, astronomer, and architect. […] Although his Step Pyramid is considered his greatest achievement, he was also remembered for his medical treatises which regarded disease and injury as naturally occurring instead of punishments sent by gods or inflicted by spirits or curses”.” When Djoser died, he was placed in the burial chamber beneath the Step Pyramid and Imhotep is thought to have gone on to serve his successors, Sekhemkhet (c. 2650 BCE), Khaba (c. 2640 BCE), and Huni (c. 2630-2613 BCE). Scholars disagree on whether Imhotep served all four kings of the Third Dynasty but evidence suggests he lived a long life and was much sought after for his talents.” https://www.worldhistory.org/imhotep/

“Medical Contributions: Imhotep was practicing medicine and writing on the subject 2,200 years before Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine, was born. He is generally considered the author of the Edwin Smith Papyrus, an Egyptian medical text, which contains almost 100 anatomical terms and describes 48 injuries and their treatment.” https://www.worldhistory.org/imhotep/

“Regarding the religious aspect, it is a fact that Imhotep had important functions. He reformed to bring the cult of Osiris into the Egyptian pantheon. After his death, Imhotep will be the subject of an important cult during the New Kingdom. It was a period during which the Egyptians turned to the important personages of the ancient empire to magnify them, and for some to deify them. This was the case for Pharaoh Khufu, but also for Imhotep who was associated with God Thoth (represented with an ibis head). His cult was alive and there were even temples dedicated to Imhotep (especially that of Philae, the best known).” https://www.wonders-of-the-world.net/Pyramids-of-Egypt/Imhotep.php

Seated Statuette of Imhotep, ca. 332–30 B.C.E. Object Number: 26.7.852a, b from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New-York: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/548300

“A polymath (Greek: πολυμαθής, romanized: polymathēs, lit. 'having learned much'; Latin: homo universalis, lit. 'universal human') is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. In Western Europe, the first work to use the term polymathy in its title (De Polymathia tractatio: integri operis de studiis veterum) was published in 1603 by Johann von Wowern, a Hamburg philosopher. Von Wowern defined polymathy as "knowledge of various matters, drawn from all kinds of studies [...] ranging freely through all the fields of the disciplines, as far as the human mind, with unwearied industry, is able to pursue them". […] Polymaths include the great scholars and thinkers of the Renaissance and Enlightenment, who excelled at several fields in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and the arts. In the Italian Renaissance, the idea of the polymath was allegedly expressed by Leon Battista Alberti (1404–1472), a polymath himself, in the statement that "a man can do all things if he will". Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz has often been seen as a polymath. Al-Biruni was also a polymath. Other well-known and celebrated polymaths include Leonardo da Vinci…” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymath

'The Westcar Papyrus', also known by the longer name 'Three Tales of Wonder from the Court of King Khufu', written in hieratic text and containing the legend of Khufu and the Magician, starring Imhotep. ‘Fairytales on the Papyrus Westcar’, end of the 17th century BCE. Length 1,58 m. Egyptian Museum in Berlin, inventory number P 3033: https://www.egyptian-museum-berlin.com/c54.php#q_papyrus_westcar_01.jpg

59.02  The tale of  "how the royal architect Imhotep performed some kind of magical miracle" for king Khufu: even 8-year-olds know that Science is Magic... maybe adults should remember that too

We finally come to the most important part of this chapter, as it introduces the Westcar Papyrus, in which it is stated that the great polymath engineer Imhotep created something mysterious and presented as magical for the pharaoh Khufu.

The nature of this thing is obviously not mentioned, but Khufu was clearly very influenced by it. I find it a shame that Egyptologists ultimately almost never mention this direct link between Imhotep and Khufu, but what is certain is that this magical 'intervention' or 'invention' of Imhotep most likely had something to do with the design of the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

This part of The Pyramids of the Cold does not present the same degree of certainty as the rest of the study, but the hypothesis I put forward is that it was Imhotep himself who designed the plans for the Great Pyramid of Khufu to be able to produce evaporative cold by flash evaporation. We will see later in the chapter that this hypothesis is entirely plausible, at least on a purely historical level, and that if Imhotep really did perform magic for Khufu, it was certainly not a magic trick like those that one might perform at a birthday party.

“The tale of Khufu and the Magician from the Westcar Papyrus is full of ancient history, magic, prophecies, and the performance of miracles, making it a fascinating introduction to Egyptian literature. But it was not until the Middle Kingdom that a true ‘literature’ was born in ancient Egypt. A series of genres developed, including prophetic texts, laments, discourses, apocalyptic texts, negative confessions, and of course narratives about historical events and characters. This is the case of the text that is written on the Westcar Papyrus, an artifact from the 13th dynasty, which tells stories that supposedly happened during the 4th dynasty, a millennium or so before that time. The main characters were kings Khufu, Sahure, and Neferirkare, and the royal architect Imhotep.”

