Actualités et nouveautés 1001 tasses

Left : Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, entry to the the ascending passage (inclined well), viewed from the grand gallery. Top and center : Egyptian god Ra in his solar barque, by Ausir. Top right : wall relief of Apep, temple of Edfu (author : Rémih, on Wikipedia). Bottom right image from Wikimedia Commons, author : Soutekh67

 

Please note on the top right image, 3 things :

• the solar barque is set on top of the axle beam of the top platform of the gallery (see the post on the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures for more about the axle beam)

• the character is set on the bottom platform of the gallery (that is the primordial mound)

• the real shape of the impactor is actually also indicated, in dark green on the solar barque

 

Apep / Apophis myth is completely inverted and doesn't make any sense

The myth about the Great Serpent Apep, god of Chaos of the Underworld and Sun god Ra, actually doesn't make any sense if you really think it through.

A proper and convincing story, would have been to say that Sun god Ra would fight the Great Serpent Apep (Apophis) during the day, he is the Sun god after all, and he would have kill the snake just before dusk. Then Apep would resurrect during the night (he is supposed to live in the Underworld after all) and restart the fighting cycle with Ra, at dawn.

But the actual myth is the exact opposite of that : Ra is fighting Apep during the night, and Apep resurrects during day light.

The myth about Apophis the Great Serpent only makes sense if you have the real backstory of the operating cycle of the grand gallery and the inclined well of the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

 

Great Pyramid of Khufu operating diagram, updated September 24, 2021 (revisions of : the inclined well 16 yards supply pipe for the horizontal evaporative cooling passage. 16 yards is 14.63 meters, that would make the start of the water supply pipe 30 centimeters ahead of the south part of the girdle stone G2).

 

Djoser's "Refreshment of the Gods Pyramid"

The fact that the Great Pyramid of Khufu was producing cold in its Lower part, shouldn't surprise anyone : the very first pyramid built for pharaoh Djoser by Imhotep, was called "the refreshment pyramid". Pharaohs were trying for decades to master the manufacturing of the purest mineral form of natron by the Solvay process, and it required a very efficient cooling system.

 

The work on the inclined well and its water turned out to be like no other part of the theory, because this time, pretty much everything is perfectly described metaphorically in ancient Egyptian texts mentioning Apep, the Great Serpent god of Chaos of the Underworld.

The text in italic with the mention (WHF), comes from Joshua J. Mark, and can be find in the World History Foundation Encyclopedia (Canada) ; and from the Wikipedia's page on Apep (Wikipedia).

 

Apep / Apophis is the metaphor of the pressurized water of the inclined well (from the primordial still waters)

My theory describes the use of an impactor, over and over lifted to the top of the grand gallery and then released onto the steep slope of the central gutter to gain speed and energy before it hit the waters of the inclined well and pressurizes it. Maybe the cycle was about 15 to 20 minutes, that is the time needed by the crew of the grand gallery, to lift the impactor back up from the water of the inclined well to the top of the gallery. This cycle would have been realized all day long, for weeks, months, who knows…

(WHF): "No matter how many times Apophis was defeated and killed, he always rose again to life and attacked the sun god's boat. The most powerful gods and goddesses would defeat the serpent in the course of every night, but during the day, as the sun god sailed slowly across the sky, Apophis regenerated and was ready again by dusk to resume the war".

My comments : in the Apep Myth, the cycle doesn't take 15 to 20 minutes but an entire day ; that is because, from the impactor point of view, when it got inside the inclined well, it was night ; and when it got out of it, and reached the gallery, day light came back again.

In Apep myth, when they talk about night and day, that is actually depicting the operating cycle of the grand gallery.

 

Nu are the primordial still waters of the inclined well, before being hit by the impactor

From Wikipedia : "Nu (also Nenu, Nunu, Nun), feminine Naunet (also Nunut, Nuit, Nent, Nunet), is the deification of the primordial watery abyss in the Hermopolitan Ogdoad cosmogony of ancient Egyptian religion."

"The name is paralleled with nen "inactivity" in a play of words in, "I raised them up from out of the watery mass [nu], out of inactivity [nen]". The name has also been compared to the Coptic noun "abyss; deep".

"The ancient Egyptians envisaged the oceanic abyss of the Nun as surrounding a bubble in which the sphere of life is encapsulated."

That last part is a pretty good metaphor of the restrained water of the inclined well.

 

The Solar Barque (Solar Barge) is the impactor

Of course, the Apophis Myth doesn't mention any impactor, but it is right there : it is the barque (or the barge), because to get the impactor moving they got to constantly pour water inside the fixed wooden caisson of the central gutter. Probably the 2 parts, the fixed caisson and the moving caisson (the impactor) were covered with a microalgal or cyanobacterial biofilm to even more reduce the friction.

On some images, we see that the barque is actually sustained by the Great Serpent. It is called the Solar Barque, because again, the grand gallery was considered as Day, whereas the inclined well was considered as the (Underworld) Night.

(WHF): "The sun was Ra's great barge which sailed through the sky from dawn to dusk and then descended into the underworld."

(WHF): "In a text known as the Book of Gates, the goddesses Isis, Neith, and Serket, assisted by other deities, capture Apophis and restrain him in nets held down by monkeys, the sons of Horus, and the great earth god Geb, where he is then chopped into pieces; the next night, though, the serpent is whole again and waiting for the barge of the sun when it enters the underworld."

 

Apep god of Chaos : the impactor descent and crash

Over time I think it is gonna be possible to evaluate how fast was moving the impactor, but one thing that will be very hard to reproduce or evaluate is the sound of the impactor fall, and the extreme deafening noise at the moment of the impact with the waters of the well. Especially with the grand gallery acting like a huge resonance chamber.

Of course, the descent and the crash into the well, would also have caused the structure to tremble.

(Wikipedia): "It was thought that his terrifying roar would cause the underworld to rumble… Apep's movements were thought to cause earthquakes, and his battles with Set may have been meant to explain the origin of thunderstorms."

 (Wikipedia): "Apep was viewed as the greatest enemy of Ra, and thus was given the title Enemy of Ra, and also "the Lord of Chaos."

(WHF): "Apophis is associated with earthquakes, thunder, darkness, storms, and death."

 

2 ways of reading the disposition of the coiled snake in the first top image of this post

• Vertically : Apep sustains the solar boat (the impactor), and represents the water poured onto the wooden fixed caisson to make the impactor move. Please note that the serpent is painted in a bluish color and that there are 10 loops sustaining the barque, that is the same number as the 10 scarab crewmembers.

• Horizontally : this time we see Apep taking the shape of the central gutter of the gallery.

 

The grand gallery operation of the Great Pyramid at Giza, with the wooden beetle scarab and the impactor.

 

Both the Solar Barque and the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris mummy figure bases, were metaphoric representations of the impactor of the grand gallery. Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures 25.3.204 (left) and  86.1.88a–d (right) from the Metropolitan Museum of Art at New-York ; and Ptah-Sokar-Osiris / wood, gesso, and paint, 332-30 BCE, from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), at Providence (third image).

 

The ram's horns headdresses of the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris mummy figures represent the impactor shocks

The ram's horns significance is one of the easiest representation of the grand gallery operation to comprehend : the entire process was to make the moving caisson ram into the water of the inclined well, so that its energy would be converted into pressurized water directed to the horizontal cooling passage.

The moving caisson was an impactor for the inclined well waters : it moved from the grand gallery (daylight), to the inclined well (the Underworld).

The impactor was what caused the chaos-waters in the myth of Apep (Apophis), the rumbles and ground shaking.

 

The water slide metaphor of the Solar Barque / impactor

The solar barque was used as a representation of the impactor because it was moving inside the central gutter of the gallery on a film of liquid water, exactly like a water slide ; while the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figure wood bases were used to reproduce the actual shape of the impactor.

 

On the left image, Apep is cut into pieces with a knife by the great cat Mau (the Great Cat of Heliopolis) as a representation of Sun god Ra, image from kairoinfo4u on flickr : Tomb of Inherkau TT359. Second chamber, South wall 

 

The discontinuous high pressurized water injection towards the fog nozzle

When the impactor hits the water of the inclined well, it pressurizes it and a small amount of its water is then ejected from the well.

A small amount of the waters of the well is extracted from it, and that is the real meaning of the Great Serpent Apep being attacked by representations of Sun god Ra : nobody is trying to kill the snake, they are just cutting him into pieces, of equal lengths. 

 

(WHF): "Apophis is sometimes depicted as a coiled serpent but, often, as dismembered, being cut into pieces, or under attack. A famous depiction along these lines comes from Spell 17 of The Egyptian Book of the Dead in which the great cat Mau kills Apophis with a knife".

(WHF): "According to the most popular creation myth, the god Atum stood on the primordial mound, amidst the swirling waters of chaos, and began the work of creation".

My comments : the ejected water is then directed towards the fog nozzle of the horizontal passage, passing through the bottom platform of the gallery, most probably with water splashes everywhere, and the cold can now be created.

From this part, we can think that the "primordial mound" would then represent the bottom platform of the grand gallery.

 

Image from the left comes from Tomb TT335 of the sculptor Nakhtamon. Right image :  wall relief of Apep, temple of Edfu (author : Rémih, on Wikipedia).

 

The cutting of the Great Serpent Apep in equal length segments of 14.6 meters

It is clear on the above images that the goal was not to kill the Great Serpent Apep, but to cut it in equal length segments. The cut is precisely made the same way we would do ourselves today, when we want to cut a string with a knife: we make a loop and make the cut vertically, from the top down.

Also, on the right image, the sign above the serpent, is the Egyptian "water ripple" hieroglyph (U+13216, Gardiner N35).

(Wikipedia): "Apep was seen as a giant snake or serpent leading to such titles as Serpent from the Nile and Evil Dragon. Some elaborations said that he stretched 16 yards in length and had a head made of flint".

Maybe this data is genuine and the pipe that was inside the inclined well, was 16 yards in length (14.6 meters). This pipe was filled up with water and the energy from the impactor ejected that water towards the fog nozzle. If we can find out the diameter of this pipe, we would know exactly how much of this water was used at every cycle.

 

Was all the water used inside the Great Pyramid coming from the Nile ?

I first thought that the water used in the Great Pyramid was rain water, but Apep was also known as the Serpent from the Nile. Is this a real information or another metaphor? I would think it is reliable, but then we would also need to add to the all thing a pumping station. Would it be possible? I think it would, and maybe it would explain the other structures all around the pyramids, such as those tiny "temples" or huge passage ways with high walls leading to the pyramids.

(Wikipedia): "Apep was seen as a giant snake or serpent leading to such titles as Serpent from the Nile".

 

Ancient Egyptian Mehen board games, showing coiled snakes cut into equal size pieces.

 

The Mehen game boards are representations of the Great Serpent Apep cut into equal size pieces

This multiple times cutting of the Great Serpent Apep into equal length pieces, is exactly what is depicting the famous ancient Egyptian Mehen board game.

Wikipedia : "Mehen is a board game which was played in ancient Egypt. The game was named in reference to Mehen, a snake deity in ancient Egyptian religion."

 

It is interesting to see that some of these Mehen artifacts also show the head of a goose, that is once again an animal that can attack snakes.

Another interesting question, would be to know why isn't it a cat or a cat's paw that is joined to the artifact, but a goose. Is the fact that the goose is a farm animal important?

From 5 Farm Animals That Kill Snakes : "Geese may appear to be gentle and harmless, but they are among the type of farm animals that kill snakes. When the need arises, a goose loses all of its gentle nature and turns fierce. Countless times, geese have been seen overpowering small snakes by killing them. Scenarios like this often occur when the snakes try to attack the offspring of the goose. In the course of trying to protect its offspring, a goose can end up killing a snake."

 

The link between Mehen artifacts and Apep cutting : water distribution

1 • The Ballas Mehen was found covering a pot…

Following excerpts are from : Ancient Egyptians at Play, Board Games across Borders. Walter Crist, Anne-Elizabeth Dunn-Vaturi , Alex de Voogt (Bloomsbury Egyptology)

"Of the few boards that have good archaeological provenance, the oldest comes from the late Naqada Tomb 19 at Ballas, now in the Ashmolean Museum (Petrie & Quibell 1896: 42), and dates to the end of the fourth millennium BCE (Rothöhler 1999: 11). Found covering a pot, it was likely a votive representation of a mehen board rather than one used for play, since it was only 10.5 cm in diameter (Kendall 2007: 37), but appears in the form of other full-sized game boards."

 

2 • And another one was most certainly also a jar lid

"Another mehen game without provenance, now in a private collection, may have been a jar lid much like the Ballas game as it is only 4.5 cm in diameter and unlikely to have been used for play considering it contains 336 very small spaces (Kendall 2007: 37). It depicts a coiled serpent, with a tail and head, much like the others already discussed, but with an important distinction: four holes* were drilled on different parts of the serpent and may have been filled with a colored paste or some kind of inlay, distinguishing those spaces from the others (Kendall 2007: 37)."

*Unfortunately, no picture of this particular Mehen artifact is available ; probably the position of these 4 additional holes could be of some interest.

 

Were any of the Mehen artifacts designed as game boards

What we know for sure, is that some of the Mehen board games hadn't been designed to be played with, whether because they are too small, the segments too tiny, or for both of these reasons.

The question is : were any of the Mehen artifacts designed as game boards?

 

Center image : Book of Gates, showing the coiled serpent god Mehen protecting Ra on its solar barque. Image from Wikimedia Commons : Ra traveling through the underworld (the Duat) in his barque, from the copy of the Book of Gates in the tomb of Ramses I (KV16).

 

The Mehen artifacts are related to Sun god Ra only starting with the fourth Dynasty

Interestingly, even if some coiled segmented serpent artifacts were found dating from the First Dynasty or before, it is only with the fourth Dynasty, that the name Mehen appears, and that it is related to the protection of Sun god Ra.

"The Fourth Dynasty tomb of Prince Rahotep at Meidum provides the earliest known names associated with specific board games anywhere in the world. In a list of offerings for the king to use in the afterlife are three different games: mn ,  “ men, ”   zn . t ,  “ senet ” and  mh. n ,  “ mehen .” Translated as “to coil” or “the Coiled One” (Ranke 1920: 372–5), mehen shares its name with the god Mehen, an immense coiled serpent associated with the netherworld, whose primary function was to envelope the sun god Ra in his many coils, thus protecting him from all evil (Piccione 1990a: 43; Rothöhler 1999: 12–19)."

"Boards have been found with as few as forty nine spaces, and some had as many as four hundred (Swiny 1986: 57). There also was not a predetermined number of circles in the spiral, with as few as two (e.g., Petrie & Quibell 1896: Pl. 43) and as many as seven (e.g., Quibell 1913: Pl. XI , see fig. 2.5) known from archaeological contexts. The serpent could also be coiled in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction (Piccione 1990a: 47)."

Excerpts from : Ancient Egyptians at Play, Board Games across Borders. Walter Crist, Anne-Elizabeth Dunn-Vaturi , Alex de Voogt (Bloomsbury Egyptology)

 

Disc of Sabu / Mehen artifacts / Direct and Evaporative Cooling : the European Emergence of the Technology analogy (1500 to 1750)

If the Mehen artifacts and the disc of Sabu were much older that the Great Pyramid, how can they be related to it?

Once again, the Great Pyramid is only the outcome of many decades of technological research on chemical manufacturing that started probably around the very first Dynasty, like it is suggested by the Serekh names list* and the fact that the disc of Sabu is also dated from first Dynasty.

During all these years, chemical reactions cooling would have been a major problem and most probably direct water cooling was mostly used. The Great Pyramid at Giza seems to have been the only one designed to benefit from evaporative cooling, but the necessity of disposing of pressurized water for direct cooling would have been a reality since maybe the very beginning of the research programme.

In Europe, it took about 250 years to achieve the Emergence of the technology (1500 to 1750), with the Renaissance and Leonardo da Vinci ; and another 150 years for the Industrial Revolution (1750 to 1900).

They were most probably slowed down in their research by the lack of power, because contrary to what the western world had in the 1700's or 1800's in Europe, they didn't have the steam engine.

My guess is that, in some ways, ancient Egyptians got stuck in the first step of technological evolution : they were a civilization living the Emergence of the technology.

*Please see the post "pyramids of the cold" for more on that matter.

 

The Theban Tomb TT359 is located in Deir el-Medina, part of the Theban Necropolis. It is the burial place of the ancient Egyptian workman Inherkhau, who was Foreman of the Lord of the Two Lands in the Place of Truth during the reigns of Ramesses III and Ramesses IV (Wikipedia). Image from kairoinfo4u

 

The sycamore fig tree is also a metaphor of the impactor

The sycamore fig tree that appears with Apep has raised some problem until I stopped thinking about it in a "static" way and completely disconnected from the cutting made by the cat on the left part of the image.

We've seen that Apep is a metaphor of the inclined well waters, and that it's cutting is a representation of the small amount of pressurized water getting out of the well.

On this image, the cut is made right in front of our eyes : it means that the well is pressurized. The presence of the sycamore fig tree has to tell us what is causing the pressurization.

1 • If we look closely, the trunk of the fig tree seems to be completely surrounded by the body of the snake, and nearly absorbed by it. The snake (the water) is all around the trunk : the sycamore tree is immersed into the water.

2 • Also, it almost looks like Apep had been punched down by the tree and he is held down on the ground like fighters would do. The weight of the trunk is constraining the body of the snake : that is the representation of the pressurization of the water.

The trunk of the sycamore is a metaphor of the impactor getting inside the inclined well (represented by the body of the snake) and pressurizing the well.

The sycamore fig tree is the impactor.

 

Apep and the combination of 4 different metaphors

In my opinion, the metaphors about Apep are the most striking of all the metaphors combination used by ancient Egyptians I know of, and it is in 4 acts:

1 • The metaphor of the water of the inclined well : the Great Serpent Apep

2 • The metaphor of the pressurized water injected into the cooling passage : the Great Serpent cutting                

3 • The metaphor of the pressurization of the well by the sycamore tree

4 • The metaphor of the pressurized waters of the incined well, with the restraining of Apep by the ropes (see farther below, same post).

 

What all this metaphoric art is saying about the ancient Egyptian lost civilization is really admirable. I already had the utmost respect for the beauty of the Great Pyramid functioning and its marvelous impactor operating cycle, but I am starting to believe their artistic capabilities were at least equally outstanding.

The fact that their extraordinary extremely high sophisticated society was so diminished by modern people is totally beyond me.

 

Was the impactor made from sycamore fig wood?

What we know for sure is that some of the caskets of ancient Egyptian mummies are made from the wood of this fig tree.

But the question is, was the impactor made from sycamore fig wood or is it another metaphor?

 

The interlocked fibers of the Sycamore wood Ficus sycomorus* and its high hit resistance

From the Majofesa website, about Ficus sycomorus* : "The sycamore wood is one of the toughest that exists in the timber market, according to hits, weather and time. It even acquired a sacred value thanks to its durability, as the Pharaohs and the most powerful men of the Ancient Egypt wanted their sarcophagi was built with this material to be preserved better and longer. It was believed that in time their mummies would reach a sacred aspect."

*Not to be confused with unrelated trees. From Wikipedia : "The term sycamore spelled with an A has also been used for unrelated trees: the Great Maple, Acer pseudoplatanus, or plane trees, Platanus. The spelling "sycomore", with an O rather than an A as the second vowel is, if used, specific to Ficus sycomorus."

 

"The sycamore wood is heavy, moderately hard and strong. Its fiber is straight, occasionally wavy, and the grain is fine and uniform. The sycamore wood is easy to work because of its linked fibers, which allow breaking and cutting it easily. It supports very well the gluing, screwing and nailing, and the finish is usually great. Sycamore has a fine and even texture that is very similar to maple."

"The grain is interlocked."

 

In other words, the Sycamore would have been a very good candidate for the purpose of the impactor : its interlocking fibers make this wood very hit resistant.

 

The restraining of Apep : the restraining of the inclined well pressurized waters

We've seen that the Great Serpent Apep was a metaphor of the inclined well waters and that the fall of the impactor into the well pressurized it. The forces at play were so high that not only it was at the origin of some of the more impressive parts of the fights between Ra and Apep (the thunder noises, the rumble and trembling, etc.), but it also put the well on tremendous structural forces. That was the mission of the girdle stones : maintain the structural integrity of the well.

So, when we are looking at the restraint of the Great Serpent Apep, on the above image from Ramesses KV19 tomb, we are looking at representations of the water that was restraint inside the well. The ropes are representations of the restraint, and the red elements in a inverted U shape, are the girdle stones : the upper girdles are actually 2 U-shaped half girdles stacked on top of each other. 

 

 

The polygonal interlocking layout of the blocks of the ascending passage

These blocks are displaying an interlocking layout revealing that the passage was also under a lot of longitudinal forces. If the girdle stones were set to counteract transversal forces passing through the ascending passage (from the inside to the outside of the well), the interlocking layout of the blocks reveals that the passage was also under strong longitudinal forces (from the top to the bottom of the well, and reverse).

Drawing of the ascending passage of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, made by the Edgar brothers in the early 1900's and showing floor, ceiling and walls of the passage. In red and green, are highlighted the imprints of the girdle stones onto the floor to reveal that they were set in 2 different angle positions. In blue is the small imprint that is still today filled up with a small block of granite.

 

The 14 girdle stones of the inclined well (and why everybody forgot about 10 of them)

Contrary to what seems to suggest all the ascending passage drawings we can find on the internet and mentioning the girdle stones, there is not just 3 or 4 of these huge blocks in the passage. Actually, the entire passage, from the G4 girdle (the lower of the usual girdles) to the lower part of the passage (right to the connection with the descending passage), is nothing else than 100% girdle stones.

The fact is that when the Edgar brothers tried to understand the function of these girdle stones back in the early 1900's, they couldn't make any sense of them all. They were only interested in finding distances between blocks in order to associate these distances to Bible or other historical events. They were able to do that with G1, G2, G3 and G4 ; but girdles G5 to G14 are completely pressed against each other and they couldn't measure anything so they didn't talk about it much (and that is precisely what they wrote themselves in their book). Since, everybody did the exact same thing and G5 to G14 were completely forgotten.

 

In italic, are excerpts from "Great Pyramid Passages, Volume 1, by John and Morton Edgar 1910", sections 460 to 470.

Section 462, talking about the girdle stones : "Before leaving home we had recognized the importance of the three upper ones as marking important dates in the Law Dispensation".

Section 467 : "Those Girdles which lie lower down the passage than the three just described, are all in contact with one another".

Section 468 : "it would seem that the stones which form the Girdles here were originally built in solid, end to end, after which the bore of the passage was cut through them. Above the fourth Girdle, however, there can be no doubt that the passage was constructed in the usual way, i.e., that the floor was first laid, the walls erected at the proper distance apart on the floor, and the roof- stones then placed on top of the wall-stones".

 

We forgot precisely the more protected part of the ascending passage, and focused ourselves with 3 or 4 minor girdles. How do you want to understand anything about this passage by doing so?

If you want to understand the girdle stones layout, you need to understand that the passage was flooded and that the girdles were acting as an integrated strapping of the well, exactly like wine barrel metal hoops.

The pressure inside the well was maybe, or probably, perfectly distributed on all its surface by a another complete wooden casing, that would have allowed the well to be waterproof. It is possible though, that the seals between the blocks were sufficient enough so that no casing was needed. Probably another copper pipe was fixed on the floor of the well that would have allowed some of its water to be injected into the entry of the horizontal cooling passage.

 

The lower end-to-end girdles are arranged in 2 sets with different orientations

When you look attentively to the drawing of the Edgar brothers, showing the girdle imprints on the floor of the passage (above image, in red and green), you can see something absolutely amazing : these girdle stones were arranged in 2 sets of girdles, and that these 2 sets were positioned at a different angle to the vertical axis.

This particular layout reveals a dormant breach, just waiting to be opened up, and it is located right where the Al Ma'mun cavity has been digged.

 

The 14 girdle stones of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, indicating that the ascending passageway was a flooded well, and that it was drained inside the Al-Ma'mun cavity towards the descending passageway and the subterranean chamber.

Last update : September 23, 2021 (correction of the position of the 3 granite plug blocks, resulting of the identification of the most probable granite weight block of the impactor as the subterranean recess block).

 

The breach opening for the shutdown procedure of the pyramid

The 2 sets of girdles with different orientations are opening up to reveal a dormant breach. More amazing is that at the exact location where the breach is positioned, we can find a tiny squared imprint in the floor with a granite plug still stuck inside, and on the other side of the wall is the huge Al-Ma'mun cavity, leading to the subterranean part of the Great Pyramid.

My guess is that this particular layout was designed to drain the well for the shutdown procedure of the pyramid : a small granite block would have been positioned in the small imprint (colored in blue on the drawing), placed against the wall, directly next to the dormant breach.

This is Petrie talking about the part just ahead (south) of the granite plugs : "The present top one is not the original end ; it is roughly broken, and there is a bit of granite still cemented to the floor some way farther South of it". Source : The Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh par W. M. Flinders Petrie. Chapter : Ascending Passage, page 21.

 

When time has come to shut the pyramid down, the impactor is lifted up to the top of the grand gallery one last time, unless this time there is no float anymore. When the impactor is released and enter the inclined well, it doesn't pop back up to the surface but sink to the bottom of the well with high velocity. When it hits the granite plug block n°3 that was dormant all along by this small granite block in the imprint, it opens the breach and all the water is drained trough the cavity of Al-Ma'mun.

The draining of the well was necessary in order to empty completely the pyramid of all its content. More about it farther below, same post (dormant breach, little inprint, draining of the well into the cavity of Al-Ma'mun...)

 

Atum figures in form of a Serpent in the Brooklyn Museum : Snake Coffin Accession Number 36.624 (Dynasty 26 or later) and Snake Coffin (Atum) Accession Number 16.600 (Dynasty 26 to 31).

 

The Serpent Atum (a fraction of the Great Serpent Apep) refers to the water ejected from the well

Once Sun god Ra (representing the grand gallery, and Daylight) and Apep (representing the inclined well water of the Underworld) had finished a cycle, the adequate quantity of water is ejected from the well, and another god, Atum is going to represent this fraction and everything that happened to it from the bottom platform of the gallery to the outcome production of the cold.

Atum's role, is complementary to Nefertem's role, who seems to be a pure "technical" representation of the cooling passage. Atum seems to add vision and perspective to it. Nefertem figures are very common and rich in elements like huge lotus flowers, copper pipes, khepeshes, etc. Nefertem is more like the engineer point of view.

Atum figures are very rare. But contrary to Nefertem, a lot of information can be found about him and understood by the theory.

 

The following text in italic comes from the Wikipedia page about Atum

 

• Atum was created from the primordial dark chaos-waters of the inclined well

"In the Heliopolitan creation myth, Atum was considered to be the first god, having created himself… from the primordial waters (Nu)."

"Atum was a self-created deity, the first being to emerge from the darkness and endless watery abyss that existed before creation. A product of the energy and matter contained in this chaos."

"In the Book of the Dead, which was still current in the Graeco-Roman period, the sun god Atum is said to have ascended from chaos-waters with the appearance of a snake, the animal renewing itself every morning."

 

• Atum created 2 other gods by spitting them out of his mouth : Shu and Tefnut

"Early myths state that Atum created the god Shu and goddess Tefnut by spitting them out of his mouth. Other myths state Atum created by masturbation…"

My comments : when it is said Atum was created by masturbation, it is of course another metaphor here. When Isis is breastfeeding Horus, it is not milk he is receiving, but the cold liquid solution ; the same way when Atum is depicted masturbating, it is only a way of depicting the high pressurized water coming out of the fog nozzle into microdroplets.

"He produced from his own sneeze, or in some accounts, semen, Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the goddess of moisture."

My comments : that part is describing the crucial point of the cooling passage that was being supplied in both (dry) air and liquid water to produce moist air with very high humidity rate.

Atum's mouth refers to the fog nozzle

 

• Atum and the cold production

"Yet other interpretations state that he has made union with his shadow."

My comments : the shadow reference here is most probably referring to, or related to the double outline of the Dendera characters holding the cold and having cold themselves : they are having the goose bumps.

"Sometimes he is also shown as a serpent, the form he returns to at the end of the creative cycle."

My comments : it is probably referring to the Queen's chamber and maybe condensation?

"Atum's name is thought to be derived from the verb tm which means 'to complete' or 'to finish'."

 My comments : the evaporative cooling passage was the third and last step in the production operations of the cold, it was the primary purpose of the Lower part of the Great Pyramid.

 

The lifted arms of the Shu amulets and on the Dendera Light reliefs. Left : Shu Amulet 44.4.24  and 04.2.372 from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York. Center : Shu amulet 48.1683 from the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. Right : Dendera Light relief in the Hathor temple, from the New York Public Library (Digital Collections). Author : Auguste Mariette, 1821-1881.

 

• Atum and the transfer of the cold to the Upper part of the pyramid

"In the Old Kingdom, the Egyptians believed that Atum lifted the dead king's soul from his pyramid to the starry heavens."

My comments : they are talking here about the transfer of the cold to the Upper part of the pyramid. In the Dendera Light reliefs, this same idea is depicted by the arms sustaining Djed Pillars.

 

Atum Sneezed out Shu and spat out Tefnut

"The Coffin Texts contain references to Shu being sneezed out by Atum from his nose, and Tefnut being spat out like saliva." Source : Wikipedia page on ancient Egyptian god Shu

Ancient Egyptian gods Shu and Tefnut are other representations of the cooling passage. This time these gods tell us exactly what the nozzle was doing : blowing wind ("sneezed out by the nose") and droplets of water ("being spat out like saliva").

 

• The cooling god Shu was associated with dry warm air... and fog

"The ancient Egyptian god Shu is represented as a human with feathers on his head, as he is associated with dry and warm air."

"As the air, Shu was considered to be a cooling, and thus calming, influence, and pacifier. Due to the association with dry air, calm, and thus Ma'at (truth, justice, order, and balance), Shu was depicted as the dry air/atmosphere between the earth and sky, separating the two realms after the event of the First Occasion."

"Fog and clouds were also Shu's elements and they were often called his bones. Because of his position between the sky and earth, he was also known as the wind."

Text in italic from the Wikipedia page on ancient Egyptian god Shu

 

• The god Tefnut was associated with spat water and moisture

"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'."

Text in italic from the Wikipedia page on ancient Egyptian god Tefnut

 

Left : Egyptian Mongoose (ichneumon)  E 14227 from the Louvre Museum, Paris © Musée du Louvre / Hervé Lewandowski. Center : Isis nursing Horus, AN 17.190.1641 from the Metropolitan Museum, New-York, 1070–343 B.C. Third Intermediate Period–Late Period. The Serdab of Djoser's Step Pyramid at Sakkara : photograph thanks to Jon Bodsworth. Top right : cylinder seal from the Louvre Museum E25687. Bottom right : cylinder seal E32669 from the Louvre Museum. Date de création/fabrication : Djedkarê Isési (mention de règne) (2411 - 2380 BCE). Statue of a Crocodile with the Head of a Falcon AN 22.347 from the Walters Art Museum.

 

The feeding metaphors to describe the Solvay reaction chambers cooling

Ancient Egyptians used 2 types of feeding metaphors regarding the cooling of the Solvay counterflow reaction chambers, based on human or animal behaviors.

 

• The breast feeding of Horus child, by Isis

This is probably the best metaphor of all, because it is a perfect representation of the transfer/cooling fluid.

 

• The animal snake predator feeding

We've already seen that snakes were the metaphors used to represent water. The Great Serpent Apep was a metaphor of the inclined well pressurized waters (from the primordial still waters Nu), and the small snake spitting out its venom on the Dendera Light reliefs, was a metaphor of the small amount of water injected inside the evaporative horizontal cooling passage. The water is the origin of the cold, that was used to cool down the chambers : it is like they were feeding the Solvay reaction chambers with the cold.

That is most probably the reason that explains why so many snake predator animals were represented in ancient Egyptian religion.

The most dangerous predator for snakes, is the mongoose (above photograph) ; but other snake predators include : hawks, ibis, cats, crocodiles, vultures…

 

The representation of the fog nozzle

On this picture of the mongoose from the Louvre Museum, it is interesting to see that the man in front of the mongoose is holding the fog nozzle of the horizontal cooling passage. Most of the time, the fog nozzle is only clearly represented with Horus, so this artifact is precious.

Please note that the fog nozzle is not pointed to the mongoose, or the flower base that is another representation of the nozzle : the nozzle is pointed to the man himself.

Also, note the very particular posture of the mongoose that kind of mimic the posture of a dog waiting to be fed as well.

For more details about the lotus flower and the fog nozzle, please visit the Dendera Light post.

 

Funerary Figures of the Four Sons of Horus. 400–30 B.C. Late Period–Ptolemaic Period, from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York : Duamutef (jackal head), Imsety (human head), Hapy (baboon head) and Qebehsenuef (falcon head). Right image : Dendera astronomical ceiling relief in the Hathor temple representing the 8 Ogdoad deities. Top right : Nu and Nut; top left : Hehu and Hehut; bottom right : Kek and Keket; bottom left : "Ni and Nit" (for Qerh and Qerhet). Source : Kairoinfo4u

 

The 4+4=8 crewmembers of the 2 scarab beetles of the grand gallery

Please note, on the first image of this post, showing the fight between Sun god Ra and Apep (Apophis), that the 2 scarabs of the grand gallery are represented by 4 jackals (that would be the western ramp of the gallery), and 4 snakes showing the fog nozzle pattern (the eastern ramp). Each scarab was operated by 4 crewmembers that took place inside the scarabs, and that were represented by the Four Sons of Horus figures.

In total, 8 crewmembers were in the scarabs : the 8 primordial Ogdoad deities. 2 other crewmembers stayed constantly behind the scarabs progression to force the latch-bolts back into the walls (when scarabs were going to the bottom of the gallery) and to secure the progression when the scarabs were lifted back again to the top of the gallery after the impactor was securely set on the top of the gallery.

 

The 2 crewmembers following the beetle scarab

These 2 essential crewmembers that stayed behind, and not inside the beetle scarab, are also represented on that same image : they are on the rear part of the Solar Barque, like they were behind the scarabs.

 

Image on the left : detail of the Funerary Figures of the Four Sons of Horus, showing Imsety (human head). 400–30 B.C. Late Period–Ptolemaic Period. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York. Second image is a detail of the tomb KV16, located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, and used for the burial of Pharaoh Ramesses I of the Nineteenth Dynasty (burial place discovered by Giovanni Belzoni in October 1817). Third image : Limestone false door of Senwehem, from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston provided by the Giza Project at Harvard. Image on the right : Large Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figure from Catawiki. Late Period c. 664 – 332 BC. Image on the right from kairoinfo4you on flickr : Tomb of Inherkau no. 359. Second chamber, South wall. "The great cat of Heliopolis" killing the enemy of the sun, Apophis

 

Apep was also called the World-Encircler

It is very interesting to see that the same water (let's say from the Nile) was first pumped from the Nile, then short term stored and treated (filtration, etc.) on the flat roof of the pyramid, long term stored inside the King's chamber, then passed through the antechamber and the central gutter of the grand gallery, then the inclined well, the horizontal evaporative cooling passage and, at last inside the Queen's chamber basin.

I still didn't figure out what was happening next to that water, so I stop here its path, but it couldn't be the end of it...

(Wikipedia): "The wide range of Apep's possible locations gained him the title World-Encircler".

 

The water from the King's chamber

The 3 images on the left are representations of the grand gallery, with the 2 lateral ramps and the water supply of the central gutter ; the last image on the right represents the inclined well, with the 16 yards Apep Great Serpent that represented the supplying pipe for the fog nozzle. The head of Apep is put onto the bottom platform of the gallery and is made of pressure resistant flint material.

 

The junction of the grand gallery, the ascending passage and the horizontal evaporative cooling passage of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza.

The image showing Horus, holding the fog nozzle, is a detail of : E3752 from the Louvre Museum, Paris.

 

The sodium carbonate manufacturing

Horus was representing the sodium carbonate Na2CO3 (purest mineral form of natron) manufactured by a Solvay-like process, that needed to be cooled down. Here, Horus is refreshing himself. For more on this part, read the following post : the pyramids of the Cold.

 

Image on the left from "The Great Pyramid Passages And Chambers" Volume 1, by John Edgar and Morton Edgar, Glasgow 1910. Second and third images from the Louvre Museum © Musée du Louvre / Christian Décamps : Nefertem emblem N 5118. Last image also from the Louvre Museum : Nefertem emblem ME299 © Musée du Louvre.

 

The key element of the connection between the grand gallery of the Great Pyramid, the inclined well and the horizontal evaporative cooling passage

This photograph was taken before 1910, and it is the only photograph I know that shows this part of the lower end of the grand gallery. In the foreground there is the beginning of the horizontal passage (the Queen's chamber would be on the right), then you have the abrupt cut-off of the smooth ramp sloping floor and the slot in the middle. In the background, there is the east ramp and the north wall of the gallery.

The "slot" in the middle of the cut-off, is not the result of an abrasion, but a real design made for a unique reason : it allows the connection between the well and the horizontal passage when the well is lined up with its wooden casing.

This layout is absolutely essential to the process and it was probably extended by a heavy piece of equipment that would sustain the pressure coming from the well and let the air, and the pressurized water coming through towards the fog nozzle unit that made the micro-droplets of liquid water.

 

The representations of the girdle stones : the restraining of Apep

We've seen that the Great Serpent Apep was a metaphor of the inclined well waters and that the fall of the impactor into the well pressurized it. The forces at play were so high that not only it was at the origin of some of the more impressive parts of the fights between Ra and Apep (the thunder noises, the rumble and trembling, etc.), but it also put the well on tremendous structural forces. That was the mission of the girdle stones : maintain the structural integrity of the well.

So, when we are looking at the restraint of the Great Serpent Apep, on the above image from Ramesses KV19 tomb, we are looking at representations of the water that was restraint inside the well. The ropes are representations of the restraint, and the red elements in a inverted U shape, are the girdle stones.

 

The U-shape half girdle stones of the ascending passage upper part

Interestingly, G1, G2 and G3 are actually exactly that : 2 U-shape half blocks. The bottom half part of each girdle stone make the floor and half of the wall elevation of the passage, and the top part of the girdle make the ceiling of the passage and the rest of the wall section.

 

The fact that there are 5 painted girdles could be a valuable data.

Interestingly, the girdle stone G5, is also the biggest girdle we know of. Is there a link?

In my theory regarding the draining of the well, it is the granite plug n°3 that triggers the rupture / explosion of the West wall of the well. The plug crashes into the small granite block that was inside the little imprint on the floor and the impact opens the dormant breach.

For that to happens, the plug had to already have energy (speed) before hitting the small block. So the question is : where was put the granite plug n°3 during the entire operation of the pyramid.

In my opinion, the plug was set inside the girdle stone G5. It would have been the waters coming from the King's chamber "explosive" opening, that would have violently pushed the plug against the small floor block and opened the breach.

It would mean that the rest of the lower structure would have been in place for the only reason of the draining of the well.

 

The baboon turning his back to the top of the well

Please note that like on the gnomon from the Louvre Museum, there is a baboon, turning his back to the top part of the well.

On the gnomon from the Louvre Museum, the baboon has his back pressed onto the vertical line ; and on the relief painting, the tail of the baboon and the tail of the serpent are joined together so that there is just one shared element.

 

Source : "The great pyramid passages and chambers" by John and Edgar Morton, 1910.

 

The gnomon of the Louvre Museum  E 11558, with god Thot and solar disc. A gnomon, literally: "one that knows or examines" is the part of a sundial that casts a shadow. (Source : Wikipedia).

 

The "explosive" draining of the inclined well

I know that the scenario of the inclined well drainage with kind of a submarine "explosion" will not help my theory to gain credit. But the fact is that it was absolutely necessary, they had to get everything out of the pyramid at the end of its operation.

It may look even more crazy to say that I also may have found what could be the proof of this : and that is an artifact at the Louvre Museum, called a gnomon, which is the part that is casting shadows on a sundial.

I think that this artifact is actually representing the floor of the inclined well and the bottom platform of the grand gallery.

What is remarkable is that the small horizontal passage leading to the well shaft is also represented, that is the square shape under the platform.

More remarkable is the lower end of the artifact, with the baboon seated on what looks like a small block, that is against a vertical element showing a perfect vertical line, and right under it, a neatly crafted notch.

I think that notch is the point where the breach starts, and the vertical line is like a punctured line, ready to break.

Of course, the small block the baboon is sat on (with kind of a smile, don't you think?) would be the original granite block set in the square imprint of the passage floor, and on its West side, ready to be hit and broken.

 

Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza : the lower part of the ascending passage and the dormant breach revealed by the disposition of the different orientation sets of girdle stones.

 

For more on the draining of the well part, please visit :

The shut-down of the pyramid : the grotto and the draining of the inclined well

 

Left : The gnomon of the Louvre Museum  E 11558, with god Thot and solar disc. Center : Clepsydra or water clock with squatting babooon 86.1.93 from the Metropolitan Museum in New-York, 4th century B.C. Right : Water Clock Decorated with a Baboon 17.194.2341, also from the MET (664–30 B.C).

 

The water retaining block and the squatting baboon

The 2 artifacts on the above photographs, showing squatting baboons on water clocks, could reinforce the idea that the same baboon, in the same squatting position on the first photograph of a sun clock from the Louvre Museum, could really have his back against a retention block, that would be installed inside the inclined well of the Great Pyramid.

The fact that we also have here, 2 clocks, one functioning with the sun (and the shade), and the other one functioning with water itself, could be seen as a metaphoric countdown of some kind.

The functioning of the water clock, would also be a perfect representation of the draining of the well itself.

 

Photographs of the Al-Ma'mun cavity, in which the inclined well had been drained. "The Great Pyramid Passages And Chambers" Volume 1, by John Edgar and Morton Edgar, Glasgow 1910.

 

The Al-Ma'mun forced entry

The reason that explains the Al-Ma'mun cavity and the little passage towards the descending passage is the drainage of the inclined well. Once out, the waters would have been simply naturally directed towards the subterranean chamber.

The Al-Ma'mun forced entry towards the lower part of the ascending passage, was to get all the equipment of the grand gallery and the Queen's chamber out of the pyramid.

 

Left : the "forced tunnel", supposedly digged by Al-Ma'mun. Right : the small passage from the Al-Ma'mun cavity to the descending passage.

 

The "road sign" blocks of the Al-Ma'mun forced passage

For the shutdown procedure of the pyramid, the precise order in which the 3 parts may have been digged, would be probably vigorously discussed, but for now I would say they started from the outside of the pyramid towards the ascending passage, then the small passage and finally the cavity itself.

They would have been helped for the first step, by the very particular layout of the stones that constitute the forced passage : there are some black and white blocks, and flat and regular blocks all over the passage, that looks like perfect road signs to me.

 

The Dendera Light Bulbs are representations of the evaporative cooling fog of microdroplets of the theory : the Dendera post

 

Ptah-Sokar-Osiris + Imhotep figures : the impactor of the grand gallery with its granite weight

 

Horus and his Fog Nozzle : the pyramids of the cold

 

Figures of ancient Egyptian goddess Isis with Horus. Left : Isis with Horus the Child, from the Walters Museum, Baltimore, Maryland. ca. 680-640 BCE (Late Period). Accession Number 54.416. Center : Isis nursing Horusca from the Metropolitan Museum, New-York. 1070–343 B.C. Third Intermediate Period–Late Period. Accession Number: 17.190.1641. Third image : E3752, also from the Louvre Museum. Scène de purification ; Horus (dieu à tête de faucon, debout, pagne chendjit, présentant aiguière). Basse Epoque (d'après style) (664 - 332 BCE). Right image : detail of Aegis of Isis (Accession Number: 48.73) from the MET.

 

I wanted to show the first 2 images side by side, because they look the same, but they actually are quite different on the lower part : the first image from the Walters Museum (Baltimore), show Isis the same way than Imhotep is on his figures where he has his feet only connected to the granite weight block ; while on the second image from the MET (New-York), the entire design of the impactor is shown, with the granite block inserted into the wooden cradle float.

 

The Breastfeeding of Horus the child real meaning

I have to admit I really love these representations of Isis, nursing Horus the child. Like the snake of the Dendera reliefs, or everything else, nothing that is depicted by ancient Egyptians regarding their gods, have to be taken literally. Everything is nothing else that simple or elaborate metaphors.

And the metaphor here, is pretty simple. Isis is set onto a chair (meaning that others would have to lift her : the 8 crewmembers of the 2 scarab beetles of the grand gallery), that is put onto the impactor, with the wooden cradle float and/or the granite weight block (the "heart" of the pyramid). She is wearing a crown showing the many teeth of the fog nozzle of the horizontal cooling passage (last image)… and she is breastfeeding Horus the child.

The important thing here, is of course the breastfeeding ; but this is not milk that Horus the child is receiving : this is what comes out of the Queen's chamber plate heat exchanger. Horus is given cold solution brine.

It is nothing else than the same scene depicted on the first image of this post, showing the falcon Horus waiting to be fed with the snake, the representation of the cold. It is the same feeding metaphor.

Probably that the "wands of Horus" represent the pipes, or tubes, that were feeding the Solvay units with cold solution.

On these figurines, what Isis is really doing, is cooling down the Natron manufacturing towers/chambers/units, whatever was really set on the flat roof of the pyramid.

 

The Serdab of Djoser's Step Pyramid at Sakkara. Photographs thanks to Jon Bodsworth (left) and Roweromaniak (right). Top right : sceau cylindre from the Louvre Museum E25687. Date de création/fabrication : Nebhepetrê Montouhotep II (mention de règne) (2033 - 1982 BCE). Bottom right : sceau cylindre E32669 from the Louvre Museum. Date de création/fabrication : Djedkarê Isési (mention de règne) (2411 - 2380 BCE).

 

The Serdab (literally meaning cold water) of Imhotep's Step Pyramid at Sakkara

From Wikipedia : "A serdab, (literally meaning "cold water", which became a loanword in Arabic for 'cellar') is an ancient Egyptian tomb structure that served as a chamber for the Ka statue of a deceased individual. Used during the Old Kingdom, the serdab was a sealed chamber with a small slit or hole to allow the soul of the deceased to move about freely. These holes also let in the smells of the offerings presented to the statue".

 

What is interesting to note on the photograph of the Serdab of the Djoser Step Pyramid at Sakkara, is that not only there are 2 holes, but one of them had been set right in between 2 different blocks.

In my opinion, the serdab had nothing to do with a tomb, it was a cooling chamber. If serdab means "cold water", then it means that cold water would have been injected into that chamber. It could probably be a room that will evolve into the Queen's chamber of the Great Pyramid.

Probably water (or a solution), at room temperature was passing through the hole on the right (pierced in the middle of the block) ; and very cold or very hot water (or solution) was passing through the hole that is in between the 2 blocks.