“Although in the few remaining parts that can be read (the papyrus is heavily damaged at the beginning and the end), his name is not mentioned, Imhotep is with all probability the main character in the first story. The story is told from the perspective of one of Khufu’s sons, probably Djedefre, and seems to tell the tale of how the royal architect Imhotep performed some kind of miracle for the king. The text then proceeds to describe in all detail the quantity and type of offerings king Khufu made for another king, Djoser, and for Imhotep. It is stated that Khufu was highly impressed with the mastery of Egyptian magic or Heka displayed by Imhotep, but unfortunately, we do not know anything about this miracle.” https://www.thecollector.com/khufu-magician-egyptian-tale/

“In this papyrus Khufu is alleged to be seeking ancient knowledge to apply to the construction of his tomb (the Great Pyramid of Giza). Mackenzie translates the relevant phrase as the secrets of the dwelling of the god Thoth (1907:147) while Blackman translates the phrase as “the number of chambers in the sanctuary of Thoth” (Neederof 2008:37). Hornung confirms that there is considerable doubt as to the nature of the information he seeks” https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/khufumag/

Science is magic (and of course, magic is science)... Science Magic kits for over 8-year-old children, by 4M: https://www.4mtoys.com.au/products/4m-kidzlabs-science-magic

Timeline leading to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, entirely designed by Imhotep. “Imhotep is thought to have gone on to serve his successors, Sekhemkhet (c. 2650 BCE), Khaba (c. 2640 BCE), and Huni (c. 2630-2613 BCE). Scholars disagree on whether Imhotep served all four kings of the Third Dynasty but evidence suggests he lived a long life and was much sought after for his talents.” https://www.worldhistory.org/imhotep/

Data: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Djoser

59.03  Imhotep is the Mastermind behind the Great Pyramid: he didn’t built it but he designed it

• The fact that the Legend of Khufu and the Magician clearly associates Imhotep with Khufu and claims that he performed a kind of magic and a miraculous act suggests that Imhotep was indeed the true designer of the Great Pyramid of Khufu and that it was he who achieved the production of cold by flash-evaporation.

"The story is told from the perspective of one of Khufu’s sons, probably Djedefre, and seems to tell the tale of how the royal architect Imhotep performed some kind of miracle for the king. The text then proceeds to describe in all detail the quantity and type of offerings king Khufu made for another king, Djoser, and for Imhotep. It is stated that Khufu was highly impressed with the mastery of Egyptian magic or Heka displayed by Imhotep, but unfortunately, we do not know anything about this miracle.” https://www.thecollector.com/khufu-magician-egyptian-tale/

• The problem now is to know the exact chronology of these events and to determine whether Imhotep was still alive at the beginning of the construction of the Great Pyramid. In the diagram above, Imhotep begins his engineering career with the Step Pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser, and I have arbitrarily assumed that he only worked on this pyramid for ten years, solely because Imhotep probably only added limestone blocks to the pre-existing mastaba.

It is well known that Imhotep lived a very long life and served many pharaohs. I understand that while Imhotep was the engineer and architect of the Step Pyramid, he quickly became the master engineer for many architects working for the pharaohs. But Imhotep, being a man of many abilities, probably also had hundreds of scientists, engineers and physicians under his authority.

If the officially known dates for the construction of the Step Pyramid and the Great Pyramid are correct, Imhotep would have been 85 years old when construction of the Great Pyramid began and would have worked for the pharaohs for 60 years. It means that if you count 27 years of construction for the Great Pyramid, it is highly unlikely that Imhotep had the chance to see the Great Pyramid in operation. It's heartbreaking, but Imhotep probably never heard the heart of his pyramid beating.

But one thing comes to mind: 85 seems so close to Imhotep's age at his death that we should probably consider the possibility that it was precisely his death that triggered the start of construction of the pyramid. It would, in fact, be perfectly logical for Imhotep to have completed his project, only to be ultimately halted by death or a completely disabling incapacity.

Of course, this is only a hypothesis, and if Imhotep was still alive when construction of the Great Pyramid began, he most likely died sometime during the approximately twenty years of construction. We cannot know for certain when the Great Pyramid was first put into operation, because, remember, when it was put into operation, the elevation was not yet complete (hence the shafts in the Queen's Chamber opening into the masonry). It is even possible that Imhotep was long dead by the time construction actually began, and there are many reasons why there was a long delay between the final design and the start of construction. Perhaps the following excerpt might support this hypothesis:

“In this papyrus Khufu is alleged to be seeking ancient knowledge to apply to the construction of his tomb (the Great Pyramid of Giza). Mackenzie translates the relevant phrase as the secrets of the dwelling of the god Thoth (1907:147) while Blackman translates the phrase as “the number of chambers in the sanctuary of Thoth” (Neederof 2008:37). Hornung confirms that there is considerable doubt as to the nature of the information he seeks” https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/khufumag/