We can imagine that high temperature solutions coming from the Solvay towers would have been injected through the left hole (in between the 2 blocks) and that it would have leave the chamber, at "room temperature", passing through the right hole.

The joint between the 2 blocks would have play the role of an expansion joint.

It is also possible that the "2 wands of Horus" may represent the pipes coming through the 2 holes of the Serdab, or the holes themselves.

 

The horizontal cooling passage of the Great Pyramid

Chemical manufacturing of the Na2CO3 (the pure mineral form of natron) was since the very beginning a perpetual fight between the heat produced by the counterflow reactions inside the chambers were discs of Sabu were set, and the necessity to cool down these reactions so that the 2 different cycles of the Solvay process could be efficient.

I presume that the design of the Great Pyramid, with its horizontal cooling passage, and the storage of the cold in the Queen's chamber, was the achievement of their civilization.

 

Imhotep's figures showing the granite block weight of the theory, without the wooden cradle float. Left : Figurine of Seated Imhotep E3640 from the Louvre Museum. Date de création/fabrication : Basse Epoque (attribution d'après style) (664 / 332 BCE). © Musée du Louvre / RMN-Grand Palais / Hervé Lewandowski. Second image : figure of Imhotep EA40666 from the British Museum

 

Imhotep's granite block : the heart of the Great Pyramid

Imhotep was a scientist, an architect and an engineer, so we shouldn't be surprised about the way he is depicted in his seated figurines : he holds the knowledge in his hands (or the Step Pyramid plans), seated with his feet in contact with what represented maybe the most important piece of the Great Pyramid operating cycle, the granite block that was inside the wooden cradle float.

The wooden beetle scarab operating inside the grand gallery was designed only to lift this block. The wooden cradle float all around it was only here to get the impactor back from the inclined well. This block was what pressurized the well and permitted to have the fog of microdroplets inside the horizontal cooling passage. Imhotep's granite block was, in some ways, the heart of the Great Pyramid.

 

From Imhotep's "Refreshment of the Gods" Pyramid... to the "Pyramid of the Cold"

Imhotep biggest influence was not in the medicine field, but in architecture. He is the one who built the first true pyramid in ancient Egypt, made of stone blocks and not dried mud bricks : the Djoser's Step Pyramid.

Interestingly, this unprecedented step pyramid was called "The Refreshment of the Gods".

My conviction is that the term "refreshment" is incorrect : Imhotep's first pyramid was certainly not the "Refreshment Pyramid", but "the Pyramid of the Cold".

 

Figures of ancient Egyptian god Horus showing the fog nozzle of the theory. Left and center : figurine of Horus DUT162 from the Louvre Museum ; Paris, France, Hauteur : 9 cm ; Largeur : 2,7 cm ; Profondeur : 6 cm. Date de création/fabrication : Basse Epoque (664 - 332 BCE). Photograph on the right : E3752, also from the Louvre Museum. Scène de purification ; Horus (dieu à tête de faucon, debout, pagne chendjit, présentant aiguière). Basse Epoque (d'après style) (664 - 332 BCE).

 

Horus and the fog nozzle of the horizontal cooling passage : he is refreshing himself

The scene described here on these above figures of Horus, holding something in his hands, is not a purification scene like indicated on the technical data sheet by the museum, but the cooling of the Solvay process.

What Horus is holding in his hands, is the fog nozzle of the cooling passage.

Actually, Horus is doing exactly what we do ourselves when we are suffering from heat waves : we put the cooling fan right to our faces.

 

Figures showing more detailed representations of the fog nozzle of the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Left : figurine of Horus DUT162 from the Louvre Museum ; Paris, France, Hauteur : 9 cm ; Largeur : 2,7 cm ; Profondeur : 6 cm. Date de création/fabrication : Basse Epoque (664 - 332 BCE). Center : Image from the LACMA : Cultic Aegis and Menat with a Goddess Head. Egypt, 19th and 20th Dynasties (1315 - 1081 BCE). Bronze, 4 1/4 × 4 1/2 × 5 5/8 in. (10.8 × 11.43 × 14.29 cm). The Phil Berg Collection at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Right : modern high pressure firefighter fog nozzle.

 

The high pressure firefighter fog nozzle

The fog nozzle that Horus is holding is designed in a very similar way to modern firefighter fog nozzles, with numerous teeth that are responsible for producing the fog of microdroplets that would immediately evaporate and cool down the air by a adiabatic cooling process.

 

Evaporative cooling applications, from Jaybird Manufacturing Inc. Pennsylvania, USA.

 

The surprising evaporative cooling efficiency

The above image from Jaybird Manufacturing Inc. is very impressive, and shows, or suggests, how efficient the evaporative adiabatic cooling can be. Of course, in the Great Pyramid, the supply of water wasn't continuous, but according to the literature on the subject, it wouldn't have been a real problem because the water injected into the system needs time to completely evaporate itself anyway : it is not an instantaneous process.

Another thing is that the Great Pyramid would also have provide probably the best thermal insulation possible, due to its out of proportion massive blocks build-up, and the probable additional sand thermal insulation added all around the Quenn's chamber and the horizontal cooling passage.

 

The use of wet sand as thermal insulation, in the construction of cool chambers. Left : Construction of Zero Energy Cool Chamber at Thoubal district, Manipur (India). Right : same thing but at Karong Village.

 

The sand of Zero Energy cool chambers and of the horizontal passage at the Great Pyramid

Also, if it is true that we've found sand behind the blocks in the first part of the horizontal passage, I'm wondering if this sand wasn't actually set all around the entire structure [horizontal passage + Queen's chamber] ; exactly like it is shown on the above photographs of the construction of Zero Energy Cool Chambers, in India.

After all, when the French team who discovered the sand behind the blocks, reported it, they were asked to stop their work. We don't know the entire extend of the sand casing behind the blocks.

I first thought the sand was here to reduce the thermal stress on the structure, due to the constant sudden changes in temperature that occurred in the first part of the passage, and maybe it also served this problem ; but it was most likely to be a thermal insulation.  

 

The horizontal cooling passage of the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Updated September 18, 2021.

 

For example, they would have been used to connect the Campbell's chamber to the entry of the Great Pyramid to complete the operating cycle of the liquid desiccant air dehumidification (with a salt brine solution). 

The dehumidification of the air injected inside the Queen's chamber had to be at the lower humidity rate, so that it could have accept the higher amount of water, and so achieve the most effective cool down of the passage and the Queen's chamber.

 

The Wedjat Eye amulets are referring to the discs of Sabu that were installed inside the counterflow reaction chambers of the Solvay process towers (the Djed Pillars). Wedjat Eye Amulet from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York. Accession Number: 26.7.1032. 1070–664 B.C. 

 

You may probably already have tried to understand the so complicated story of the Osiris myth as it is presented to us by Egyptologists, and so did I, but I miserably failed on this task. It is at least ten times more complex than an Agatha Christie novel ! I swear I didn't wake up this morning, thinking of negating another part of the academic explanations on ancient Egyptian culture and religion, but it looks like it anyway, and I apologise for that.

 

Horus's name means "he who is above" and "he who is distant"

If you remember, I suggested that the Great Pyramid wasn't finished at the time of its operation, there was a flat roof at the Lady Arbuthnot's chamber level ; and everything we know today of this pyramid was designed for the cold production : the Lower part of the pyramid was for cold production and the cooling regulation of the Solvay towers that were set on the flat roof, that is the Upper part of the pyramid.

Horus represents the Natron manufacturing that needed to be cooled down : he was on the flat roof of the pyramid, above and away of everybody else that were working in the grand gallery (the 8 + 2 crewmembers of the scarab beetle and the team leader) to produce the cold.

 

The Osiris myth is the fight between Horus (Natron manufacturing) and Set (the overheating)

To paraphrase the Wikipedia page on the Osiris myth, Horus and Set were involved in constant disputes and competition over a period of 80 years ; and in my opinion, the origin of this myth comes directly from the constant attempts by ancient Egyptians to master the Natron manufacturing by the Solvay process, and in particular the control of the cooling of the 2 Solvay towers were discs of Sabu were installed.

The information regarding the 80 years of disputes, could be a genuine one : it probably took them 80 years to master the process.

 

The Eye of Horus myth is referring to the disc of Sabu

The Eye of Horus myth is the most valuable in my opinion, because it most probably refer to the disc of Sabu itself.

Egyptologists tell us that the many conflicts between Horus and Set, could have ended so badly that sometimes Horus would have an eye so damaged it broke into pieces ; and that is the academic origin of the Eye of Horus.

For 80 years, ancient Egyptians might have work on a project where the weakest link would have been the disc of Sabu, the dome-shape plate that was set inside counter-flow chemical reaction chambers. If something had to break, it would have been these discs, that are made of schist, a very fragile stone.

The discs of Sabu would have brake under excessive thermal stress due to excessive heat or cooling, and they would have ended into pieces : that is most probably the real story of the Eye of Horus myth.

In the Wedjat Eye amulets or in other representations of the Eye of Horus, the iris and the pupil of the eye are combined together and they represent the disc of Sabu. Each disc was set inside a chamber probably like the stone basins from the Solar Temple of Nyuserre at Abu Gorab, and these chambers represent the eye itself : a perfect protective casing for the discs of Sabu.

 

Set is representing the Solvay towers overheating

We've seen that Horus was cooled down because he was fed with cold (the snake of the Dendera reliefs, the breastfeeding by Isis and the fog nozzle pointed directly to his head) ; so who is Set ?

Well, Set could be seen as the Evil responsible for the towers overheating. To summarize the conflict between Horus (the Natron Na2CO3 manufacturing) and Set, we could say that Horus had to fight constantly against an overheated process. Sometimes he won, and sometimes he didn't. When Set won, one or many discs of Sabu could have been broken.

 

The origin of Upper and Lower Egypt : Upper and Lower Pyramid

From Wikipedia : "The cases in which the combatants divide the kingdom, and the frequent association of the paired Horus and Set with the union of Upper and Lower Egypt, suggest that the two deities represent some kind of division within the country"… " Horus is often associated with Lower Egypt and Set with Upper Egypt"… " The Lower Egyptian followers of Horus then forcibly reunified the land, inspiring the myth of Horus's triumph".

I've been feeling weird about this Lower and Upper Egypt since a long time now, and then I stumbled on this particular part of the Wikipedia page : " Horus is often associated with Lower Egypt and Set with Upper Egypt".

Because what we know from the Horus figures, is that Horus is often associated with Isis : she is breastfeeding him (the cold solution). 

Horus "on the flat roof of the pyramid" was associated with the Lower part of the Great Pyramid so that the Natron manufacturing would be successful. Horus and the Lower part of the Great Pyramid were working together against the overheating of the Solvay towers that were installed on the Upper part of the Pyramid.

The flat roof of the Great Pyramid* might be the origin of the Lower and Upper Egypt.

 

*Of course, I am talking a lot about the Great Pyramid here, but this is just an example ; the distinction between lower and upper parts of the different structures that had been used over 80 years to master the cooling of the Solvay process might has been quite the same over time. In particular, they always had to construct steep ramps and platforms, in pyramids, mastabas, or other structures all other Egypt.

 

 

The operating of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, updated September 17, 2021 (revisions of : the Horus fog nozzle, the axle beam for the 3 ropes of the grand gallery, the subterranean recess granite block weight of the impactor, the high pressure resistant clamping rings and the repositioning of the 3 granite plug blocks in the inclined well).

 

Top left photograph above : a modern spanner wrench designed to connect or disconnect metal fittings. The tooth at the end of the curved part of the tool is designed to engage onto the protuberances of the fitting. Other pictures are ancient Egyptians Khepesh Scimitars (exact dating is unknown to me).

 

The Khepesh Scimitars of the Nefertem amulets were spanner wrenches for copper fittings

According to scholars, "ancient Egyptian God Nefertem (also Nefertum, or Nefertemu) was the god of the lotus blossom who emerged from the primeval waters at the beginning of time". That would be the reason of the huge lotus blossom that Nefertem amulets displayed on their heads.

But most of the time, Nefertem is also having a Khepesh-Scimitar on the right hand, that is described as a warfare blade with sharpened edges, even if many examples have dull edges that apparently were never intended to be sharp.

 

Why ancient Egyptian Khepeshes aren't sharp and were never be designed for warfare

According to scholars, again, "it may therefore be possible that some Khepeshes found in high-status graves were ceremonial variants". But in my opinion, the idea that the reason why some Khepeshes weren't sharp at all, would be because they would have been for ceremonial use, couldn't be more wrong. Even today, the ceremonial Japanese katanas are maybe the most sharp of all katanas precisely because they are for ceremonial use. They are the best and the most expensive ones. The only katanas or any other kind of sword, that would be with dull edges, are the ones for kids to play, and they would be in plastic or wood.

 

Ancient Egyptians were using spanner wrenches in the pyramids

My interpretation of the Khepesh hold by Nefertem is radically different. I keep saying that pressurized water was directed towards the fog nozzle of the horizontal cooling passage of the Great Pyramid, and for that to be possible, pressure resistant pipes were needed, and that is exactly what is depicted in the Nefertem emblem.

But there is more, because to connect the pipe to the fog nozzle, or pipe pieces to each other, they would certainly have to use fittings. And as a former winemaker, I know one thing for sure about pipes and fittings : when you want to connect or disconnect these elements, you cannot do anything without a spanner wrench (maybe not in the US or in Canada where screw fittings are very rare, but in France, at least).

The Khepesh that Nefertem is holding isn't for warfare, it is a spanner wrench.

 

The higher position of the tooth indicates that their fittings weren't screw fittings

We can see on the ancient Egyptian Khepeshes that the tooth is placed higher in relation to the handle axis than on the modern spanner wrenches and it could mean that the hook system was different : on the modern tool photographed above, the tooth is designed to hook to an external piece of a screw fitting, but the artifacts of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden show they were not using screw fittings.

 

Left (loose clamp) : EG-ZM2426 (3.2 x 3.8 x 1.3 cm) and : EG-ZM2425 (locked clamp) (3.5 x 3.6 x 1.6 cm) from the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden. Material : faience. Right : Ring, Accession Number: 2008.190.289 (1070 - 712 BCE) from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York

 

The representations of quick-release clamping rings 

On the above figures of Horus, the fog nozzle is completely disconnected from the Nefertem copper pipe, and Horus hold it in both hands. To disconnect and reconnect the nozzle to the rest of the equipment, you need 2 things : high pressure resistant clamping rings and a spanner wrench.

I've already found the spanner wrench, it is very often associated with figures of Nefertem and, thanks to Elizabeth Fleming from the Griffith Institute and her colleague Cisco, I've just found representations of the clamps in the National Museum of Antiquities Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden, Netherlands.

These clamp rings were quick-release clamps

 

Left : Shen Ring from the LACMA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Egypt, New Kingdom - Ptolemaic Period (1569 - 31 BCE). Diameter: 1 1/4 in. (3.175 cm). Center : Ring figure in faience from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York : Accession Number : 17.194.2307, Diam. 3 cm (1 3/16 in.); Bezel: L. 4.5 cm (1 3/4 in.) Right : modern Mikalor Super Heavy Duty Hose Clamp

 

The representations of permanent clamping rings

Additionally to these quick-release clamping rings, we can also find representations of more permanent connections, like the 2 representations on the above photographs. These clamps could have been used to connect different pipe sections together probably not in the cooling passage itself, but everywhere in the pyramids, mastabas, etc.

 

Left : Nefertem figure Accession Number 10.175.131 from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York. Center : Nefertem emblem from the Louvre Museum N 5118 and inventory number ME299 © Musée du Louvre. Right : Figure of Isis-Serget as Scorpion, ca. 663-346 BCE (Late Period) from the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.

 

For more on the subject, please visit the Nefertem post.

 

Top view of the wooden gantry beetle scarab that was operated inside the grand gallery of the Great Pyramid, and in every single other structures with both steep ramps and massive single block platforms (in other pyramids, at Dendera...).

 

Image on the left : Red granite stone EA1097 from the British Museum : "Fragment of red granite relief: Horus name of Khufu". Center : Pharaoh's Horus name (Serekh name), and Dynasties in ancient Egypt, from Wikipedia : List of Pharaos (French version)

 

The Serekh refer to single block platforms and ramps used for operating wooden beetle scarabs

From around 3300 BCE (Before Current Event) with The Gerzeh culture, also called Naqada II, to the reign of Khufu 2589–2566 BCE : it is about 700 years of technological research on chemical manufacturing that since the very beginning, was supported by man powered beetle scarabs. These wooden pieces of equipment needed 2 things to work : inclined ramps and a huge solid anchor structure, like the massive single block that is the top platform of the grand gallery of the Great Pyramid.

These 2 components are what represent the Serekh.

 

 

The single massive block that is the platform of the grand gallery of the Great Pyramid was designed to sustain huge structural stress due to the operating of the wooden beetle scarab (onto the 2 lateral ramp-benches), and the impactor moving caisson (inside the central gutter).

 

Ancient Egyptians and Leonardo da Vinci

The ancient Egyptians were involved in chemical manufacturing since at least the Dynasty 0, like it is suggested by the Serekh names list and the fact that the disc of Sabu is dated from the first Dynasty. They were most probably slowed down in their research by the lack of power, because contrary to what the western world had in the 1700's or 1800's in Europe, they didn't have the steam engine. In Europe, it took about 250 years to achieve the Emergence of the technology (1500 to 1750), with the Renaissance and Leonardo da Vinci ; and another 150 years for the Industrial Revolution (1750 to 1900).

My guess is that, in some ways, ancient Egyptians got stuck in the first step of technological evolution : they were a civilization living the Emergence of the technology.

From what I'm describing of the Great Pyramid operation and in particular the wooden gantry and the impactor, it would have been something Leonardo da Vinci could very easily have done himself.

Most probably Imhotep was the first Leonardo da Vinci !

 

Left : image from Chipdawes, on Wikipedia.Triad statue of pharaoh Menkaura, accompanied by the goddess Hathor (on his right) and the personification of the nome of Diospolis Parva (on his left). Material:Graywacke. Dimensions: Height 93 cm. Width 47 cm. c. 2530 B.C.E. Center image : sceau cylindre from the Louvre Museum E25687. Date de création/fabrication : Nebhepetrê Montouhotep II (mention de règne) (2033 - 1982 BCE). Right image : sceau cylindre E32669 from the Louvre Museum. Date de création/fabrication : Djedkarê Isési (mention de règne) (2411 - 2380 BCE).

 

The "wands of Horus" and the cold exchanger supply tubes representation

Actually, the wands of Horus are hollow cylinders that can represent 2 things : the high pressure resistant copper pipe that supplied the fog nozzle in pressurized water and the cold exchanger supply pipes. 

The fact is that the diameter of the hollow part is so tiny that it most probably represent, in my opinion, the copper pipes for the supply of the cold exchanger, maybe in chemical solutions coming directly from the Solvay towers. The flow inside these pipes, or tubes, didn't have to be high at all.

It is possible that the "2 wands of Horus" may represent the pipes coming through the 2 holes of the Serdab, or the holes themselves.

 

Left image from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence : Ptah-Sokar-Osiris / wood, gesso, and paint, 332-30 BCE. Second image from the Penn Museum blog. Third image is a SWEP Plate Heat Exchanger and the last image is a complete plate heat exchanger from V Thermo Enterprises, Hyderabad, Telangana.

 

The plate cold exchanger of the Queen's chamber

Since the beginning of the study, I keep talking about "serpentine cold exchanger"  but I was most probably wrong about that. Many representations of the design of the cold exchanger actually exist, and they are all saying the same thing : they were using a plate cold exchanger.

The last picture is very interesting, because it shows what could have looked like the cold exchanger, in its actual size, perfectly adapted to the Queen's chamber dimensions.

 

The niche of the Queen's chamber

If a massive plate cold exchanger was installed inside the Queen's chamber, then some equipment necessary for lifting, cleaning and reassembling the plates, from time to time, could have been set inside the niche of the chamber.

 

Left : base for a Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figure with model burial. Ptolemaic Period 332 BCE-30 BCE. NGV National Gallery of Victoria, Australia. Center : plate heat exchanger from Onda, Italy. Right : plate heat exchanger from WilTec Wildanger Technik GmbH, Germany.

 

Could the artifact put on the NGV Ptah-Sokar-Osiris base, be a representation of the plate cold exchanger ? Could the Y-shape piece be a foot or another part of the structure ?

 

Left and center : figurine / sarcophage de faucon E 3058 from the Louvre Museum. Right : Barque Sphinx from the Metropolitan of Fine Arts, New-York, Dynasty 26. Accession Number: 2011.96

 

The top part of the impactor wooden caisson

These 2 figures could be very important to recreate the original design of the moving caisson, the impactor of the inclined well (the ascending passage).

I first thought that the second and top part of the wooden cradle float would have been quite a perfect copy of the bottom one, the one depicted in so many figure bases. The "Imhotep granite weight" would have been set at one end of the caisson, and in height halfway.

But if these  artifacts have to be taken literally, we need to change plans and probably the top part was very thin, very much like a lid.

Maybe the groove that is set on this lid, is as important and had a function. We can imagine that the ramps of the grand gallery were covered with a wooden floor that extended a few centimeters off the ramps and inside this groove to lock the impactor in a vertical plane, preventing any false movement.

Please note that Horus the falcon is set on the granite block, and not onto the wooden cradle. The only particular thing is that the block has been placed in the middle of the cradle, instead of at one end of it, like in the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures.

 

The antechamber of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza.

 

Coffret à serviteurs funéraires N 2697, from the Louvre Museum in Paris and showing the Four Sons of Horus. 
Actuellement visible au Louvre, salle 643 (aile Sully, niveau 1).

 

The representation of the antechamber of the Great Pyramid of Khufu

under construction...

The Dendera Light Bulbs : the reliefs at the Hathor temple are describing every part of the theory, from the fog of microdroplets, to the cooling process of chemical manufacturing.

 

The Dendera Light is the fog of microdroplets of the theory.

 

The grand gallery of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza. Please note on the central gutter, the presence of traces, possibly of ancient wooden caisson that, with water, would have allowed the moving caisson to slide on it like it was ice covered.

 

The operating process diagram of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza (updated August 2021, Bruno Coursol). To this day, it is still unclear to me what happened to the water after it had been injected inside the horizontal passage. Let's say it was a few hundred liters every 20 or 30 minutes or so. Could the basin of the Queen's chamber be a temporary recovery basin that would have been needed to be emptied at the end of each day? Was it emptied into the well shaft? Was a water pump installed inside the niche of the chamber?

 

If my theory is correct, the pyramid elevation wasn't finish at the time of the operating was on the way. It is on the Lady Arbuthnot level that would have been installed a Solvay-like natron production unit that would have been cooled down by the Queen's chamber cold exchanger.

 

Ptah-Sokar-Osiris Figure, 306–30 B.C. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue.

 

The Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figure bases are representations of the wooden cradle float that was operated in the Great Pyramid

What is interesting in these photographs is not the hollow that have been made to insert the figurine base, but the rectangular shape empty of any marking, drawn around it and materialized by a thin black line : that was the real cavity where the granite block would have been inserted in.

Please note that the big rectangular area delimited by the thin black line and empty of any decoration, is not made for the foot of the mummy : it is way bigger. The mummy had clearly let a imprint inside the rectangular shape, it appears in a different yellowish color around the hole.

 

The grand gallery of the Great Pyramid of pharaoh Khufu at Giza, Egypt. Source: The Great Pyramid Passages And Chambers" Volume 1 by John and Morton Edgar, 1910.

Image on the left and center : Funerary Figure of Duamutef. 400–30 B.C. Late Period–Ptolemaic Period. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 133.

 

The Grand Gallery layout replica of the Four Sons of Horus figures at the Metropolitan

The first photograph is one of the Four Sons of Horus figures, visible at the Metropolitan Museum of Art at New-York, and is showing a jackal-headed figure representing Duamutef, the god who protected the stomach of the mummies.

The half lower part of this image had been magnified and partially enlightened on the second picture of the figurine so that we can see clearly the different structures depicted.

 

My assumption is that what we have here is a complete representation of the grand gallery layout of the Great Pyramid of Khufu :

1/ The eastern and western ramps, with 2 hollow section rails by ramp

2/ The central gutter (painted here in yellow, but in blue in the Catawiki figure, farther below)

3/ The top platform, with the axle beam for operating the 3 ropes

4/ The south wall of the grand gallery

5/ The opening of the antechamber (black line)

6/ The opening of the passage to the King's chamber (black square)

 

Funerary Figures of the Four Sons of Horus, with Imsety (human head) second from the left. 400–30 B.C. Late Period–Ptolemaic Period. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York. Imsety is the only one with a human head, the three other Sons of Horus figures have heads represeting a jackal (god Duamutef), a baboon (god Hapy) and a falcon (god Qebehsenuef).

 

The axle beam for operating the 3 ropes of the gallery, was inserted into the 2 holes of the platform 

The second magnified image is from the figurine of Imsety, the god that protected the liver, and who was one of the Four Sons of Horus. This image shows the eastern and western holes of the platform and it also depicts that the axle beam ends were "inserted" inside these holes, that anchored the beam to this single giant block that is the platform.

If this draw of the platform is to be taken literally, that means that the main axle beam was placed onto that platform and that my first idea that it could have been situated further into the passage to the antechamber was wrong.

 

The Four Sons of Horus real meaning : the 4 crewmembers of the 2 scarabs of the grand gallery

Inside the grand gallery of the Great Pyramid, it was not 1, but 2 beetle scarabs that were operated. The question of knowing if they would be physically connected or not, is not so easy to answer, but I think they were.

Anyway, many or most of representations of scarab amulets, are showing 4 or 8 elements, and I think that the Four Sons of Horus are representing the team of this single scarab beetle unit. That is the reason why the complete layout of the grand gallery is depicted on these Four Sons of Horus figures visible at the Metropolitan Museum.

 

Pectoral of Tutankhamun with the Winged Scarab, thanks to globalegyptianmuseum.org

 

The real meaning of the scarab amulets : giving life (to the pyramid and consequently to the mummies)

The ancient Egyptian scarab beetle amulet is describing the way that the Great Pyramid of pharaoh Khufu at Giza was operated. A working crew (most probably 2 teams of 4 men + 2 flying men behind the beetle), was moving a wooden gantry backwards, from the top to the bottom of the grand gallery. It allowed a "piston / impactor" (a wooden caisson cradle containing a granite block, to be lifted from the inclined well (the ascending passage) to the top of the gallery.

The 2 flying men have to stay behind the beetle scarab when it is going down the slope, so that they can force the latch bolts back into the walls for the next ascent of the gallery.

It would appear like the caisson was flying. The scarab beetle of the gallery gave life to the Great Pyramid and the scarab beetle amulet, its representation, was going to give life back to the mummies for the afterlife.

 

Tutankhamun Senet Game Table. © Griffith Institute, University of Oxford. Carter No.: 345. Handlist description: Games-box (ebony and ivory). Burton photograph: p1569. Tutankhamun: Anatomy of an Excavation.

 

The Senet Game Table on Sled Runners of Tutankhamun & the 4 crewmembers beetle scarabs

The Senet game table of Tutankhamun, not only represents the scarab beetle units on sled runners that were operated in the grand gallery of the Great Pyramid, but shows actually 2 tables. One side of the table is the traditional Senet game table, but I think that the other side represents the grand gallery and the  4 crewmember beetle scarab themselves.

 

Dendera astronomical ceiling relief in the Hathor temple representing the 8 Ogdoad deities. Top right : Nu and Nut; top left : Hehu and Hehut; bottom right : Kek and Keket; bottom left : "Ni and Nit" (for Qerh and Qerhet). Center : close-up of Nu. Source : Kairoinfo4u

 

The 8 Ogdoad primordial deities represent the 8 crewmembers that were operating the beetle scarabs of the grand gallery

One of the questions remaining about the design of the 2 beetle scarabs of the grand gallery is to know if they were physically connected or not. The many references of the Four Sons of Horus could indicate that the main operating unit was considered to be the 4 crewmembers scarab operated on each ramp of the gallery.

But the problem is that we also have representations of the 8 crewmembers operating the whole thing : the Ogdoad (Ancient Greek: ὀγδοάς "the Eightfold"; Ancient Egyptian: ḫmnyw, a plural nisba of ḫmnw "eight"). The Ogdoad  were the eight primordial deities worshiped in Hermopolis.

Interestingly, the 8 Ogdoad deities only start to appear during the late Old Kingdom, but seem to have been antiquated and mostly forgotten by everyone until the Middle Kingdom where they are frequently mentioned in the Coffin Texts. The oldest known pictorial representations of the group do not pre-date the time of Seti I (New Kingdom, thirteenth century BC).

It is like the 4 crewmembers units (the Four Sons of Horus) had been chosen at the expense of the entire team of 8 crewmembers (the Ogdoad). It almost looks like a "political" statement.

 

As suggested by their names, the 8 Ogdoad deities are actually 4 pairs, representing side by side crewmembers

The difficulty here, is that on the pictures, they are also side by side but they are not depicted in the same 2 dimensions pattern that we would do today.

On my drawing, 1 and 5 are most probably Nu and Nut ; 2 and 6 would be Hehu and Hehut ; 3 and 7 would be Kek and Keket ; 4 and 8 would be Ni and Nit.

 

The southern part of the single block that formed the top platform of the grand gallery, was under tremendous charge by the structure weight, that perfectly anchored the block. It was necessary to resist to the huge structural stress induced by the endless operating of both the beetle wooden scarab, and the moving caisson.

 

The single block platform of the grand gallery

The platform of the gallery has a very specific design : it is made of one single giant block, that goes way after the south wall of the gallery towards the antechamber.

Charles Rigano mentioned : "The single block forming the Step does not stop at the Gallery wall but extends an additional 66 inches* into the Ante Chamber".

* For Petrie, it was 64.90 inches. Source : The pyramids and temples of Gizeh. Antechamber and passages, section 47 (page 75). Petrie, W. M. Flinders (William Matthew Flinders), Sir, 1853-1942.

 

Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figure. © National Museums Scotland. Museum reference : A.1911.259.

 

The Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figure of the National Museums Scotland and the 2 axle beam anchor poles

This figure is probably one of the most interesting of all, because not only it shows the lotus flower and the snakes that were both representing the fog nozzle of the horizontal cooling passage ; but also the platform at the top of the grand gallery.

Ancient Egyptians had a very special way of their own to mix technical data to artistic considerations. And I think we have here a perfect example with the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figure from the National Museums Scotland : what looks like a beam simply put on the base, could actually represent the step of the grand gallery.

The 2 ramps are marked in dark paint, and the central hollow is also drawn.

More interesting is that the 2 eastern and western holes of the platform are also represented and that they are drilled into the wooden piece. I think the 2 poles are the ones that had been positioned inside these 2 holes and anchored the axle beam (not represented here).

 

Left and Center from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York : Menat necklace from Malqataca. 1390–1353 B.C. New Kingdom, Dynasty 18. Reign of Amenhotep III. Right : special thanks to Eric (Wsrmatre Stpnre, on Flickr)

 

The Menat necklace from Malqataca and the 3 ropes of the grand gallery

Another outstanding artifact from the MET. This time it shows the platform with the 2 axle beam support parts (the 2 cats) and the hollow part on the step, the 3 ropes and probably the 3 support beams of the antechamber.

The necklace is made of 3 kinds of beads :

• The "regular" size beads, that should represent a rope.

• The "small" size beads in multiple strings, that represent the untwisted ropes and so showing the fibres of the rope. Maybe the 2 metal discs at each end, represent a part of the rope making.

• The "big oblong beads". There is only 3 of these beads, and only 2 have the same color and the same shape. The other one is bigger and with a different color. We can try to find the exact significance of these 3 particular beads, but it is gonna be difficult, even if they clearly echoes to the main axle beam of the gallery's platform, or the 3 support beam for the storage of the ropes in the antechamber.

• The 2 green oblong beads could refer to the 2 lateral ropes that were connected to the wooden beetle.

• The bigger black and white oblong bead would then refer to the bigger central rope, the one that was connected to the impactor.

 

Image in the center thanks to Stefan, from Khufu pyramid.com

In my opinion, but I may be wrong on this point, the round shape at the bottom of the artifact is a representation of the hollow that had been made in the center of the big step onto the platform. Its function was probably to recover the water dripping from the central rope while the impactor was pulled up towards the top of the gallery. The water would then be redirected inside the central gutter and then to the inclined well.

 

Image on the left : Red granite stone EA1097 from the British Museum : "Fragment of red granite relief: Horus name of Khufu". Center image of Imsety from : Funerary Figures of the Four Sons of Horus. 400–30 B.C. Late Period–Ptolemaic Period. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York.

 

The design of the top part of the grand gallery of the Great Pyramid of Khufu

It really looks like the granite slab from the British Museum is showing a schematic draw of the top part of the grand gallery. If it really is the case, it confirms the existence of the 3 ropes and the 4 hollow section rails of my theory, but it also probably shows us how deep were the 2 structures that anchored the axle beam into the top stone platform of the gallery. These structures would most probably have been made of granite, or wood, or maybe both with granite and wood casing to reduce friction.

The 5 horizontal lines could also represent the 4 rows of the scarab beetle, and the image of the bird would be exactly where the 11th member of the team would be : it would be the leader of the 8 + 2 crewmembers of the beetle.

 

The operating of the wooden beetle scarab and the moving caisson "impactor" (wooden cradle float + granite block), inside the grand gallery of the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Updated version, August 22, 2021.

The design of the entire process, doesn't require any pulley at all, just an axle beam and 2 sets of ropes mounted on the opposite.

 

The fact that the figurine is made of 2 shell parts assembled together, could indicate that the granite block was inserted into 2 pieces of wood, like a stuffed candy would.

 

Left image from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence : Ptah-Sokar-Osiris / wood, gesso, and paint, 332-30 BCE. Second and third images from the Metropolitan Museum : 86.1.88a–d and 25.3.204. Last image from National Museums Liverpool : 1973.1.685.

 

The ram's horns headdresses of the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris mummy figures represent the impactor shocks

The ram's horns significance is one of the easiest representation of the grand gallery operation to comprehend : the entire process was to make the moving caisson ram into the water of the inclined well, so that its energy would be converted into pressurized water directed to the horizontal cooling passage.

The moving caisson was an impactor for the inclined well water.

 

The ram's horns of the Dendera astronomical ceiling relief

Another interesting thing about the ram, comes from the Dendera astronomical relief on the photograph above : there are actually not 1 but 4 ram heads to reproduce the fact that the impactor was going both ways.

In fact, they depicted the impactor twice : the ram and the caisson on which the ram is standing on. 2 ways of describing it : from a structural point of view (just a box) and from a functional point of view (the ram). More interestingly is that there a 4 heads. In my opinion, they represent the scarabs of the gallery : 2 wooden beetle scarabs (one on each ramp) going both ways.

The ram also has wings, and for the exact same reason that the winged scarab amulets have them too : when the impactor was released from the top of the grand gallery, it would have looked like it was flying.

If these hypothesis are correct, it is another perfect example of the difficulty to decipher ancient Egyptian art : everything can be completely deconstructed and reorganized with multiple ways of describing the same thing just to fit to artistic considerations or different point of views.

 

Figurine : Large Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figure from Catawiki. Late Period c. 664 – 332 BC. Limestone false door of Senwehem, from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston provided by the Giza Project at Harvard.

 

The lubrication of the moving caisson and the false door of Senwehem

Like suggested farther below with the red granite stone from the British Museum, I think that what we call today "false doors" in ancient Egypt is mislead by the fact that they are in a vertical position. In my opinion they represent the structures that were used to operate beetle scarabs all over ancient Egypt, from Dynasty 0 to after the Great Pyramid.

The most portrayed of these structures is of course the one used in the gallery of the Great Pyramid and its layout could have been partially different from what shows the false door of Senwehem, but one of the most important feature of the design is the water supply of the central gutter that allowed the moving caisson to slide on the wood covered floor of the gutter. This particular false door is to my knowledge the only one showing that clearly this part : the water supply mouth.

The figure from Catawiki shows a magnificent blue color at the place where other figurines are showing what could be the central gutter of the grand gallery (see farther below). This blue color stripe is so unexpected that it even doesn't look authentic, like someone wanted to highlight something, but it is not. This is the original blue color.

In order to get the moving caisson sliding into the slope and gain energy, it had to be placed on a fixed caisson, and water had to be poured in between the 2 of them. The blue color doesn't show anywhere else on the base or the mummy figurine (except what looks like water drops on the front side of the mummy), it had to be very important to be that large. Of course, I think it shows the lubrication of the cradle.

 

List of pharaohs in ancient Egypt showing the Serekhs (Horus names), from the French Wikipedia page "Chronologie détaillée des pharaons de l'Égypte antique". 

 

Section still under construction...

 

Images on the left : The Metropolitan Museum, second half of Dynasty 26, ca. 600–525 B.C. Images on the right : Egyptian polychrome Ptah Sokar Osiris Figure, Brunk Auctions #1004.

 

The Sokar Hawk is a representation of the latch bolts

In my opinion, the main intent with this hawk, that is forming a perfect right-angled corner on the photograph above from the MET, was to represent the 50 latch bolts that were installed inside the walls of the grand gallery.

But it could also mean that the locking and releasing system of the moving caisson at the top of the gallery, was also a latch bolt, like it is maybe suggested by the Brunk Auctions photographs : the narrowness of the hollow, kind of a slot, could indicate that the system would have been a variant of the latch bolts that were installed into the walls of the gallery.

Interestingly, the hawk from the MET, is placed in a reverse position if we consider the great amount of figures that have been found ; but like for the mummy figure itself, maybe they were supposed to be placed in both positions to mimic the 2 directions of movement inside the gallery or maybe it is just a little mistake of the photographer.

Also, the top view of the base from Brunk Auctions show the exact same rectangular black drawn line that indicates the real cavity where the granite block would be placed.

 

Left : Ptah-Sokar-Osiris Figure of Ankhshepenwepetca from the Metropolitan Museum. (712–664 B.C. Third Intermediate Period). Second photograph : Statue of Seated Imhotep from the Metropolitan Museum (332–30 B.C. Ptolemaic Period). Third photograph : Imhotep, donated by Padisu (664–30 B.C. Late Period–Ptolemaic Period). On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 134. Right : Seated Statuette of Imhotep from the Brooklyn Museum. On View: Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor.

 

The representation of the granite block weight within the wooden cradle float

On the above photographs of Imhotep and Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures, what is interesting to see is how is implemented the granite block in the design of the figures. Some of them are showing a big portion of it, while in others, the block is almost completely not showing at all.

Of course, the last picture from the Brooklyn Museum is one of my favorites, because it only shows the granite block, alone, without the wooden cradle float.

 

Hypothetical influence of Imhotep on pharaohs Djoser (Dynasty 3) and Sneferu (Dynasty 4) that could explain the fact he was represented with the wooden cradle float and/or the granite block weight. (draw under construction).

 

Was Imhotep the real mastermind behind Sneferu's and Khufu's pyramids?

From Wikipedia : "Very little is known of Imhotep as an historical figure, but in the 3,000 years following his death, he was gradually glorified and deified. It appears that this libation to Imhotep was done regularly, as they are attested on papyri associated with statues of Imhotep until the Late Period (c. 664–332 BCE). Wildung (1977) explains the origin of this cult as a slow evolution of intellectuals' memory of Imhotep, from his death onward". 

 

When Djoser died, Imhotep is thought to have gone on to serve his successors, Sekhemkhet (c. 2650 BCE), Khaba (c. 2640 BCE), and Huni, possibly Sneferu's father (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.

Maybe his ideas have been burrowed by his successor during the Fourth Dynasty, but most probably, in my opinion, he might as well also served Sneferu himself.

 

Left : Figurine of Seated Imhotep E3640 from the Louvre Museum. Date de création/fabrication : Basse Epoque (attribution d'après style) (-664 / -332 BCE). © Musée du Louvre / RMN-Grand Palais / Hervé Lewandowski. Second image : figure of Imhotep EA40666 from the British Museum.

 

The representation of the granite block weight alone : the seated figures of Imhotep

Imhotep was a scientist, an architect and an engineer, so we shouldn't be surprised about the way he is depicted in his seated figurines : he holds the knowledge in his hands, seated with his feet in contact with what represented the most important piece of the Great Pyramid operating, the granite block that was inside the wooden cradle float.

We could argue that the "Imhotep's stone" is  not the granite block that was inserted inside the wooden cradle float, and that it was just representing the fact that Imhotep was the first architect to use stone blocks instead of bricks.

But I don't think it is : on the Metropolitan Museum figurine of Imhotep donated by Padisu (previous set of photographs above), this block quite doesn't show at all, and it is pretty much absorbed by the base, which I believe is the cradle, but here it doesn't really matter.

If the intent was to show a block because Imhotep used blocks, they wouldn't have quite completely hide it.

 

From Imhotep's "Refreshment of the Gods" Pyramid... to the "Pyramid of the Cold"

Imhotep biggest influence was not in the medicine field, but in architecture. He is the one who built the first true pyramid in ancient Egypt, made of stone blocks and not dried mud bricks : the Djoser's Step Pyramid. Interestingly, this unprecedented step pyramid was called "The Refreshment of the Gods" ; and that obviously echoes the evaporative cooling process used in the Great Pyramid.

My conviction is that the term "refreshment" is not fully accurate: Imhotep's first pyramid was certainly not the "refreshment pyramid", but "the Pyramid of the cold".

 

Ancient Egyptians didn't master an ammonia Solvay-like process overnight : it had to be a long experimental journey, over many generations (the Disc of Sabu is dated from the First Dynasty, 3100 BCE to 3000 BCE ; and the Djed Pillars from even before that). Most probably, their biggest challenge from the beginning was cooling down the reaction chambers.

It is certainly not by accident that Imhotep not only was the first one to build structures out of limestone blocks, but also the first one to add columns to their design. Columns echoes to the Solvay towers but also to modern cooling towers (read the post about Sneferu's Red and Bent Pyramids for more on the subject).

 

Left is the north part of the recess looking north towards the descending passage, a block on the west side. Right is the south part of the recess with the entry to the subterranean chamber, a block on the west side. The 2 blocks really look different, but apparently everybody says that it is the same block...

 

The question now, is to determine which granite block was inserted into the cradle

Because of the cradle design revealed by the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figure bases, it is now obvious that the granite block n°3 of the ascending passage plug couldn't had been the block used inside the moving caisson, like I first thought. Though it is very hard to figure out the real dimensions of this block today, and what they were before it got at the bottom of the well 4600 years ago, it looks like it would or could be too big to fit in.

We also have to consider the possibility that the block probably didn't really need to be made of granite : it would have been completely protected inside the cradle and so, could have been probably made of limestone as well.

 

The granite block found in the subterranean recess was most probably the one used inside the impactor

If the granite block n°3 is out of play, we have 4 other granite blocks that could have been used inside the cradle, but I am still wondering if the 2 photographs above are showing the same block or not. For now, the only data I have are as follows :

 

1 • the granite block located inside the recess of the subterranean passage that leads directly to the subterranean chamber. Dimensions : 64.77 cm x 50.8 cm x 43.18 cm, and no holes. (25.5 inches x 20 inches x 17 inches)*.

This block is the only granite block found in the Great Pyramid passages, with no holes. In my opinion, it is the block that was inside the moving caisson. Its volume : 0.142 m³. Considering 2700 kg / m³, the recess granite block would weight about 380 kg.

 

2 •  the granite block, called Petrie's Block, on which an iron grill-door had been fixed inside the descending passage. About this stone, Morton Edgar says : "Although the large granite block on which the grill-door is fixed, takes up nearly the full width of the passage, it did not interfere with our work". Source : Great Pyramid Passages Volume 1 1910 edition by John and Morton Edgar (section 287, page 142). Dimensions : 80.01 cm x 53.34 cm x 11.76 cm, and 3 holes*.

 

3 • the granite fragment on the ledge of the subterranean pit, with 2 holes*. Dimensions unknown to me.

4 • the granite block in the grotto. Dimensions : 53.34 cm x 45.72 cm x 43.18 cm, and 2 holes*.

 

* Source : Pyramids of the Giza Plateau: Pyramid Complexes of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, by Charles Rigano.

 

Anyway, we can consider this new scenario :

1/ The subterranean granite block would have been the weight inserted into the moving caisson cradle of the grand gallery.

2/ The granite block n°3 wasn't used into the caisson, so its only purpose would have been to trigger the drainage of the well, like I have already suggested in a previous post (The shutdown of the pyramid and the shelter inside the grotto).

For the shutdown of the pyramid, the block would have been set at the entry of the inclined well, and pushed by the water coming from the explosive drainage of the King's chamber.

 

Photographs from the British Museum. From left to right : EA9768, EA9743, EA23046 and EA9757.

 

The toy cars analogy

I suspect that some of these Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures were used like kids play with toy cars today, and that it was mimicking the original caisson movement inside the gallery. It would explain why so many bases of the figures are so worn out, compared to the standing figures themselves.

It is certainly not by accident that the figure itself and the Sokar hawk are not fixed to the base, but are removable.

The mummy would have been positioned looking towards the top of the gallery, slowly ascending the slope, but once on top, it would have been turned over for the descent.

 

The Great Pyramid of Khufu wasn't finished when operating the manufacturing of natron, there was a flat roof with water recovery basins. The green circle indicates the temporary end of the King's chamber north shaft that was used to collect the water of the recovery basins. From this particular point only, the shaft has a direct-line course to the north.

 

The elevation of the unfinished operating pyramid

What are showing the Funerary Figures of the Four Sons of Horus from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, that we have already seen in this post, is that the south wall of the grand gallery didn't seem to go very high, and that some kind of a different structure was built instead. That confirms the hypothesis I've already made : the pyramid elevation wasn't finished at the time where she had been operated for the manufacturing of natron.

 

There is actually a representation of this, showing the flat roof of the pyramid and the 4 apothems :

Nun Vessel (faience, 8.8 × 26.3 cm) from the Brooklyn Museum. Early Dynasty 18, ca. 1539-1500 B.C.E. 

 

The primordial waters of Nun depicted on the Brooklin Museum Nun Vessel

The academic point of view of Nun : "Nun (also Nu), is the deification of the primordial watery abyss in the ancient Egyptian religion. Ancient Egyptians envisaged the oceanic abyss of the Nun as surrounding a bubble in which the sphere of life is encapsulated, representing the deepest mystery of their cosmogony". Source : Wikipedia.

Once again, Nun didn't exist at the time of the construction of the Great Pyramid and my assumption is that it is the Great Pyramid that started the myth. The "primordial waters" refer to the water of the inclined well.

I also have to say that I'm stunned and tired of the way that our modern society is depicting ancient Egyptian culture. Just by having a look at the extraordinary artifacts found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, you can feel the magnificent sophistication of their work. And still, it looks like we are making a great deal to make these guys look like retarded people, barely able to think by themselves and stack blocks to build pyramids. It is painful to me and very distressing.