“Unfortunately we have no traces of other constructions of which he is the author. But the little documentation that specialists have on this subject is so weak that Imhotep has no problem in constructing other buildings, but we do not know them today.” https://www.wonders-of-the-world.net/Pyramids-of-Egypt/Imhotep.php

Time sequence of the apparition of the first Egyptian myths in the “Pyramid Texts”, only starting near the end of the Fifth Dynasty, because they are all about the glorification of the operation of the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Same thing for the first Canopic jars which appeared in the tomb of Hetepheres, Khufu's mother. Only a very few individual deities were known before these Pyramid Texts, but only because the glorification process started right away, at the very beginning of the Scientific Era which gave birth to the first Dynasties.

“The first evidence of the worship of Osiris is from the middle of the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt (25th century BC), although it is likely that he was worshiped much earlier; the Khenti-Amentiu epithet dates to at least the First Dynasty, and was also used as a pharaonic title. Most information available on the Osiris myth is derived from allusions in the Pyramid Texts at the end of the Fifth Dynasty” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osiris

59.04  Imhotep was indeed involved with the cold, at least since the very beginning of his work with Djoser: his Step Pyramid wasn't officially called “the Refreshment of the gods” but truly "the Pyramid of the Cooling By the gods"

If you’ve read the other chapters of the Pyramids of the Cold, you know that my assumption is that the cold that was created in the Great Pyramid's evaporative 'horizontal' passage by flash-evaporation, and stored in the Queen’s chamber (the only chamber that passes through the central axis of the Pyramid, only because of a thermal insulation reason), would have been because of the need to cool down the chemical reactions involved in a Solvay-like process for chemical manufacturing of sodium carbonate production, the salt called natron by Egyptians, and that was used in the mummification process. The goal would have been to chemically, hence “magically” create 100% pure natron instead of mining an impure product directly from the ground.

It looks like chemistry was since the very beginning of the pharaoh’s era, the real deal which supported all the legitimacy of the pharaohs, and that they were fighting for a very long time with overheating of whatever chemical reactions they were trying to master, and it also looks like Imhotep was since the very beginning of his work, involved in the attempt to cool down these reactions, as it is perfectly known that the Step Pyramid was officially called “the Refreshment of the Gods”.

But egyptologists, having never understood the extraordinary importance that science and technology had taken in the ancient Egyptian civilization of the Pharaohs, obviously could not correctly translate the real name of the pyramid of Djoser: it was not called “the Pyramid of the Refreshment of the Gods”, but “the Pyramid of the Cooling by the Gods”. Ultimately, there aren't many changes to be made, but the meaning is completely altered.

“Imhotep is most famous as the builder of Djoser’s unprecedented step pyramid complex, called “The Refreshment of the Gods.” Imhotep designed this complex on a scale that surpassed everything achieved by his predecessors.“ https://arce.org/resource/search-imhotep-tomb-architect-turned-god-remains-mystery/

“The pyramid of Djoser, sometimes called the Step Pyramid of Djoser or Step Pyramid of Horus Netjerikhet, is an archaeological site in the Saqqara necropolis, Egypt, northwest of the ruins of Memphis. It is the first Egyptian pyramid to be built. The 6-tier, 4-sided structure is the earliest colossal stone building in Egypt. It was built in the 27th century BC during the Third Dynasty for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser. The pyramid is the central feature of a vast mortuary complex in an enormous courtyard surrounded by ceremonial structures and decoration. […] Though the Dynastic Egyptians themselves did not credit him as such, most Egyptologists credit Djoser's vizier Imhotep with the design and construction of the complex.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Djoser

[The Netjerikhet Step Pyramid of Djeser] illustration from Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 87: https://www.ancient-egypt.org/history/early-dynastic-period/3rd-dynasty/horus-netjerikhet/funerary-complex/step-pyramid.html

Akhenaten wearing the Blue Crown: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khepresh

Akhenaten and Nefertiti holding hands, both connected to each over and wearing the Blue Crown. Photograph by Guillaume Blanchard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khepresh#/media/File:Egypte_louvre_173.jpg

“Two thousand years after his death, Imhotep's status had risen to that of a god of medicine and healing. Eventually, Imhotep was equated with Thoth, the god of architecture, mathematics, and medicine, and patron of scribes: Imhotep's cult was merged with that of his own former tutelary god. He [Imhotep] was revered in the region of Thebes as the "brother" of Amenhotep, son of Hapu – another deified architect – in the temples dedicated to Thoth.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imhotep

59.05  Only two* non-royal persons have ever been deified: Imhotep and Amenhotep, son of Hapu

Now, it is getting very exiting; because if Imhotep has been deified about 2,000 years after his death, there is another polymath architect and engineer like him who has been deified, and it is Amenhotep Son of Hapu.