 

 

The flat roof of the operating Great Pyramid on the Brooklyn Museum Nun Vessel

According to the academic description, "The square in the center of this bowl is a pond from which lotus buds and flowers grow. The lotus blossoms symbolize life emerging from the waters of nonexistence".

If nobody feels weird about the idea of a square pond, surrounded by other squared structures everywhere, well... I am !

 

To me, it shows the Great Pyramid at the time where the manufacturing operations were on the way. The lotus flowers are representing the fog nozzle of the horizontal cooling passage, and the black square, "the pond", is the flat roof of the pyramid. 

If that representation of the Great Pyramid is to be taken literally, it means that during the natron manufacturing operation, the elevation wasn't finished.

I've already made that assertion based on the Queen's chamber operation : the blocking slabs discovered at the top end of the 2 shafts, show that the copper tubes that were passing through the slabs, had been flattened against the slab. It means that these 2 locations were accessible after the operating of the pyramid.

It also add up with the fact that, starting with the Lady Arbuthnot level, the granite beams of the King's complex, are no longer supported by blocks made of granite, but of limestone that would have allow very easy access from the Lady Arbuthnot and Campbell chambers to the outside of the chambers. This was necessary to supply dry air to the antechamber and ventilate the 3 ropes compartments.

It even shows that the first part of the elevation had already received the casing stone blocks and that the second part didn't.

Finally, it shows the 4 apothems, meaning they were important and had a major role.

 

Mummy Board inscribed for Henettawy, daughter of Isetemkheb. Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 21 ca. 990–970 B.C. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York.

 

The Mummy board for Henettawy shows us the entire process of the Great Pyramid of Khufu operation

The lower part of the board is the lower part of the pyramid, the part we are familiar with ; and the upper part of the board is the upper part of the Great Pyramid, the one we don't have access to.

Like in the real pyramid, the 2 parts on the Mummy Board, are clearly separated.

 

• The lower part of the Mummy Board depicts, from bottom to top :

1/ The 3 rings that connected the moving caisson (1 ring) and the beetle scarab (1 ring for each ramp scarab) to the 3 ropes

2/ The "Nefertem copper pipe" supplying the "lotus flower" fog nozzle of the horizontal cooling passage

3/ The horizontal cooling passage itself

 

• The upper part of the Mummy Board, is showing the ultimate reason of the entire pyramid layout : the sand filtration of the 2 components we have already talked about in the Dendera post.

The final element of the display is the liquid dropping from the sand filter. It should most probably represent the Natron Na2CO3.

We've also seen in the Dendera post, that the 2 arms were representing the 2 shafts of the Queen's chamber. These arms are here represented 2 times, on the left and on the right of the board, I think each pair is for one shaft and that the 2 vertical lines descending from the arms represent 2 copper pipes that were connecting the Queen's chamber with the Natron production site on the flat roof of the pyramid.

The snakes represent the fog nozzle (again, please read the Dendera post for all the details about it), and they are supported by the arms : the cold (made by the adiabatic evaporation of the liquid microdroplets of the fog), was transmitted to the upper part of the pyramid (the flat roof) by the 2 shafts.

 

The curved shape of the granite block n°3

Because I didn't find anywhere the half-moon shape of the float I first considered, and that we know now for sure what exactly looked like the moving caisson, the only reason I can think of for the curved shape of the granite block n°3, would be to increase the pressure that the water would have create onto the block and assure that the block would gain enough speed and energy inside the inclined well so that it would successfully trigger its drainage into the Al Mamun cavity.

Or maybe it is an optical illusion, and I am the only one seeing it !

 

 

All the posts about Ancient Egypt & Updates on the Theory : please click here

 

Image on the right : Ptah-Sokar-Osiris Figure, 306–30 B.C. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue.

 

Please note that the 2 ramps are showing the same double lines as the ones found on the squared scarab amulet that we can see below. It would reinforce the idea that the wooden beetle was in fact a double beetle. For more on this subject, please visit :

The scarab amulets : the wooden gantry that was giving life to the Great Pyramid

 

The Dendera Light Bulbs : the reliefs at the Hathor temple are describing every part of the theory, from the fog of microdroplets, to the cooling process of chemical manufacturing.

The Dendera Light is the microdroplets fog of the theory.

 

 

1/ God Nefertem / The academic point of view (Source : Wikipedia)

"Nefertem, possibly "beautiful one who closes" or "one who does not close", (also spelled Nefertum or Nefer-temu) was, in Egyptian mythology, originally a lotus flower at the creation of the world, who had arisen from the primal waters".

"Nefertem represented both the first sunlight and the delightful smell of the Egyptian blue lotus flower, having arisen from the primal waters within an Egyptian blue water-lily".

 

2/ God Nefertem / Bruno's point of view

The "either close or not close" reference

It is funny, because this academic vision of Nefertem, "either close or not close", could make sense after all.

"Close or not close" is not a bad definition for what was really representing Nefertem : the fog nozzle of the horizontal passage. This nozzle was eventually nothing else than a huge water tap that transformed pressurized water from the inclined well (the ascending passage) into a mist of microdroplets of liquid water. There was no valve though, just the fall of the piston inside the grand gallery of the Great Pyramid that pressurized the well.

 

The "delightful smell of the Egyptian blue lotus flower" reference, is most probably referring to the fog itself, though it wasn't a fragrant fog, but a very heavy cold fog.

 

The "Having arisen from the primal waters" reference , is most probably referring to the inclined well (the ascending passage of the Great Pyramid).

 

Left : Nefertem emblem from the Louvre Museum : inventory number ME299 © Musée du Louvre. Center : Figure of Isis-Serget as Scorpion, ca. 663-346 BCE (Late Period) from the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.

 

This artifact from the Walters Art Museum is one of the most important of all, because it is the best representation that I know of the cooling process that took place inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

 

The 8-legged scorpion with 2 pedipalps is another representation of the wooden beetle of the grand gallery

In previous posts, we've seen that the scarab amulets were representations of the wooden gantry that was operated inside the grand gallery by 8 crewmembers (+ 2 flying men who stayed behind its progression). The scarab was chosen because of the way the gantry was operated : the crewmembers were going backwards towards the bottom of the gallery. It is a good analogy, but the scarabs don't have 8 legs, they have 6.

The scorpions though, not only have 8 legs ; but they also have 2 pedipalps, and this is perfect to represent the 2 flying men. The scorpion also have a long tail with a telson at the end, (the back ; but projected towards to front of the animal), and I guess it is also perfect to echoes the backwards progression of the beetle scarab.

 

The missing crown of horns representing the pounding of the inclined well by the impactor

Originally the bust of the goddess Isis-Serget wore a crown of cow horns, similar to the ram horns of the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures.

From the Walters Art Museum : "The top of a scepter in the form of a papyrus column, surmounted by a pedestal supporting the figure of a scorpion with the bust of a woman, representing the goddess Isis-Serget. Originally she wore a crown of cow horns and sun-disk. The inscription on the shaft is badly damaged. The phrase: "Isis may give life" has been preserved."

 

 

The horizontal passageway inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza was an evaporating cooling unit for the sodium carbonate (natron) Na2CO3 production by a soda-ash ammonia Solvay process. The key element of the passage was a multi-needle fog nozzle, very similar to modern firefighter nozzles. The nozzle transformed the pressurized water coming from the inclined well into a fog of liquid microdroplets that would evaporate in the passage and cool down the air between 5°C and 10°C. 

Elevation data of the horizontal passage of the Great Pyramid (inches) : "The pyramids and temples of Gizeh", by Petrie, W. M. Flinders (William Matthew Flinders), Sir, 1853-1942. Page 66, "Passage to Queen's Chamber".

 

The Dendera Light Bulb is the microdroplets fog made of sprayed water that I am describing in my theory. It was produced to achieve evaporative cooling inside the horizontal passage of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, and it was designed to cool down chemical reactions for sodium carbonate manufacturing into Solvay-like towers (the Djed Pillars). This mineral is the purest mineral form of natron, the salt used for the  mummification of the pharaohs.

Image on the left from the New York Public Library, and on the right from the Louvre Museum © Musée du Louvre / Christian Décamps, inventory number N 5118.

 

On the Dendera Light reliefs, the fog is produced by the lotus flower, so I decided to focus my work on this, and I found out about the ancient Egyptian God Nefertem and his Lotus Flower main emblem. This Lotus Flower is obvious on the Nefertem representations, but it turns out there is more than just one emblem to decipher.

 

The Nefertem emblems at the Louvre Museum : the water supplying pipe and the lotus flower fog nozzle

I really didn't expect to find any archeological find representing the fog nozzle and the pipe that was connecting it to the inclined well, but I think this is exactly what we have here, on the above photograph of Nefertem copper alloy emblem artifact visible in the Louvre Museum. I presume the part getting upwards from the lotus flower is another representation of the fog of microdroplets.

I still don't know though what are representing the 2 pieces on the sides. They could be related to water, but they might be designed for dry air supply. This part of the global process will be the most difficult to decipher because contrary to pressurized water, air is so easy to move it doesn't require much equipment and leave very small amount of traces.

 

Dendera Light relief drawing on the left : please notice that what seems to be important here isn't the snake, but the spat venom of the snake. Also, you can see that the characters holding the snake are showing a double outline, the same way that the character holding (or offering) the Dendera Light does, on the right part of the drawing. The Dendera Light is produced by the snake, or as explained : by the venom of the snake. This particular relief is describing how was produced the microdroplets fog of sprayed water.

 

That drawing of one of the Dendera Light reliefs, is absolutely outstanding, because it is organized the same way we do today in every single science book : the theoretical part on one side and the practical part on the other side.

On the left side of the drawing, we can see that the key element is the spat venom of the snake and not the snake by itself : that represents the sprayed water ; and on the right side we can see the practical application of the concept inside the horizontal passage of the Great Pyramid : from the inclined well (the ascending passage), is the water pipe going to the fog nozzle and resulting in the microdroplets fog.

Please note that 1/ the angle of the Dendera Light Bulb is very similar to the angle of the typical venom spray of a spitting snake ; and 2/ the shape of the Light Bulb is very similar to the shape of the horizontal passage.

 

Dendera Light Bulb relief details, inside the Hathor temple in Egypt, showing this unique and outstanding double outline of the character offering the bulb : he was offering cold and he was cold himself.

 

The "double outline" of the character producing and offering the Dendera Light fog

This "double outline" isn't discussed at all by anybody, though it is the most important element of the Dendera reliefs. The fog is made of microdroplets of liquid water and it would evaporate itself, taking the necessary energy from the air. The result is the cooling down of the air. The character is offering cold, and he is cold himself.

The "double outline" of the offering fog character of the Dendera Light reliefs, shows the goose bumps. He was cold himself.

Actually, everything depends on the capacity of the air to absorb humidity. The example shown on the Carrier Diagram below, tells us that it was probably very easy to cool down the air next to 10°C, if the air started at a 10% humidity rate, and got to 90% at the end of the process.

But, I think they could cool down the air a lot more than that. Because at the entry of the pyramid, was certainly installed a liquid dehumidifier, working with a salt brine solution. The air at the beginning of the cooling process was probably close to 5% humidity or lower ; and the air inside the horizontal passage probably closer to 100%.

In my opinion, in regards to the extensive efforts to minimize the thermal stress on the first part of the horizontal passage, and the first part only, particularly the sand added behind the blocks and the large expansion joints, I wouldn't be surprised they got close to 5°C in the Queen's chamber (41°F).

 

On these pictures of the Eye of Horus and scarab, are highlighted the fog nozzle under the snake's head, with the perfect circle shape, the blue color, and the segmented water pipe leading to it.

 

The fog nozzle of the Great Pyramid of Khufu had numerous teeth or sharper needles

On most snake representations, particularly when associated with the Eye of Horus, we can find a perfect circular shape just under its head, nearly every time painted in vivid blue, obviously the color of water. On many of these representations we can see that this circle is implemented with 6 needles pointing towards the center of the circle and most of the time there is an additional set of curved needles in the center of the circular shape (picture above, on the right).

Most of the time, the needles aren't very sharp, but occasionally (like on the left photograph, below), they really are ; and that tells us that these needles were functional and not pure artistic decoration.

That element is the fog nozzle of the Great Pyramid and the lotus flower of the Dendera Light Bulb reliefs.

 

There is just the head of the snake

If you look attentively, you can see that the "snake" isn't really actually one : it is just a pipe that ends with a perfect non-biological circular shape ; and on top of this, is added the head of a snake. But only this head look alive. There is nothing "biological" with the rest. That "snake look-alike" element is a perfect example of the sophistication of ancient Egyptian culture and a perfect example of our modern lack of examination of their work.

We see a snake because we want to. In reality, there is just its head, and we forgot to really look at the rest.

Take the head of the snake out of the picture, and nobody will ever see a snake anymore.

 

The crying / tears reference (1) : The Eye of Horus 

Please note that the tail of the snake in this representation of the Eye of Horus is connected to the corner of the eye, where tears are coming from. Those tears are supplying the fog nozzle of the snake.

 

The crying / tears reference (2) : Nefertem

Nefertem is also often associated with the idea of crying and tears. I just couldn't find yet a "solid" reference to the explanation of this particular point, from a scholar point of view, but tears (water) would be obviously right in the context of supplying the fog nozzle with liquid water.

 

On the Dendera Light Bulb reliefs, the fog nozzle of the horizontal passage of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, is represented by the lotus flower, because of the appearance of its many and pointy petals that looked like the fog nozzle teeth or needles. Images in the center : various modern firefighter fog nozzles.

 

The modern firefighter-like design of the Great Pyramid fog nozzle

It looks like that the fog nozzle of the Great Pyramid of Khufu,  was amazingly very similar to modern firefighter fog nozzles. These nozzles are designed to deal with a great amount of water : they are high capacity nozzles. It is hard to evaluate the amount of water that was injected in a matter of seconds into the horizontal passage of the Great Pyramid, but it could be around 500 liters, maybe every 15 to 20 minutes without ever stopping, for days, weeks, maybe even months.

It is also hard to say if the very sharp shape of the needles we can see in some paintings or reliefs of the fog nozzle depicted by ancient Egyptians, has to be taken literally or not.

The modern firefighter fog nozzle teeth aren't that sharp, but they don't have to produce microdroplets either. Their fog is not designed to immediately evaporate and create cold. So, maybe the needles of the pyramid's fog nozzle were really that sharp and pointy.

 

The Khepesh Scimitars of the Nefertem amulets were spanner wrenches for copper fittings

According to scholars, "ancient Egyptian God Nefertem (also Nefertum, or Nefertemu) was the god of the lotus blossom who emerged from the primeval waters at the beginning of time". That would explains the huge lotus blossom that Nefertem amulets displayed on their heads.

But most of the time, Nefertem is also having a Khepesh-Scimitar on the right hand, that is described as a warfare blade with sharpened edges, even if many examples have dull edges that apparently were never intended to be sharp.

 

Top left photograph above : a modern spanner wrench designed to connect or disconnect metal fittings. The tooth at the end of the curved part of the tool is designed to engage onto the protuberances of the fitting. Other pictures are ancient Egyptians Khepesh Scimitars (exact dating is unknown to me).

 

According to scholars, again, "it may therefore be possible that some Khepeshes found in high-status graves were ceremonial variants". But in my opinion, the idea that the reason why some Khepeshes weren't sharp at all, would be because they would have been for ceremonial use, couldn't be more wrong. Even today, the ceremonial Japanese katanas are maybe the most sharp of all katanas precisely because they are for ceremonial use. They are the best and the most expensive ones. The only katanas or any other kind of sword, that would be with dull edges, are the ones for kids to play, and they would be in plastic or wood.

 

 

Ancient Egyptians were using spanner wrenches (and screw fittings ?)

My interpretation of the Khepesh hold by Nefertem is radically different. I keep saying that pressurized water was directed towards the fog nozzle of the horizontal cooling passage of the Great Pyramid, and for that to be possible, pressure resistant pipes were needed, and that is exactly what is depicted in the Nefertem emblem.

But there is more, because to connect the pipe to the fog nozzle, or pipe pieces to each other, they would certainly have to use fittings. And as a former winemaker, I know one thing for sure about pipes and fittings : when you want to connect or disconnect these elements, you cannot do anything without a spanner wrench (maybe not in the US or in Canada where screw fittings are very rare, but in France, at least).

The Khepesh that Nefertem is holding isn't for warfare, it is a spanner wrench.

 

On certain representations of Nefertem, like E 10665 from the Louvre Museum (photograph above), we can also see on top of the Khepesh, a circular form in direct contact with the tool (though apparently not to scale). Could that round form be the copper fittings ?

 

The higher position of the tooth could indicate that the hook system was different from modern screw fittings

We can see on the ancient Egyptian Khepeshes that the tooth is placed higher in relation to the handle axis than on the modern spanner wrenches and it could mean that the hook system was different : on the modern tool, the tooth is designed to hook to an external piece of the screw fitting, but it is possible that on the ancient Khepeshes, there were sockets carved inside the fittings instead or that it wasn't at all screw fittings.

 

Photographs above : E10665 from the Louvre Museum (left).

 

What is remarkable with these Khepeshes, is that they can probably indicate what was the pipe diameter they were designed for, and we can find out if different diameters were used or not. We also know they were probably using screw-type fittings.

Nefertem is the personification of the horizontal passage fog nozzle of the Great Pyramid.

To be convinced of this, please note that on these pictures above of 2 different Khepeshes, one is engraved with the lotus flower, while a snake appears on the other one, showing the 6 teeth / needles.

Both elements, the circular shape of the snake and the lotus flower, are representing the same thing : the fog nozzle.

 

Image from the LACMA : Cultic Aegis and Menat with a Goddess Head. Egypt, 19th and 20th Dynasties (1315 - 1081 BCE). Bronze, 4 1/4 × 4 1/2 × 5 5/8 in. (10.8 × 11.43 × 14.29 cm). The Phil Berg Collection at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Image on the right is a modern high pressure firefighter fog nozzle.

 

The fog nozzle at the LACMA, Los Angeles

Maybe the artifact shown on the above photograph from the LACMA at Los Angeles, is the closest we can get to the real design of the fog nozzle of the cooling passage. It is worth noting the presence of the little vertical notch in the middle of the nozzle that would have been used, most probably, by the Khepesh spanner wrench to screw or unscrew it to its support bracket.

The teeth of the nozzle are obviously not on the inside of the artifact, but we have to keep in mind that ancient Egyptians acted like they wanted to show everything of their technical feats, but at the same time, like they wanted to hide everything.

If I am right, they did exactly that on this artifact : everything is here, but it is misplaced : the top part of the nozzle (with the teeth) shouldn't be on top of the artifact, but inside it (inside the base). Besides, it looks like both parts aren't fixed together by any metal part (but I may be wrong on this point), but instead they kind of look they got fixed due to alteration over time (the grayish material).

 

Ram's-head Amuletca, 712–664 B.C from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York

 

The 3D representation of the fog nozzle

Another amazing artifact from the MET, is this golden ram's head that is another wonderful representation of the making of the fog of microdroplets. The ram's head horns echoes the pressurization of the inclined well (the ascending passage) by the fall of the impactor, and the snake echoes the use of its pressurized water. Instead of representing the fog nozzle as usual, with the circular shape and the 6 teeth or needles, which is nothing else than a 2 dimensions cross section of the nozzle, this time they represented the whole thing in 3D, in the exact same dome shape that we have on the previous artifact from the LACMA (if we place the crown with its teeth, back into its base).

 

Could the Sun Discs represent the fog nozzle ?

When I first saw this LACMA artifact, it was the front view photograph, and I thought that there was another Sun Disc on top of the head of the snake. Obviously it is not, but I'm wondering if it could be the explanation for the Sun Discs. What if they don't represent a disc at all, but a 3D representation of a golden fog nozzle ?

 

The suspension loop of the ram's-head amulet

Another remark has to be made, and it concerns the loop at the back of the artifact:

From the MET : "This amulet was probably made for a necklace worn by one of the Kushite kings. Representations show these pharaohs wearing a ram's-head amulet tied around the neck on a thick cord, the ends of which fall forward over the shoulders. Sometimes a smaller ram's head is attached to each end".

In my opinion, the loop of this particular amulet is way too massive to be nothing else than just a suspension loop for an amulet. I think it represents the attachment loop that was installed onto the real wooden cradle float and that would be connected to the main central rope of the gallery.

 

The Dendera Light Bulbs : the reliefs at the Hathor temple are describing every part of the theory, from the fog of microdroplets, to the cooling process of chemical manufacturing.

The Dendera Light is the microdroplets fog of the theory.

 

The wooden base of the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures : the moving caisson / impactor of the grand gallery

The Nefertem amulets : the fog nozzle of the horizontal cooling passage

 

All the posts about Ancient Egypt : please click here

 

The grand gallery of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza. Please note on the central gutter, the presence of traces, possibly of ancient wooden caisson that, with water, would have allowed the moving caisson to slide on it like it was ice covered.

 

 

The rectangular shape empty of any decoration on the base of the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figurine (highlighted in red), indicates where was inserted the granite weight that transformed the caisson into a piston/impactor, that was projected inside the inclined well of the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The white arrow shows the area that was protecting the caisson from the impact with the water of the well (the ascending passage).

Photograph credit : Ptah-Sokar-Osiris Figure, 306–30 B.C. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue.

 

For all the details about the moving caisson impactor represented in many museum artifacts, please visit this page.

 

The visible part of the Great Pyramid of pharaoh Khufu was an evaporative cooling unit designed to cool down ammonia soda-ash Solvay towers for the chemical synthesis of Sodium Carbonate Na2CO3, the pure mineral form of natron. About 500 liters of water could have been injected into the evaporative horizontal passage every 20 minutes or so for the cooling process.

That mist of micro-droplets is the Dendera Light and it was produced by a multi-needle fog nozzle very similar to modern firefighter spray nozzles (for access to the Dendera Light post, please click here).

 

On the right, an Egyptian scarab amulet showing the perfect blue color that was representing the water of the flooded inclined well of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, and at the same time (its shape) depicted the sand filters.

 

1/ The first key element about the scarab is backwards. It is moving the dung ball backwards

The Great Pyramid was a master peace of engineering. It would make a lot of noise and appear like a living animal. And what gave life to it, was the working crew inside the grand gallery, operating the wooden beetle.

The beetle gave life to the pyramid, and because the crew members were moving backwards, the whole thing would have look like a giant scarab moving his dung ball, backwards, the crew members looking like the scarab legs.

The important thing here, with the scarab, is not the dung ball he is rolling, but the fact that he is rolling it backwards. To my knowledge, the scarab is the only living animal moving backwards, and that is the key element : backwards.

If you want to compare the operating of the wooden gantry to an animal, then you have no other choice than use the scarab.

The crew had to move backwards, to pull the gantry down the grand gallery, because it is the position where you can give the maximum power, like you do when you are playing with a tug of war rope.

 

2/ The second key element about the amulet are the 3 little parallel brown segments

If you look attentively to some of the scarab amulets, the complete ones, you can see 2 things that are never discussed by anybody. And once again, like for the double outline of the character offering the cold in the Dendera Light reliefs in the Hathor temple, these 2 things are the most important you can think of about these amulets.

The first special feature are the 3 short and parallel brown lines we can see on the lower part of the amulets. They are representing the 3 ropes attached to the wooden gantry beetle of my theory. What is very interesting to point out is the color used for the 3 short segments, because in pretty much every scarab amulet, the colors are golden or vivid yellows, blues, greens and reds, but these segments are in a dull brownish color. That doesn't fit at all with the prettiness of the entire amulet. But of course, if these 3 lines are 3 natural fiber ropes, then it works. The brown color of the 3 short segments is exactly the color of a natural fiber rope.

 

3/ The third key element is the "half moon" shape with a greenish or bluish color

This half moon shape is the float attached to the granite plug block n°3. They were both assembled inside a wooden moving caisson. It was that moving caisson the gantry was lifting up to the top of the grand gallery.

 

4/ The real meaning of the scarab wings

The deployed wings symbolize the moving of the caisson (granite block + float) : the operating of the beetle made it appear like it was moving by itself, rising from the bottom of the grand gallery to the top. It was like it was flying.

 

 

The scarab amulet in a squared shape set replica of the grand gallery

That particular shape make this scarab beetle amulet very special, because it puts the scarab within the exact layout of the grand gallery of the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

The 2 lateral ramps of the grand gallery are 1 cubit width and the central gutter is 2 cubits width ; and these proportions are exactly the same as the ones we find on this squared amulet.

The scarab is most probably represented at the bottom of the grand gallery. There are of course 2 exceptions to the realistic design of this amulet : the wooden scarab wasn't inside the gutter but on both sides of it, moving onto the 2 lateral ramps ; and there was no block in the middle of the gutter either.

 

Image on the left and center : Funerary Figure of Duamutef. 400–30 B.C. Late Period–Ptolemaic Period. From a series of 4 figurines representing the Four Sons of Horus, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 133.

 

The Four Sons of Horus real meaning : the scarab team

Inside the grand gallery of the Great Pyramid, it was not 1, but 2 beetle scarabs that were operated. The question of knowing if they would be physically connected or not, is not so easy to answer, but I think they were.

Anyway, many or most of representations of scarab amulets, are showing 4 or 8 elements, and I think that the Four Sons of Horus are representing the team of the scarab beetle unit. That is the reason why the complete layout of the grand gallery is depicted on these Four Sons of Horus figures visible at the Metropolitan Museum.

 

Special gratitude to Kameron, from downunderpharaoh.com for the use of his photographs of the squared scarab amulet. In the center, the "plan of passage mouth", from the "trial passages" tunnels of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza.

 

Probably, this transversal block with the hieroglyphs in front of the scarab beetle, stands for the north wall of the gallery, where the wooden beetle would have to rest after its descent in order to get ready to climb up again the slope.

Another thing is that this amulet could confirm the idea I got from the Tutankhamun Senet game table, that the wooden scarab of the gallery wasn't just a unique structure with 2 sledge runners, one against each wall, but 2 narrow structures like the Senet game table. These 2 beetles wouldn't even have to be linked together, they would have been completely independent.

Is this configuration realistic in regards to the necessary team coordination between the 2 beetles? Would it be the main reason for a team leader that would have stayed permanently on the top platform of the grand gallery ?

Nethertheless, on that squared scarab, we can notice that the 2 lateral parts are marked with 2 vertical and parallel straight lines, framing the hieroglyphs and that the hieroglyphs of the top horizontal part have no line at all to frame them.

These 4 vertical lines could be a reference to the 4 hollow-section rails of the grand gallery.

 

Please note the presence of 9 elements aligned and marked with a yellow arrow on the photograph above. They look like snakes in a bubble, with a disc other their heads. The 9 elements are gonna be crucial, just a little further in this post.

These snakes in a bubble, look very similar to the Dendera Light Bulb (read the Dendera Light post, here)

 

The trial passages of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza : a scale model of the main passages of the pyramid, carved into the bedrock, less than 100 meters off the eastern base of the pyramid itself. Source : W.M. Flinders Petrie.

The blue arrow points to the beginning of the horizontal passage opening. Side view of the opening on top and top view just below.

 

 

The Senet Game Table of Tutankhamun and the sledge runners of the grand gallery's beetle

The beetle of the grand gallery is nothing else than a sledge, mounted on wood or metal runners that were inserted inside hollow-section rails that were constantly humidified with water to reduce friction to the minimum.

And we know exactly what it would have look like, because we have a perfect example of it in one of the Senet game tables found in the tomb of Tutankhamun.

 

Image on the left : © Copyright Griffith Institute, University of Oxford. Carter No.: 345. Handlist description: Games-box (ebony and ivory). Burton photograph: p1569. Tutankhamun: Anatomy of an Excavation.

 

2 remarks about the Senet game table found inside the tomb of Tutankhamun

1/ The narrowness of the sled. Of course, it is because of the narrowness of the table, but it could also be a reference to the grand gallery's beetle. What if instead of 1 large beetle, there were 2 narrow beetles, one on each ramp? These 2 beetles could have been completely independent or linked together to form a unique beetle, with 4 sled runners.

 

2/ The golden cylinders between the sledge runners and the paws of the sledge.

Their presence here on this game table looks weird, and it looks like they don't have any purpose that comes to mind, but if it is a faithful copy of the original beetle of the Great Pyramid, it makes perfectly sense.

In my theory, each time the beetle reaches another of the 25 steps of progression towards the bottom of the grand gallery, it pushes a pair of latch-bolts into its walls that automatically pop back up to secure each step.

The golden cylinder parts at the bottom of the animal paws of the game table, could have been the parts that were in contact with the latch-bolts.

The fact that these cylinders were golden painted could totally be a simple reference to their importance on the original beetle, but it could also point out that these parts were in metal, or metal covered, so that their action on the latch bolts would have been in the most efficient way possible.

 

The beetle of the Great Pyramid, hypothesis with 2 narrow beetle structures and 4 sledges, based on the shape of the Senet Game Table of Tutankhamun.

 

 

The wooden hollow-section rails of the grand gallery

These rails were all the same, with a 3.198 cubits length.

The hollow-section rails had certainly received an additional treatment to reduce even more the friction. What really makes wood extremely slippery outdoors, isn't just the fact that the wood is wet, but the presence of a bio-film at its surface. This bio-film is made of cyanobacteria colonies living on its surface and I have no doubt that this kind of bio-film was mandatory for the rails.

 

 

The beetle operating procedure in the grand gallery.

1/ The beetle is on top of the grand gallery. The 2 ropes it is  attached to are 100% rolled up around the winding beam and the piston is simply floating inside the well, its rope 100% unrolled and resting on the wooden floor of the platform at the top of the gallery.

2/ We need to get the piston back. So the first thing to do, is to drop its unrolled rope, inside the fixed casing. Now, we can reattach the end of the rope to the piston.

3/ The 10 men crew can then start to move the beetle down the gallery. The descent of the beetle allowed to raise the moving piston up to the top of the grand gallery, in 25 very demanding steps. They were going backwards, because this is in that position that you can deliver maximum pulling force, using your legs and your back. Every step was secured by 2 latch-bolts, one on each ramp, that were inserted inside the wall niches (2 x 25 niches, 50 niches total).

The latch-bolt is what you have on every single door you have at home. With this latch-bolt, you can slam the door closed just by pushing it, and it won't move again, unless you move the handle down. The 2 crewmembers at the top of the beetle were certainly the most experienced and were working with their eyes permanently turned to the latches, checking that it would correctly pop-up again once it had been pushed inside the wall by the passage of the beetle's slider.

 

 

4/ As the beetle is moving down the gallery, its 2 ropes unwind from the beam and the piston's rope winds up at the same time.

5/ The beetle is now secured at the bottom of the gallery by the last latch-bolt. Its ropes 100% unrolled on the ramp. The piston is secured at the top of the gallery, its rope is 100% rolled up on the beam.

6/ At the bottom of the gallery, a blocking slab shim is inserted between the beetle and the wall and it can now be released from the last latch-bolt.

7/ Before the release of the piston, the beetle first needs to be pushed up at the top of the gallery by

4 men, using the transversal beams of the beetle (2 on each side). 2 other men stay behind the beetle and secure the climbing with the safety pins they insert inside de safety mortises. 2 other men pull the ropes of the ramps from the top platform (1 on each side) and these 2 ropes then wind up automatically when the last 2 men of the crew unroll the piston rope on the wooden floor of the platform. The climbing of the beetle though, wasn't very challenging (there was nothing else to lift than the gantry itself), so the safety precautions were limited to one out of two steps. And this is why we have the long mortises : every two steps, a safety pin of 6.8 centimeters had to be inserted in it.

Of course, in order to push the beetle up to the top of the gallery, the latch-bolts had to be forced inside the wall. This could be done manually but I would say it was certainly fully automatic. Probably, the groove that had been made that runs through the entire gallery, was implicated in that process of forcing the latch-bolts inside the walls, and then back again out of the wall, ready for the next operating cycle.

8/ Both the beetle and the piston are now secured on top of the grand gallery. The beetle ropes are rolled around the beam. The piston rope is neatly resting on the floor.

9/ Everything is ready for the next cycle, the piston can now be unhooked from its rope and ready to be released.

 

The wooden beetle entirely secured at the bottom of the grand gallery by the last pair of latch-bolts on top of the mortises n°3 . The moving caisson containing the granite block has been lifted up to the top of the gallery. The mortise #2 with its safety pin blocking mortise of 0.13 cubit, will be the first step for lifting up again the "free of the caisson weight" beetle towards the top of the gallery.

 

Group of Egyptian scarab amulet carvings. Thanks to AuctionZip.com

 

Why so many scarab amulets have a complete longitudinal drilled hole.

Most ancient Egyptian scarabs were suspended from string, and wires or mounted in swivel rings ; so they were drilled along their longitudinal axis.

This feature is probably unique among traditional Egyptian amulets : the hole, most of the time half drilled from the top and half drilled from the bottom, crosses the entire length of the amulet and replicate the original scarab operation of the Great Pyramid that was passing over the central gutter of the grand gallery.

 

The academic explaination of the dung ball representing the Sun God Khepri

It will always baffle me that any people would accept the idea that a god, Sun god Ra Khepri, would be please to know that he is compared to a dung ball, like many people claims the meaning of the scarab is. I mean, come on !

I wouldn't like to be compared to a dung ball and you certainly wouldn't like it as well. Chances are Ra wouldn't have liked it vey much.

 

The symbolism of the Great Pyramid beetle and the scarab amulet : bringing life

The scarab amulets are referring to the grand gallery of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the same way that the Dendera Lights refer to the horizontal passage of that same pyramid.

The wooden gantry of the grand gallery looked like and behaved like a scarab because it was moving backwards. It made the Great Pyramid alive, and so the scarab amulets, that refer to it, would give life back to the deceased persons.

The beetle was the heart of the Great Pyramid, and the scarab amulets had to be placed where the heart would be for the afterlife to be possible in order to make the mummification process successful.

 

 

8 crewmembers inside the wooden beetle and a total team of 11 members

I originally thought that the beetle was operated by 10 crewmen and a crew leader, based on 2 indirect clues.

The first clue was that inside the grand gallery, only 2 pairs of niches on the walls were found empty, perfectly cleaned ; whereas all the other ones (23 pairs) were found filled up with a low quality mortar. The 2 pairs completely cleaned are the 7th and 11th.

What we really need to understand is that the Great Pyramid was an incredible functional machinery that would have made a lot of noise and a lot of smoke : if my theory is correct, the complete set up of the Red Pyramid is also implemented on top of the known structures we know today, probably at the level of the Lady Arbuthnot's chamber where the granite beams aren't laid out onto granite blocks, but limestone blocks.

That means that on top of the noises coming from the operating of the beetle inside the grand gallery, the explosion sounds coming from the inclined well (the ascending passage) when hit by the moving caisson (granite block + float), and amplified by the resonating properties of the huge volume of the gallery, we have also to imagine the visual and sound impacts of a working limestone kiln associated with 2 counterflow chemical reaction towers for the sodium carbonate manufacturing by a Solvay-like process.

 

The Great Pyramid of Khufu was a profound Change of Civilization Event

It would appear like the pyramid was a living beast. 4500 years ago, no wonder such a sight changed forever the identity of the Egyptian people and was at the origin of many symbolic or mythological scenes, figures, gods and artifacts.

The Great Pyramid was designed during the 4th Dynasty, around 2600 BCE (Before Current Era), and for what I know, nobody talks about Osiris before 2500 BCE, or the Egyptian goddess Isis and the Eye of Horus before 2400 BCE. There is even no evidence of any scarab amulet before the 6th Dynasty.

I think the Egyptian tarot game, either was invented or profoundly modified by the Great Pyramid. One of its forms has 25 cards, the same number that the niches in the walls of the grand gallery. In my theory, each of these wall niches are progression steps for the wooden gantry beetle, that allows it to get to the bottom of the gallery, while lifting up the moving caisson with the granite block.

What is interesting is this 25 cards Egyptian tarot, is that the 7th card is the pyramid card, and the 11th card is the Sekhmet card. Sekhmet is a warrior goddess as well as goddess of healing, in other words, she would have been the perfect team leader inside the gallery.

If the 7th and 11th pairs of the grand gallery's wall niches were kept cleaned and pure, it probably is a proof of devotion to the pharaoh and a proof of respect to the leader of the grand gallery work team.

 

Third photograph : Mummy Board of the Singer of Amun-Re, Henettawyca. 1000–945 B.C. Third Intermediate Period. © The Metropolitan Museum, New-York. Fourth photograph is a sand filter from the Bent Pyramid.

 

The half-moon shape at the bottom of the scarab amulets is a sand filter

Like we can see on the photograph of the Mummy Board of the Singer of Amun-Re, Henettawy, the half-moon shape that is located under the scarab beetle is the representation of a sand filter (please see previous posts for more on the subject).

Are also represented the attachment coupling for the central gutter rope that was connected to the moving caisson, and the snakes that represent the fog nozzle and the creation of the microdroplets fog of the horizontal cooling passage.

Very interestingly, another representation of this fog nozzle is drawn in between the 2 snakes. This one shows a ring with many peripheral dots, that would be the teeth (or needles) of the nozzle. It is a perfect cross-section of the nozzle.

The lotus flower is a longitudinal section representation of the fog nozzle, and the perfect circular shape below the snake heads is a cross-section of the fog nozzle.

 

The 9 prisoners scarab amulet, thanks to the Walters Art Museum, 1330-1213 BCE (New Kingdom, Dynasty 18). Wonderful site, where you can zoom as much as you want on any photograph.

 

The scarab amulet with 9 captives prisoners and the jackal, from the Walters Art Museum

From this point, I started to think the wooden gantry beetle was operated by 10 crewmembers that took place inside the gantry and that there was a 11th person : the team leader who was staying onto the top platform of the grand gallery.

So I started to look for clues that would confirm this 10 crewmembers hypothesis. But wherever I looked, I kept seeing the numbers 4 and 9; like in the scarab amulet with 9 prisoners (picture above), from the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

 

Scarab amulets pictured above, thanks to the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore USA.

 

The backrest / handrails of the wooden beetle

This amulet does show 9 persons, but I disagree with the drawing interpretation that has been made regarding the 9 elements appearing in front of the character's shoulders : none of them is connected to the character's bodies.

You can verify that by yourself, using the zoom application directly at the Walters Art Museum site, here : https://art.thewalters.org/detail/3485/

 

In fact, we surely can assume that these 9 elements had been originally drawn with a perfectly neat sharp-edged shape, like the one shown on the second photograph above, with the red pointing arrow, next to the third character.

In my view, these 9 characters are referring to the team that was operating the beetle inside the grand gallery, and the elements in front of their shoulders, perfectly detached from their bodies and with a perfectly geometrical sharp-edged shape, are the backrest / handrails they got in front of them, just a few centimeters from their heads when they were operating the wooden beetle.

 

Were the crewmembers of the beetle prisoners?

The conventional interpretation of these 9 characters, is that they are prisoners, with their hands tied up behind their backs and they are on their knees.

I also disagree with this interpretation. I firmly believe that the scarab amulets refer to the beetle of the gallery, and I can't imagine that ancient Egyptians would have carved prisoner drawings onto so important amulets that would have honor and worship them.

The characters or any kind of drawings on the back of the scarab amulets, just couldn't have been about any captive prisoners.

Nevertheless, the temptation to do so is high, very high. Because if the goal was to cool the temperature of the Queen's chamber, down to 5°C or 10°C (41°F or 50°F) and maintain this low temperature, that means that the grand gallery and the beetle would have to work night and day, for weeks, maybe months, without ever stopping. The effort would have been excruciating.

The only thing I can think of that would make possible the idea of a team of prisoners working inside the grand gallery, would be the possibility for these prisoners to get freedom by their work inside the pyramid ; and that this tremendous effort (maybe sacrifice for some of them), would have been worth rewarding them with freedom.

 

 

The Sekhmet team leader / captive crewmen hypothesis

If the crewmembers were indeed captive prisoners, it would nevertheless reinforce the idea that a team leader was absolutely necessary.

In this manner, it would also reinforce the Sekhmet hypothesis, because she was the warrior goddess. Depicted as a lioness, she was seen as the protector of the pharaohs and led them in warfare. Upon death, Sekhmet continued to protect them, bearing them to the afterlife.

This double Sekhmet identity could originate from the double responsibility of the team leader of the grand gallery : manage the prisoners team and participate in the pharaoh's after life by bringing the Great Pyramid into life.

 

Like the beetle, its crewmembers were moving backwards

Another possibility that could explain the position of the arms on their backs, could be to show that they were moving backwards : their heads looking in one direction and their hands on the opposite direction, mean that they were moving backwards. The same reason that explains why this amulet display a scarab form : the scarab is used to move backwards when it is rolling its dung ball.

 

The grand gallery's slope induced squat down position of the crewmembers

The 9 characters are not on their knees, but they are in a squat down position like shown on the third image above, because that was the position they were in when they were operating the beetle because of the steep slope of the grand gallery.

 

 

Many of the scarab amulets with drawings underneath show 9 dots, 9 circles or 9 buckles, but contrary to the 9 prisoners scarab amulet from the Walters Art Museum, they are not arranged in 3 lines of 3 characters, but in 2 columns of 4 and a central one, whether it is clearly marked by a dot and circle like on the 2 scarabs above on the left; or it is simply suggested by interlacing buckles or curls, like the 2 scarabs on the right (blue arrows).

Not only the crewmembers are drawn, but the ropes also are represented with the intertwined lines. The last amulet does even display 3 lines, exactly like the 3 ropes of the grand gallery.

I think these 9 elements, 8 + 1, are the 8 crewmembers that took place inside the wooden scarab in 2 columns of 4 men, and their team leader represented in the center.

In my opinion, the 9 crewmembers represented 3 x 3 of the prisoners scarab amulet has to be considered to an artistic variant, but it is hard to say if there was or not, a real intention to hide the real original 2 columns layout.

 

So now, we have a team of 8 crewmen that were positioned inside the beetle and the team leader that was on the top platform of the grand gallery, that is 9 persons total.

Do we have to forget the 2 other crewmen that would be needed to get to the 11 crewmen total, suggested by the Egyptian 25 cards tarot?

Well, maybe not. Because if you look attentively to the last 3 scarabs on the photograph above, you can see 2 strokes (red arrows) that could be interpreted as the 2 missing crewmembers.

These 2 men were not positioned inside the beetle, but behind the beetle, I guess probably essentially to deal with the latch bolts operating process when the beetle was going down to the bottom of the gallery, and then secure the beetle when it was lifted back to the top of the gallery (after being cutted-out from the piston) using the safety pin system provided by the long mortises.

These 2 men were the "flying" men of the team.

They would also manage the operating of the ropes on the top platform and assured the reattachment of the moving caisson to the central rope, after the caisson had been released in the slope from the top of the gallery.

 

The 10 crewmen scarab amulets

Like shown on the last 2 photographs bellow, scarab amulets showing 10 and 11 crewmembers, also exist. But it is noticeable that they seem to be very rare.

Photographs thanks to the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore USA.

 

We also have to discuss about the large variety of amulet designs, showing different numbers of crewmembers. I personally think that a vast amount of wooden beetles were used for the pyramids construction.

Some of them would be operated inside the pyramids, some of them outside ; and with a varying number of crewmembers.

If the beetle of the grand gallery was really designed in 2 parts, 2 narrow independent beetles of 4 crewmembers, linked together, then probably this kind of unit could have been used in the descending passage of the Great Pyramid and others.

Probably single, double or even triple units of this kind could have been used outside the pyramids in particular for the Great Pyramid in order to operate the natron production unit, starting with the limestone supply of the kiln.

Maybe the 3 x 3 design of the 9 prisoners scarab amulet depict precisely this particular approach.

 

The Colossus of Djehutihotep. Image on the right thanks to the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford. "The huge scene depicting the transportation of Djehutihotep's Colossus fills the top five registers of the central section of the left hand wall of the Inner Chamber. This coloured detail by Howard Carter comes from the fifth register just under the Colossus and shows three men carrying a large block of wood, with a strangely jagged upper outline, on their left shoulders. They wear short, white, plain kilts. The text describes the block as "logs of conveyance", so it is presumably connected with the actual movement of the Colossus." © Copyright Griffith Institute, Oxford.

 

 

The heavy load handling in ancient Egypt

The way that the grand gallery was equipped and the beetle was operated is certainly a good clue on how the ancient Egyptians were handling the blocks and very heavy load transport in general.

 

The scene depicting the transportation of the Colossus of Djehutihotep

If my theory is correct, the beetle of the Great Pyramid was equipped with wood or metal sledge runners that were inserted inside hollow-section rails, constantly humidified to reduce the friction.

Sledge, water and rails, are exactly what is described in the scene depicting the transportation of the Colossus of Djehutihotep.

 

The watering of the sand foolish concept

The idea that the character who is pouring water in front of the Colossus, is pouring it directly onto the sand has no sense at all. You wouldn't need small or medium size jars to do the job, but hundreds or thousands of huge water containers.

In the Great Pyramid, the same water, stored inside the King's chamber, was used at least 3 times : one for lubrication of all the moving parts of the grand gallery ; one for keeping the inclined well flooded ; and finally one for the evaporating cooling process in the horizontal passage.

I'm sorry but the idea of throwing away all that water on the ground, like they were trying to water the desert, is ridiculous. Unfortunately, this idea could only have originated from a modern western society, used to discard disposable and single-use items as a way of living.

There is no chance that anyone at the time of the pharaohs would engage in such irresponsible behavior at a time when it is possible that everyone could already see that the climate was changing and their beloved country was getting dryer and dryer every year or every decade.

In that Djehutihotep's Colossus mural, the character isn't pouring water onto the ground ; he is pouring water onto the hollow-section rails.

One of these rails is depicted at the bottom of the mural and is showed upside down. The part that would have been into the ground is cut into notches that would act as studs and maintain the rail in place when the sledge would pass through the rail.

 

Why the ancient Egyptians didn't have to invent the wheel

If the ancient Egyptians were able to build as many pyramids and move as many heavy or extremely heavy loads as they did in the short period of time we think they got, and without ever use the wheel, it is because they did have another system, very cost-effective, reliable and efficient.

 

If ancient Egyptians didn't invent the wheel, it is because they didn't need to : they had a system based on the sledges and humidified hollow-section rails. 

That system was even better than the wheel because they didn't have to deal with the major problem of the wheel when you want to move very heavy loads : the axle resistance.

 

The 40 ships of Sneferu Lebanon cedar

We know that Sneferu sent 40 ships to Lebanon to get cedar and fir trees. These trees are very resistant to humidity and I think most of them were intended to manufacture the rails of this unique transport system.

 

The additional cyanobacteria treatment for friction reducing

The hollow-section rails had certainly received an additional treatment to reduce even more the friction. What really makes wood extremely slippery outdoors, isn't just the fact that the wood is wet, but the presence of a bio-film at its surface. This bio-film is made of cyanobacteria colonies living on its surface and I have no doubt that this kind of bio-film was mandatory for the rails.