Two things here:

• Both Imhotep and Amenhotep Son of Hapu are believed to be the only non-royal persons who have ever been deified, and we know now that Imhotep was the one to have designed the entire layout of the Great Pyramid that created the cold from pressurized water and flash evaporation in non adiabatic conditions: the evaporation occurred in overpressure because of the air pushed by the impactor, resulting in a higher efficiency process (more air in the same space, means more water can be forced in that space, hence the cold can be even colder).

• When you look at who served Amenhotep Son of Hapu, this is where the excitement begins, because it was Amenhotep III, the father of Amenhotep IV and better known as Akhenaten, the 'heretic pharaoh'.

This is really where it's extraordinary, because what we're going to discover in the next chapter of The Pyramids of the Cold is that Akhenaten and Nefertiti, no doubt influenced by Amenhopet, Son of Hapu, wanted to stop worshipping the ancient gods who referred to how the Great Pyramid had worked, and instead worship the theoretical principle on which the creation of evaporative cold was based. What we're going to discover is that Akhenaten probably wanted to be, in a certain way, perceived as the first theoretician of the manufacture of cold.

Today, we differentiate between theoretical and experimental physicists, and Akhenaten probably wanted to be perceived as the first theoretical physicist in history.

* apparently, since the beginning of the 21st century, there seem to have been others

Statue of Amenhotep Son of Hapu, who worked for Amenhotep III and his son Amenhotep IV "Akhenaten". Hurghada Museum. JE 44861: https://egypt-museum.com/statue-of-amenhotep-son-of-hapu/

"The ancient Egyptian god Shu is represented as a human with feathers on his head, as he is associated with dry and warm air." [...] "Fog and clouds were also Shu's elements" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shu_(Egyptian_god)

"Shu is thus not only "air which is in the sun", but also, according to Akhenaton's religion, "heat which is in Aton". Egyptian Myths And Legend, By Donald Mackenzie.

"Tefnut (tfnwt) is a deity of moisture, moist air, dew and rain in Ancient Egyptian religion."

"Literally translating as "That Water", the name Tefnut has been linked to the verb 'tfn' meaning 'to spit' and versions of the creation myth say that Ra (or Atum) spat her out and her name was written as a mouth spitting in late texts." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tefnut

59.06  Somehow, it is the Polymath Amenhotep Son of Hapu who was responsible for the heretic religious changes made by Akhenaten and the abandonment of his original name Amenhotep IV

We know that it is Amenhotep Son of Hapu who occupied the position of “Polymath” when Amenhotep IV changed his name for Akhenaten and revolutionized the entire ancient Egyptian religion; and apparently nobody correlated this with the fact that Amenhotep Son of Hapu has been just like the very first polymath Imhotep, deified and worshiped.

What it means, is that of course, it is Amenhotep Son of Hapu himself who is responsible for all these changes in the religion practices and the change in name of Amenhotep IV for “Akhenaten”.

And we know that for sure because it is well known that Amenhotep Son of Hapu did indeed accomplished some kind of mysterious act for both Amenhotep III and IV, just like Imhotep had already accomplished some kind of magical and miraculous act for Khufu.

When it is mentioned the fact that both Amenhotep III and IV “Akhenaten” were "desirous to become a spectator of the gods”, it is because they wanted to see by themselves all or part of what had been done in the Great Pyramid.

This is the exact same pattern here between Amenhotep Son of Hapu and Amenhotep IV “Akhenaten”. The problem is “only” about what kind of scientific or technological demonstration had been accomplished.

“Manetho gives a legendary account of how Amenhotep advised a king named Amenophis, who was "desirous to become a spectator of the gods, as had Orus, one of his predecessors in that kingdom, desired the same before him". Although Manetho states that Amenophis was the son of Ramses and the father of Sethos (Seti) who was later named Ramses after the father of Amenophis, Amenophis is commonly identified with Akhenaton also known as Amenhotep IV, while Orus fits with the latter's father, Amenhotep III. Manetho relates that the wise man counseled that the king should "clear the whole country of the lepers and of the other impure people" and that the King then sent 80,000 lepers to the quarries. After this the wise man foresaw that the lepers would ally themselves with people coming to their help and subdue Egypt. He put the prophecy into letter to the King and then killed himself. Manetho associates this event with the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, but Josephus strongly rejects this interpretation.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amenhotep,_son_of_Hapu

Operating diagram of the Great Pyramid of Khufu for flash-evaporative cold production, hypothetically for cooling down a Solvay-like process and the manufacturing of chemically manufacturing of 100% pure natron, the salt used by Egyptians for the mummification process.

Preface

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Table of contents

Operating diagrams of the Great Pyramid

Timelines

Index