 

Photograph on the left : the 4 grooves south granite wall of the King's antechamber of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza. Please notice that the entire chamber is built with massive granite blocks, but surprisingly the top of this south wall is made of very worn out low-quality limestone. This limestone had been added after the pyramid shut-down, when this chamber didn't need to be connected to the exterior anymore.

 

The 3 natural fiber ropes of the grand gallery and their storage in permanent humid conditions

I am also at this point, gonna discuss a little bit of the ropes. Because they are in a natural fiber fabric, it is very vulnerable to humidity, and the grand gallery would have been very humid because it was completely surrounded by water sources (the King's chamber, the inclined well and the horizontal cooling passage).

Because a natural fiber rope will rot if stored in bad conditions, a special chamber had to be prepared for this role, and equipped with a very effective ventilation system.

And that special chamber is what we call today the antechamber, where should have been installed 3 portcullis, that have never been found.

The antechamber never had any portcullis, it was the 3 ropes storage chamber, with 3 independent compartments. The ventilation of this chamber came from a little opening that was located on the top part of the south granite wall and the granite ceiling, and that appears today filled with a limestone cement with 4 little grooves in the continuation of the south wall grooves.

In this granite grooves, were inserted 4 air pipes for a perfect ventilation of the chamber ; the air vent connected to the surface of the pyramid on its flat roof.

 

The wooden base of the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures : the moving caisson / impactor of the grand gallery

The Nefertem amulets : the fog nozzle of the horizontal cooling passage

 

All the posts about Ancient Egypt & Updates on the Theory : please click here

 

A lot of mythological explanations exist about the Djed pillars, but they were actually very real : they were counterflow chemical reaction towers and maybe most of them were Solvay towers for the Sodium Carbonate production.

 

Djed pillars are counterflow chemical reaction towers

The Solvay process for Sodium Carbonate production is pretty complicated and involves a few items you can't miss : a limestone kiln (like the one that was operated inside the "burial chamber" of the Red Pyramid) and Solvay towers.

These towers are extremely important because the Solvay process is based on chemical reactions that demand a lot of transfers between liquids and gases.

While the liquids are dripping down the towers, gases are injected counterflow from the bottom of the towers and are forced to maximum chemical exchanges by dome shaped structures, or diaphragms, piled up inside the towers.

 

Left and right : the Meidum Pyramid, built by pharaoh Sneferu. Center : the Red Pyramid at Dashur, by the same king. What is remarkable in the Meidum pyramid is that it shows a perfect split of the Red Pyramid layout in 2 completely independent parts. The red layout is the energy circuit, from the limestone kiln to the exit of the pyramid. The green layout shows the 2 chemical reacting chambers and the start of the descending passage, where the natron would be separated from the steam getting out of the Red Pyramid.

 

Sneferu's pyramids were built to achieve the manufacturing of the purest mineral form of natron.

It seems that the Meidum Pyramid was a test mockup of the Red Pyramid, where each part could have been tested separately before putting everything together and build a fully functional Red Pyramid.

Actually, the global layout of the Red Pyramid is surprisingly nearly identical to a European sodium carbonate plant in the early 1800s and based on the late 1700s work by the French chemist Nicolas Leblanc. Sodium carbonate is the modern term for natron, the mummification salt used by ancient Egyptians.

For more details about the copy-paste similarities between the Red Pyramid and the 1800s typical sodium carbonate plants in Europe, please visit : http://www.verre-histoire.org/colloques/innovations/pages/p302_01_chopinet.html

 

In this article, drawings from Figuier are very interesting, because they show the similar layout of the Red pyramid and the 1800s European plants for natron production : 3 adjoining and successive chambers, connected by low ceiling corridors and ended by an exhaust conduct. But the author also points out that in Europe, the industrial chemistry started with the glass industry.

And the ones who mastered the glass manufacturing process, in the first place, were the Egyptians, 5000 years ago. That is 500 years before Sneferu's reign and the Great Pyramid.

 

They couldn't cool down the towers

Because of the huge ammonia smell in the Red Pyramid, we know they didn't control the chemical reaction temperatures : the ammonia is indispensable for the Solvay process to work, but the chemical balances of the ammonia cycle, if the temperatures are controlled enough, give to this element a minor role : there is about the same amount of ammonia consumed than ammonia produced by the Solvay process. If huge quantities of ammonia were produced, it is because they couldn't cool down the towers.

The visible part of the Great Pyramid of Khufu was designed to fix this particular problem, with the horizontal evaporative cooling passage. The cold (between 5°C and 10°C, or 41°F to 50°F), was stored inside the Queen's chamber and then transferred to a Red Pyramid-like natron manufacturing unit, that is still standing today inside the pyramid, waiting to be discovered.

 

The Great Sneferu's fourth culmination pyramid at Giza

The quest of the purest natron manufacturing by Khufu's father, explains why Sneferu built 3 complete pyramids. There was no mistake or last minute change of mind, but a very modern technological development program. The Red Pyramid shows they were having difficulties in controlling the temperature of the chemical reaction units and that was the purpose of the Great Pyramid : cold production.

The Great Pyramid was the outcome of Sneferu's research program, in some way it is his fourth pyramid, and the reason this pyramid is so big, is because they had to implement a cold production unit to the initial Red Pyramid layout.

 

To understand the disc of Sabu, you first need to figure out the Red Pyramid of pharaoh Sneferu

The Red Pyramid is the one telling us that the all thing was about sodium carbonate chemical manufacturing. The ammonia smell of this pyramid and the layout of its chambers tell us that it was operated exactly the same way as for the 1800s European Sodium Carbonate plants did, with 3 adjoining and successive chambers, separated by 2 low ceiling corridors and ended by an exhaust conduct.

The Meidum pyramid wasn't a functional pyramid, but was used as a scale model, a mockup of the Red Pyramid, and served to make fine adjustments of the 2 big layouts of its operating process.

 

On the left : the "burial chamber" of the Red Pyramid at Dashur, before cement has been poured on the blocks, I presume, in order to reduce the ammonia gas emissions. Image on the right : ancient limestone kiln at Betws yn Rhos, Abergele (Wales, United-Kingdom). 

 

The burial chamber of the Red Pyramid was a limestone kiln : the first step in sodium carbonate manufacturing (natron).

That burial chamber was actually a limestone kiln and it explains why there is no floor, why the remaining blocks are burnt and laid out in concentric circles, why they are forming a cone shaped hole and why there is a little passage, supposedly digged by robbers. Please note, on that photograph, the burnt block on the foreground left corner. If you look attentively, you can find such burnt blocks all over the pit.

 

1/ The limestone kiln layout (red) for lime and CO2 production

The red layout indicates the "energy circuit", from the limestone kiln that was operated inside what is called today "the burial chamber", to the descending passage and the exit of the pyramid. Lime and CO2 were used inside the 2 chemical reaction chambers, through a Solvay-like process.

 

2/ The 2 chemical reaction chambers layout (green)

The green layout shows the 2 chemical reacting chambers and the start of the descending passage, where the natron was separated from the steam getting out of the pyramid.

The Red Pyramid is in some way, the most important of all pyramids, because it tells us what was the real goal of the 3 pyramids of Sneferu and the real function of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, his son.

 

For details about the natron manufacturing in the Red Pyramid, please visit this page of the blog:

The Red Pyramid : the limestone kiln and the pure sodium carbonate (natron) production by the Solvay process

 

The Red Pyramid of pharaoh Sneferu, with the burial chamber and the hole supposedly digged by robbers (left photograph). On the right photograph, the adjoining chamber where dark traces are coming out of opposite holes. These traces had been recently cleaned, as well as all the other traces of the wall, now hidden with modern stairs.

The dark traces indicate that (hot) gases were injected trough these holes into structures that were put into the chamber.

 

The ammonia smell of the Burial chamber

On the first photograph of the burial chamber, the blocks have also been recently covered with cement, I assume to reduce the ammonia smell. These stones would have been indirectly highly heated by the furnace of the limestone kiln, they would have get very dry, and when the operating of the Red pyramid was over, I guess all the ammonia got released in the pyramid and these dry rocks would have "suck in" huge amount of it.

 

On the left is the lower part of the Red Pyramid descending passage (looking up) and showing only the natural color of the stone blocks. On the right is the same passage (looking down), above the lower section, and showing red and yellow deposits. Where the ceiling has been recently damaged, we can see the natural color of the stone. Red and yellows really are deposits, they are not the natural color of the blocks : some activity inside the pyramid, after the passage was built, was responsible for their presence.

 

The red deposits on the Red Pyramid descending passage and the ferrite iron of the disc

The schist material contains a mineral with a very high concentration of iron : the ferrite. It is possible that the red deposits that are still visible inside the descending passage of the Red Pyramid (mostly on the ceiling), are coming from this ferrite mineral. The heat coming from the limestone kiln CO2 would have extract ferrite iron from discs of Sabu and it would have then deposit itself in the passage, where it would have rust and turn red.

It is still unclear to me where the yellow deposits we can also find in the passage are coming from.

 

Water, heat and cold insensibility : the metamorphic schist resistance properties

The disc of Sabu is made of a very particular stone that gives to it properties perfectly fit for the job : the metamorphic schist. The disc would have been placed inside counterflow chemical reaction towers (the Djed Pillars) or units (the Abu Gorab stone basins) and submitted to very harsh conditions : the disc would have been in contact with very concentrated brine (50% salt solution or more) and saturated with ammonia NH3 and with very hot CO2 gas. Also, as we can see on the Abu Gorab 3 holes cracked stone basins, the different units, stacked or lined up, would have been cool down and subject to high levels of thermal stress.

Schist is completely waterproof and insensible to cold or hot temperatures.

Metamorphic schist isn't sensible to fire or frost damaging. These properties explain why, in many regions of the world, this material is used to cover house's roofs : slates are made of metamorphic schist.

 

The metamorphic schist weakness : its fragility

The brittleness of the schist explains why it is mostly only used nowadays on roofs : it isn't supposed to get hit by anything. The same way, the disc of Sabu was perfectly secured inside the towers or the individual units they were in : the only stress the discs of Sabu would have been subject to, was thermal and chemical.

That thermal stress problem was what caused the discs to break, and that is the origin of the Eye of Horus broken into pieces myth (see more below).

 

Set is the representation of the excessive heat produced by the chemical manufacturing

Set could be seen as the representation of the overheat of the chambers that needed to be dissipated, and he is only associated with the Upper Pyramid.

Set is the evil part of the chemical manufacturing. 

On the above image, Set is attacking the Great Serpent Apep, he is attacking the water, so he is attacking the cold made out of water.

The scene is tricky because Set is on the same boat as Ra (the Solar Barque), but they are really actually fighting one another. Set could be seen as evil on Ra's shoulder.

"He (Set) is conceived as the sun that kills with the arrows of heat". Source (first paragraph).

The real fight in the myth about Apep is with Set : the fight is about the balance to achieve between the extensive heat generated by the counterflow reactions of the Solvay process and the cold production, first by direct water cooling, then by evaporative cooling.

 

The known part of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, was designed to produce cold inside the Queen's chamber. The temperature could have been as low as 5°C or 10°C (41°F or 50°F), by an evaporative cooling process inside taking place in the horizontal passage. The cold was used to cool down counterflow chemical reactions, most probably very similar to the modern ammonia Solvay process used for Sodium Carbonate manufacturing (the purest mineral form of natron, the salt used for the mummification).

 

The Wedjat Eye of Horus and the disc of Sabu. The draw, showing the dome shaped plates in their counterflow reaction chambers, comes from a technical data sheet of a European 1800's sodium carbonate manufacturing based on the Ammonia Soda Solvay process, and is fully explained on Lenntech website (The Netherlands).

 

The 80 years of conflict and challenges between Horus and Set

Wikipedia : "Horus was told by his mother, Isis, to protect the people of Egypt from Set, the god of the desert, who had killed Horus' father, Osiris. Horus had many battles with Set, not only to avenge his father, but to choose the rightful ruler of Egypt. In these battles, Horus came to be associated with Lower Egypt, and became its patron."

 

1 • The Wedjat Eye of Horus broken into pieces is the Disc of Sabu

​The Wedjat Eye of Horus is representing a disc of Sabu, inserted inside a counterflow reaction Solvay chamber. The snake is a representation of the cold produced to cool down the reactions and it was made of water.

The first attempts to balance the reaction temperatures were most probably made by simple direct water cooling until the evaporative cooling was implemented and mastered in the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

The vulture is another representation of the excessive heat produced by the Solvay process, he is embracing the entire Eye and he is gonna eat the cold. That cold is represented by the snake, and its cooling fluid is connected on the Eye, where tears are coming from.

The tears of the Eye, or the breastfeeding of Horus by Isis, or the snake predators feeding animal metaphor (mongoose, hawks, vultures, crocodiles, cats, ibis, etc.), all this is describing the cooling of the chemical process.

The disc of Sabu is made of metamorphic siltstone, a very fragile material that is actually a schist stone, and it had been entirely carved from a single block. When the balance between excessive heat and cooling failed, the discs of Sabu were susceptible to break over excessive thermal stress, whether it resulted from excessive heat or excessive cooling, in particular with direct water cooling.

 

Wikipedia : "The Eye of Horus, wedjat eye or udjat eye is a concept and symbol in ancient Egyptian religion that represents well-being, healing, and protection. It derives from the mythical conflict between the god Horus with his rival Set, in which Set tore out or destroyed one or both of Horus's eyes and the eye was subsequently healed or returned to Horus."

 

The solar barque entering the underworld primal waters is the representation of the impactor of the Great Pyramid entering the inclined well.

 

2 • The wooden and stone boat race / The wooden cradle float and granite weight of the impactor

Wikipedia : "… the other gods were getting tired from over eighty years of fighting and challenges. Horus and Set challenged each other to a boat race, where they each raced in a boat made of stone. Horus and Set agreed, and the race started. But Horus had an edge: his boat was made of wood painted to resemble stone, rather than true stone. Set's boat, being made of heavy stone, sank, but Horus' did not. Horus then won the race, and Set stepped down and officially gave Horus the throne of Egypt."

 

That boat race between Horus and Set myth is entirely based on the design of the impactor : inside a Sycamore wooden cradle float (the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figure bases) was inserted a granite block weight. For the shutdown procedure of the pyramid and the draining of the inclined well, the granite block was used alone to open the dormant breach between girdle stone G8 and G9 (see the post about the Great Serpent Apep).

 

If the Red Pyramid has a nearly identical layout than a European Sodium Carbonate production plant in the early 1800s, the Bent Pyramid, just next to the Red one, already starts to show imprints for towers of chemical reactions like the ones used nowadays with the Solvay process.

 

The Sodium Carbonate manufacturing by the Solvay process in Europe (1861 to nowdays)

That Solvay process was invented in Belgium in 1861. In Europe, the industrial chemistry started with the glass industry, and the ones who mastered the glass manufacturing process, in the first place, were the Egyptians, 5000 years ago. That is 500 years before Sneferu's reign and the Great Pyramid.

 

Schist discs like the disc of Sabu (First Dynasty) were used inside Solvay-like towers as dome shaped and perforated plates for counterflow chemical reactions, probably until way after the end of the Fourth Dynasty.

 

The counterflow chemical principle is the key of the disc of Sabu original function

The Solvay process used in the Sodium Carbonate manufacturing, is based on the counter current principle : the saturated ammonia gas NH3 brine, slowly passes through the carbonating tower, from top to bottom, while carbon dioxide CO2 is injected at the bottom of the tower and forced to top. Brine and CO2 are both passing through the perforations of the mushroom shaped plates, counterflow.

 

One disc for 2 possibilities of counterflow chemical reactions

Other the years, probably dozen of discs, identical or similar to the schist disc of Sabu, would have been crafted. There could have been 2 major uses for such discs :

1/ The ammonia saturation of the brine

The 50% salt concentration brine had first to be saturated with NH3, ammonia gas. The brine was poured on the top dome shaped side of the disc and the NH3 was injected at the bottom of the unit or the tower so that the liquid and the ascending gas would react through this counterflow design.

Typically, this is the saturation tower of the Solvay process.

2/ The carbonation of the ammoniated brine

Once the brine is saturated, the same process takes place, but this time this is the ammonia saturated brine that is gonna be reacting with an ascending flow of high temperature CO2 coming from the limestone kiln.

Typically, this is the carbonation tower of the Solvay process.

 

The disc of Sabu was fully protected inside staked casing units that were forming Solvay towers.

On the left drawing, the liquid is poured inside the tower from a point near the top (P), while the gas is injected at the bottom of the tower (C). This is a Solvay tower, so the liquid is an ammonia saturated salt brine solution, and the gas is CO2 coming from a limestone kiln. The result is the carbonation of the ammoniated brine and the reaction takes place onto the dome shaped and perforated plates. The disc of Sabu is one of this plates. Each segment of the tower is cooled down by water pipes (B).

 

If most of the counterflow towers had been destroyed, there is one place in Egypt where some of these elements can still be found, and they are the stone basins of the Sun Temple of Nyuserre at Abu Gorab, near Memphis.

This Sun Temple had been built for King Nyuserre Ini, the sixth ruler of the Fifth Dynasty during the Old Kingdom period.

 

 

The steam machine theory of Gizo Vashakidze, Institute of Applied Ecology, Tbilisi State University, Georgia.

This theory actually got very close to decipher the disc of Sabu. The author understood very well that the disc was designed to deal with hot gases and liquids. Unfortunately, he thought of a steam machine, because he made a model that shows very interesting properties regarding of steam dispersal from a pan of hot water.

Extract from his work : "The appearance of the disc of Sabu has generated quire a different idea in me. According to its shape I have supposed that this thing was created by ancient Egyptians for the contact of air and water. To substantiate this idea I have made the dummy of this disc. I erected the vertical axis where the disc dummy was put and made the disc to move vertically with the help of ropes, up and down. Then I poured hot water in the vessel below."
 

If you want to have a look at his work, please click here

 

The upside down position of the disc of Sabu inside the counterflow reaction chambers

In some way, the steam machine of Gizo Vashakidze is emphasizing the fact that the disc of Sabu was indeed designed to deal with ascending steam or other kind of hot gases.

But we can also find other experiments showing that the disc was also designed to deal with liquid, poured on its dome shaped face. For that, you need to watch the following video, here. The experiment consist of placing the disc in a water flow on both sides and see what happens to the rotating speed of the disc (actually, a 3-D printed copy of the disc, of course).

The result is simple and obvious : it is rotating, but you would have put anything, it would have rotate the same way. You would have put a perfect ball or a book, it would have rotate. The interesting thing about this experiment is that when you put the disc with the 3 lobes on top it is rotating 60 rpm, and when you put the disc with the dome face on top, it is rotating 94 rpm. That is a 56% increase. And that increase tells us that the disc was indeed, designed to receive poured liquid on its dome shaped face.

The disc of Sabu was put upside down inside the counterflow chemical reaction chambers (or towers).

 

The disc of Sabu was most certainly present inside some, or all of the Abu Gorab stone basins. The 2 lateral holes of the 3 hole basins were probably used to cool down the unit by water pipe.

 

The segmentation of the Solvay towers in identical units and the stone basins of the Abu Gorab "Solar Temple"

The stone basins on the left, with a single hole, look like they were filled with liquid and the ones on the right, with 3 holes, where probably cooled down by a pipe passing through the 2 lateral holes. Most of these basins show horizontal fractures passing through these 2 lateral holes, most probably resulting of the thermal stress induced by the cooling process. Please note that the central hole is nearly everytime free of any fracture, like the one we see here. 

It is still unclear to me though, if the segments were stacked vertically to form a tower or if they were aligned horizontally around the "altar".

I didn't find any mention of the dimensions of the square parts of the stone basins, neither the dimensions of the central part of the altar. It looks like there could have been a tower in this location, but without accurate dimensions, there can't be any strong belief of this.

 

Disc of Sabu and Mehen artifacts : the European Emergence of the Technology analogy (1500 to 1750)

If the Mehen artifacts and the disc of Sabu were much older that the Great Pyramid, how can they be related to it?

Once again, the Great Pyramid is only the outcome of many decades of technological research on chemical manufacturing that started probably around the very first Dynasty, like it is suggested by the disc of Sabu, dated from first Dynasty.

In Europe, it took about 250 years to achieve the Emergence of the technology (1500 to 1750), with the Renaissance and Leonardo da Vinci ; and another 150 years for the Industrial Revolution (1750 to 1900).

They were most probably slowed down in their research by the lack of power, because contrary to what the western world had in the 1700's or 1800's in Europe, they didn't have the steam engine.

My guess is that, in some ways, ancient Egyptians got stuck in the first step of technological evolution : they were a civilization living the Emergence of the technology.

Please see the post on Apep for more on the Mehen board game artifacts and the use of pressurized water for cooling

 

The wooden base of the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures : the moving caisson / impactor of the grand gallery

The Nefertem amulets : the fog nozzle of the horizontal cooling passage

 

The horizontal cooling passage of the Great Pyramid at Giza was connected to Solvay (or Solvay-like) towers for the manufacturing of natron. These towers needed to be cooled down, at least to 10°C (50°F). Elevation data of the horizontal passage of the Great Pyramid (inches) : "The pyramids and temples of Gizeh", by Petrie, W. M. Flinders (William Matthew Flinders), Sir, 1853-1942. Page 66, "Passage to Queen's Chamber".

 

 A scene from the Hall of Osiris at Abydos, which shows the raising of the djed pillars ceremony. By showing their ability to perform chemistry craft, pharaohs were getting their legitimacy to reign. That was perceived as the expression of magical powers directly given by the gods.

 

The mastering of the chemistry craft as a civilization foundation

I suspect that mastering the chemistry craft by the pharaohs was a fundamental leverage of their legitimacy to reign.

The disc of Sabu found in 1936 was dated from the First Dynasty. It is unclear to me at that time if any clue of chemistry manufacturing could or had already been discovered before that period, but it is possible that chemistry craft was even the origin of the First Dynasty.

The mastering of the chemistry craft was probably the real secret and foundation of the entire ancient Egyptian civilization.

 

The pharaohs legitimacy to reign because of chemistry performances

Chemistry wasn't hidden from the people, on the contrary it would have been presented to them in what we could describe today as genuine shows. People would believe that those performances were coming from the gods, because it would have look like it was magical.

Pharaohs were given their magical power directly from the gods.

Those chemistry performances would have take place in the numerous temples there are all over Egypt. I can only assume that failure to perform such chemistry craft, could be enough to end kingdoms.

 

The fog nozzle of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, Egypt, seems to have been designed as a mix of a modern firefighter fog nozzle (the many teeth we can find on the LACMA artifact, farther below) and a vintage brass fire nozzle like the ones produced for the USS Kittson in 1944.

Another difference of design between the Great Pyramid fog nozzle and the Kittson nozzle, is that the top part of the Kittson nozzle end, is actually designed for solid stream : there is an additional part that doesn't show on the bottom part of the nozzle.

If you take this top part and the handle out of the picture, the resemblance with the nozzle hold by Horus is stricking.

Horus : the metaphoric representation of the Natron manufacturing, cooling himself down with the fog nozzle

 

The entire Lower Pyramid was designed to produce, store and transfer cold to the Solvay reaction chambers on the Upper Pyramid : the Lower Great Pyramid was entirely dedicated to cool down the chemical reactions that Horus is representing.

The Horus fog nozzle & the Imhotep "Refreshment of the gods" pyramid

 

What pharaoh Amasis is proudly showing to us, is the proof, the demonstration that he was successfully able to master the "magical" chemical manufacturing of sodium carbonate (the purest mineral form of natron) and sodium bicarbonate.

On these images, the element that Horus is holding, is the fog nozzle of the horizontal evaporative cooling passage of the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The nozzle produced a fog of microdroplets (the Dendera Light) that would naturally evaporate and cool the air inside the passage, most probably close to 5°C (41°F).

The pharaohs, demonstrating that the chemical manufacturing process was successful

 

The Dendera Light & the Fog Nozzle : the " Dendera Light Bulb" is the microdroplets fog of the theory

Amazingly, the proof of pretty much every part of my theory, is carved in the Dendera Light Bulb reliefs : the fog of microdroplets produced inside the horizontal passage of the Great Pyramid, is the Dendera Light. The snake represented inside the Dendera Light Bulb explains how was produced the fog of microdroplets : the same way a spitting snake does when protecting itself with its venom.

 

The impactor of the inclined well

The wooden base of the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures

The operating of the grand gallery / The wooden beetle gantry scarab

The Great Serpent Apep (Apophis)

The fight between Sun god Ra and Apep / The restraint of the inclined well waters / The equal length cuts of Apep

The 14 Girdle Stones of the Inclined Well / The Dormant Breach and the Draining of the Well

 

The Nefertem Emblem / The Khepeshes and the Clamping Rings

The description of the horizontal evaporative cooling passage

The 32 meters collecting ramp

The Dendera Light

The Dendera Light on the reliefs at the Hathor temple is the fog of microdroplets of the theory

The Dendera Light Bulb / The double outline of the characters offering the cold / The arms and Djed Pillar

All the posts on the natron manufacturing cooling of Sneferu's Red Pyramid and the Great Pyramid of Khufu : click here or on the "LE BLOG" button

 

The Dendera Light explains how was operated the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza and what was its goal : the cold production inside the Queen's chamber, the only chamber that is located on the central axis of the pyramid.

For more details about how was operated the Great Pyramid, and in particular the crucial role of the 14 girdle stones perfectly described by the Edgar brothers but completely "forgotten" because they didn't fit to their theory, please click here.

 

 

The real secret of ancient Egyptians was chemistry manufacturing and it was perceived as a magical proof that they were having the legitimacy to reign from the gods

At the time of the pharaohs, they didn't use the modern term "sodium carbonate" : it was called natron and it was the  mummification salt.

Pharaoh's Sneferu, Khufu's father, built 3 pyramids to master the production of this pure mineral form of the salt he was gonna use to access to immortality. If my theory is correct, the Great Pyramid of Khufu, at Giza, would be the achievement of his father's quest for immortality.

Chemistry was the real secret of the ancient Egyptians, probably for many generations before Sneferu ; and the technical mastery of this craft would have been a important piece of the political balance between the people and their kings.

People would probably only see magic in chemistry. For the people, it was the proof that their rulers had the legitimacy to reign, directly from the gods.

Chemistry was coming from the gods.

Sneferu was probably the most revolutionary pharaoh of all times, and he decided to deploy chemistry technology like never before. He didn't hesitate to build 3 pyramids and who knows how many smaller structures, to achieve the production of the pure natron.

The Great Pyramid at Giza should be seen, so to speak, as the fourth pyramid of Sneferu, the culmination of many years of hard work.

 

The pure natron produced inside the pyramids by Snefuru, had many advantages: they didn't have to rely on quarrying and purifying rocks, but I think the most important reason to do it, is that chemistry was probably seen at that time as close to magic as it could be.

Pharaoh's showing off their ability to master the chemistry crafts, was probably the cornerstone of their legitimacy to rule their kingdom. It was certainly assumed that the gods were giving that magical chemistry art directly to the pharaoh.

It is absolutely exhilarating to imagine what could have been that ancient Egyptian society, where most probably nobody had the right to even try to do any kind of chemistry, because it would have been perceived as an attempt to mimic the pharaoh's power and privileges.

Still, humans being what they are, some would have tried, and they would have been extremely severely punished for that.

 

The sacred and magic chemistry craft was the real secret and the real treasure of Ancient Egypt.

 

 

The horizontal evaporative cooling passage of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza

 

The horizontal passageway inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza was an evaporating cooling unit for the sodium carbonate (natron) Na2CO3 production by a soda-ash ammonia Solvay process. The key element of the passage was a multi-needle fog nozzle, very similar to modern firefighter nozzles. The nozzle transformed the pressurized water coming from the inclined well into a fog of liquid microdroplets that would evaporate in the passage and cool down the air between 5°C and 10°C. 

Elevation data of the horizontal passage of the Great Pyramid (inches) : "The pyramids and temples of Gizeh", by Petrie, W. M. Flinders (William Matthew Flinders), Sir, 1853-1942. Page 66, "Passage to Queen's Chamber".

 

Dendera Light relief drawing on the left : please notice that what seems to be important here isn't the snake, but the spat venom of the snake. Also, you can see that the characters holding the snake are showing a double outline, the same way that the character holding (or offering) the Dendera Light does, on the right part of the drawing. The Dendera Light is produced by the snake, or as explained : by the venom of the snake. This particular relief is describing how was produced the microdroplets fog of sprayed water.

 

That drawing of one of the Dendera Light reliefs, is absolutely outstanding, because it is organized the same way we do today in every single science book : the theoretical part on one side and the practical part on the other side.

On the left side of the drawing, we can see that the key element is the spat venom of the snake and not the snake by itself : that represents the sprayed water ; and on the right side we can see the practical application of the concept inside the horizontal passage of the Great Pyramid : from the inclined well (the ascending passage), is the water pipe going to the fog nozzle and resulting in the microdroplets fog.

Please note that 1/ the angle of the Dendera Light Bulb is very similar to the angle of the typical venom spray of a spitting snake ; and 2/ the shape of the Light Bulb is very similar to the shape of the horizontal passage.

 

On these Dendera Light Bulbs reliefs, it is worth noting that the entire shape of the micro-droplets cooling fog entirely fits in a space that has the exact height of the passage where the process starts on the drawing it is on.

 

On the left drawing, 1 and 1' have the same height. On the right drawing, 2 and 2' have the same height as well. And same thing on the drawing above, with the venom coming out of the snake : the height of the starting passage equals the maximum height of the fog.

The fog of microdroplets was limited by the height of the passage.

It is still unclear to me if that means that 1 and 2, strictly represent the horizontal passage of the Great Pyramid, where the cooling fog was created, or if it also includes the inclined well (the ascending passage) from where the pressurized water was coming from.

 

Dendera Light Bulb relief details, inside the Hathor temple in Egypt, showing this unique and outstanding double outline of the character offering the bulb : he was offering cold and he was cold himself.

 

2/ The "double outline" of the character producing and offering the Dendera Light fog

This "double outline" isn't discussed at all by anybody, though it is the most important element of the Dendera reliefs. The fog is made of microdroplets of liquid water and it would evaporate itself, taking the necessary energy from the air. The result is the cooling down of the air. The character is offering cold, and he is cold himself.

The "double outline" of the offering fog character of the Dendera Light reliefs, shows the goose bumps. He was cold himself.

Actually, everything depends on the capacity of the air to absorb humidity. The example shown on the Carrier Diagram below, tells us that it was probably very easy to cool down the air next to 10°C, if the air started at a 10% humidity rate, and got to 90% at the end of the process.

But, I think they could cool down the air a lot more than that. Because at the entry of the pyramid, was certainly installed a liquid dehumidifier, working with a salt brine solution. The air at the beginning of the cooling process was probably close to 5% humidity or lower ; and the air inside the horizontal passage probably closer to 100%.

In my opinion, in regards to the extensive efforts to minimize the thermal stress on the first part of the horizontal passage, and the first part only, particularly the sand added behind the blocks and the large expansion joints, I wouldn't be surprised they got close to 5°C in the Queen's chamber (41°F).

 

In most of the Dendera Light reliefs, also appear arms and Djed pillars. They are not mythological symbols. On that picture, we can see what is the real secret of the ancient Egyptians : chemistry. We can also see that the Djed pillars and the temples were both part of it. The magical part of the temples came from the chemistry craft.

 

3/ The arms represent the Queen's chamber shafts

Once the cold is produced inside the horizontal passage of the great pyramid, and stored inside the Queen's chamber, the sodium carbonate Solvay towers had to be cooled down. In my theory, the pyramid wasn't finished when operating : it had a flat roof at the Lady Arbuthnot level. The natron production site was situated at that level, and the towers probably cooled down by pumping water or directly a saline solution into the Queen's chamber where the copper serpentine cold exchanger was set.

The arms of the Dendera reliefs are the Queen's chamber shafts, and the Solvay towers are the Djed pillars.

 

The Dendera Light Bulbs were producing cold and the adiabatic Carrier diagram can help us to evaluate how effective and efficient the cooling process was.

 

4/ The character with the 2 knives

The Carrier diagram above, shows us that they probably didn't have any trouble getting to a 10°C inside the Queen's chamber (50°F) ; but like I said I wouldn't be surprised they could get to 5°C (41°F).

That minimum temperature is actually very important, because it could tell us precisely what process was used to make the sodium carbonate. It could have been the Solvay process, or the Hou process, which is a variant more effective.

For what I know, but I'm not a chemist, the cold could have been used for 2 major reasons : cool down the ammoniated tower where the brine (around 50% salt solution) was saturated with the ammonia NH3 and the carbonation tower where the ammoniated brine got saturated with CO2 coming from the kiln.

The character with 2 knives and a frog face, could maybe point to the good direction, because in the Hou process, a 10°C temperature is enough to cool down the carbonation tower and the ammonium chloride precipitate into the sodium chloride solution (the brine).

The precipitation of the ammonium chloride from the sodium chloride solution, results in a separation of the 2 components. And in my opinion, the separation of these 2 components is exactly what the 2 knives mean.

The knives are not here to protect anybody or anything, they don't even really mean cut.

The knives mean separate. There are 2 knives because 2 components needed to be separated.

 

5/ The frog face of the character with the 2 knives

This is maybe a little far-fetched, but this frog face could also perfectly fit in the theory. Because, the precipitation of the ammonium chloride in the brine, is the separation of a solid component from a liquid phase.

And that is precisely what a frog do when passing from a tadpole living in the water, to an adult frog living in the air.

The frog face means separate from a liquid phase.

 

Inventory number N 5118 / collections.louvre.fr  © Musée du Louvre / Christian Décamps.

 

The Nefertem emblems at the Louvre Museum : the water supplying pipe and the lotus flower fog nozzle 

I really didn't expect to find any archeological find representing the fog nozzle and the pipe that was connecting it to the inclined well, but I think this is exactly what we have here, on the above and below photographs of Nefertem copper alloy emblem artifacts visible in the Louvre Museum. I presume the part getting upwards from the lotus flower is another representation of the fog of microdroplets.

I still don't know though what are representing the 2 pieces on the sides. They could be related to water, but they might be designed for dry air supply. This part of the global process will be the most difficult to decipher because contrary to pressurized water, air is so easy to move it doesn't require much equipment and leave very small amount of traces.

 

Center : Nefertum figure 10.175.131 from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York.

 

The Key-Hole shaped element of the Dendera Light reliefs

One of the above pictures of the Dendera reliefs, is showing something getting out of a key-hole shape element and then directed towards the little opening on the corner. On another picture, this same key-hole shape element, is shown supplying 4 structures. It could be liquid, or gas maybe.

It took me a long time to figure out the meaning of all this, and then it struck me : this shape is also found on the Nefertem figures, so it had to be about the cold. What is depicted here, is the exact same thing that ancient Egyptians did on the Dendera Light Bulbs double explanation : first a theoretical explanation and then a practical description, like in every single science book.

What is getting out the key hole shape is cold air. We know it is cold air, because once out, it goes down, like cold air does. The shape itself of the air, is pretty similar to the Dendera Light Bulb ; the difference is that the Dendera Light Bulb shape is constrained by the horizontal passage, while here this is all about theory : cold air goes down.

 

The 2 Queen's chamber shaft openings and the cold supplying of the counterflow chemical reaction units

The practical representation of how the cold was transferred is depicted on the other relief, but this time there is no more theory and it is not cold air anymore : we clearly see that it is water, or water solution, that is supplying the 4 structures.

And we have seen in previous posts, that these elements were the counterflow chemical reaction units used for the Na2CO3 (the purest mineral form of Natron) manufacturing using an ammonia Solvay-like process. 

4 units are depicted, but they could have been more than four on the flat roof of the pyramid. Most probably, chemical reaction units could have been stacked (like Djed Pillars are suggesting it), but maybe they were just lined up. 4 is also the number of units depicted on the representations of Djed Pillars and I suspect that this number 4, in these circonstances, might be figurative.

 

What was the function of the key-hole shaped element ?

I'm glad I had figure this part out, but there is still something I can't point out, and that is the key-hole shape itself Its function is still a complete mystery to me : it clearly was related to the cold, but I have no idea if it was on the fog nozzle or somewhere else. For example, I wouldn't be surprised if they were actually set into the Queen's chamber and connected, or related, to the 2 shafts.

And in my opinion, the shaft opening into the Queen's chamber is precisely what is represented in the first picture. Cold was going to the shafts.

 

Right picture : sand filter in Sneferu's Bent Pyramid with the first blocking stone that was supplying the filter with water ; western entrance.

 

The "necklace" represented under the 4 Solvay units (right to Nefertum figure 10.175.131, above), is a sand filter

The separation of the 2 components needed 2 different steps : the first one was to cool down the counterflow chemical reaction towers, but a second process had to be done, and this one was the filtration. When you look at the modern Solvay process schematic, filtration is everywhere to separate solute from the solution and ancient Egyptians did exactly the same.

The first filter I identified, was a bio-sand filter that I believe was supplying drinkable water for the working crew that was operating the beetle in the grand gallery. That filter was the sarcophagus of the Great Pyramid and it was set inside what is nowadays the little service room, in between the antechamber and the top platform of the grand gallery.

The second filter was set inside the Bent Pyramid, as we can see on the photograph above, with its portcullis and the filtration sand still in place. I don't think this particular sand filter was designed to produce drinkable water, but for chemical filtration.

I also think that these sand filtration units were depicted in numerous representations, like the ones with God Heh and Goddess Hauhet, and sometimes winged Maat.

Please have a special look to the first photograph* : most of the time we see characters kneeled down onto the element, but here it is clear that this is not a kind of comfy sofa. The character is standing on it.

It is also pretty clear that some kind of material is represented in the sand filter of the second picture (Sarcophagus of Ramses III, Le Louvre Museum, Paris), and that some liquid drops are dripping from it. On the third picture, horizontal layers are also clearly represented. These layers look very much like the different layers of a typical sand filter design.

We can see on the first picture that the sand filter is associated with Djed Pillars. They were working together. The third picture is also showing a complete sarcophagus shape, with all sides, including the floor one.

 

* What I am describing as a sand filter is presented by scholars as a symbol for gold, depicted with a golden collar with the ends hanging off the sides and spines dangling from the middle. Apparently nobody tried to explain why the collar was so big, or why some characters would have to stand or kneel on it. In my opinion it was pointing out that some pressure would be necessary for an effective filtration. I don't know if that would imply that some weight had to be added or if it just needed the atmospheric pressure to work.

 

The Bent Pyramid : the chemical sand filter and the last trials before the Great Pyramid

The Sarcophagus : a bio-sand filter for the production of drinking water

 

Left : Nefertem emblem from the Louvre Museum : inventory number ME299 © Musée du Louvre. Center : Figure of Isis-Serget as Scorpion, ca. 663-346 BCE (Late Period) from the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.

 

This artifact from the Walters Art Museum is one of the most important of all, because it is the best representation that I know of the cooling process that took place inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

 

The 8-legged scorpion with 2 pedipalps is another representation of the wooden beetle of the grand gallery

In previous posts, we've seen that the scarab amulets were representations of the wooden gantry that was operated inside the grand gallery by 8 crewmembers (+ 2 flying men who stayed behind its progression). The scarab was chosen because of the way the gantry was operated : the crewmembers were going backwards towards the bottom of the gallery. It is a good analogy, but the scarabs don't have 8 legs, they have 6.

The scorpions though, not only have 8 legs ; but they also have 2 pedipalps, and this is perfect to represent the 2 flying men. The scorpion also have a long tail with a telson at the end, (the back ; but projected towards to front of the animal), and I guess it is also perfect to echoes the backwards progression of the beetle scarab.

 

The missing crown of horns representing the pounding of the inclined well by the impactor

Originally the bust of the goddess Isis-Serget wore a crown of cow horns, similar to the ram horns of the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures.

From the Walters Art Museum : "The top of a scepter in the form of a papyrus column, surmounted by a pedestal supporting the figure of a scorpion with the bust of a woman, representing the goddess Isis-Serget. Originally she wore a crown of cow horns and sun-disk. The inscription on the shaft is badly damaged. The phrase: "Isis may give life" has been preserved."

 

Nefertem amulets showing the Khepesh (right hand and shoulder). From left to right © British Museum EA64480, Le Louvre E 10665 and Le Louvre ME 299 (Nefertum emblem)

 

The Khepesh Scimitars of the Nefertem amulets were spanner wrenches for copper fittings

According to scholars, ancient Egyptian God Nefertem (also Nefertum, or Nefertemu) was the god of the lotus blossom who emerged from the primeval waters at the beginning of time. That would explains the huge lotus blossom that Nefertem amulets displayed on their heads.

But most of the time, Nefertem is also having a Khepesh-Scimitar on the right hand, that is described as a warfare blade with sharpened edges, even if many examples have dull edges that apparently were never intended to be sharp.

According to scholars, again, "it may therefore be possible that some Khepeshes found in high-status graves were ceremonial variants". But in my opinion, the idea that the reason why some Khepeshes weren't sharp at all, would be because they would have been for ceremonial use, couldn't be more wrong. Even today, the ceremonial Japanese katanas are maybe the most sharp of all katanas precisely because they are for ceremonial use. They are the best and the most expansive ones. The only katanas or any other kind of sword, that would be with dull edges, are the ones for kids to play, and they would be in plastic or wood.

 

Top left photograph above : a modern spanner wrench designed to connect or disconnect metal fittings. The tooth at the end of the curved part of the tool is designed to engage onto the protuberances of the fitting. Other pictures are ancient Egyptians Khepesh Scimitars (exact dating is unknown to me).

 

Ancient Egyptians were using spanner wrenches (and screw fittings ?)

My interpretation of the Khepesh hold by Nefertem is radically different. I keep saying that pressurized water was directed towards the fog nozzle of the horizontal cooling passage of the Great Pyramid, and for that to be possible, pressure resistant pipes were needed, and that is exactly what is depicted in the Nefertem emblem.

But there is more, because to connect the pipe to the fog nozzle, or pipe pieces to each other, they would certainly have to use fittings. And as a former winemaker, I know one thing for sure about pipes and fittings : when you want to connect or disconnect these elements, you cannot do anything without a spanner wrench (maybe not in the US or in Canada where screw fittings are very rare, but in France, at least).

The Khepesh that Nefertem is holding isn't for warfare, it is a spanner wrench.

 

On certain representations of Nefertem, like E 10665 from the Louvre Museum (photograph above), we can also see on top of the Khepesh, a circular form in direct contact with the tool (though apparently not to scale). Could that round form be the copper fittings ?

 

The higher position of the tooth could indicate that the hook system was different from modern screw fittings

We can see on the ancient Egyptian Khepeshes that the tooth is placed higher in relation to the handle axis than on the modern spanner wrenches and it could mean that the hook system was different : on the modern tool, the tooth is designed to hook to an external piece of the screw fitting, but it is possible that on the ancient Khepeshes, there were sockets carved inside the fittings instead or that it wasn't at all screw fittings.

 

 

What is remarkable with these Khepeshes, is that they can probably indicate what was the pipe diameter they were designed for, and we can find out if different diameters were used or not. We also know they were probably using screw-type fittings.

Nefertem is the personification of the horizontal passage fog nozzle of the Great Pyramid.

To be convinced of this, please note that on these pictures above of 2 different Khepeshes, one is engraved with the lotus flower, while a snake appears on the other one, showing the 6 teeth / needles.

Both elements, the circular shape of the snake and the lotus flower, are representing the same thing : the fog nozzle.

 

On these pictures of the Eye of Horus and scarab, are highlighted the fog nozzle under the snake's head, with the perfect circle shape, the blue color, and the segmented water pipe leading to it.

 

The fog nozzle of the Great Pyramid of Khufu had numerous teeth or sharper needles

On most snake representations, particularly when associated with the Eye of Horus, we can find a perfect circular shape just under its head, nearly every time painted in vivid blue, obviously the color of water. On many of these representations we can see that this circle is implemented with 6 needles pointing towards the center of the circle and most of the time there is an additional set of curved needles in the center of the circular shape (picture above, on the right).

Most of the time, the needles aren't very sharp, but occasionally (like on the left photograph, below), they really are ; and that tells us that these needles were functional and not pure artistic decoration.

That element is the fog nozzle of the Great Pyramid and the lotus flower of the Dendera Light Bulb reliefs.

 

There is just the head of the snake

If you look attentively, you can see that the "snake" isn't really actually one : it is just a pipe that ends with a perfect non-biological circular shape ; and on top of this, is added the head of a snake. But only this head look alive. There is nothing "biological" with the rest. That "snake look-alike" element is an illusion.

 It is a perfect example of the sophistication of ancient Egyptian culture and a perfect example of our modern lack of examination of their work. We see a snake because we want to. In reality, there is just its head, and we forgot to really look at the rest.

Take the head of the snake out of the picture, and nobody will ever see a snake anymore.

 

The crying / tears reference (1) : The Eye of Horus 

Please note that the tail of the snake in this representation of the Eye of Horus is connected to the corner of the eye, where tears are coming from. Those tears are supplying the fog nozzle of the snake.

 

The crying / tears reference (2) : Nefertem

Nefertem is also often associated with the idea of crying and tears. I just couldn't find yet a "solid" reference to the explanation of this particular point, from a scholar point of view, but tears (water) would be obviously right in the context of supplying the fog nozzle with liquid water.

 

On the Dendera Light Bulb reliefs, the fog nozzle of the horizontal passage of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, is represented by the lotus flower, because of the appearance of its many and pointy petals that looked like the fog nozzle teeth or needles. Modern firefighter fog nozzle, thanks to Shah Bhogilala Jethalal & Bros, India.

 

The modern firefighter type fog nozzle of the Great Pyramid

It looks like that the fog nozzle of the Great Pyramid of Khufu,  was amazingly very similar to modern firefighter fog nozzles. These nozzles are designed to deal with a great amount of water : they are high capacity nozzles. It is hard to evaluate the amount of water that was injected in a matter of seconds into the horizontal passage of the Great Pyramid, but it could be around 500 liters, maybe every 15 to 20 minutes without ever stopping, for days, weeks, maybe even months.

It is also hard to say if the very sharp shape of the needles we can see in some paintings or reliefs of the fog nozzle depicted by ancient Egyptians, has to be taken literally or not.

The modern firefighter fog nozzle teeth aren't that sharp, but they don't have to produce microdroplets either. Their fog is not designed to immediately evaporate and create cold. So, maybe the needles of the pyramid's fog nozzle were really that sharp and pointy.

 

Image from the LACMA : Cultic Aegis and Menat with a Goddess Head. Egypt, 19th and 20th Dynasties (1315 - 1081 BCE). Bronze, 4 1/4 × 4 1/2 × 5 5/8 in. (10.8 × 11.43 × 14.29 cm). The Phil Berg Collection at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Image on the right is a modern high pressure firefighter fog nozzle.

 

The fog nozzle at the LACMA, Los Angeles

Maybe the artifact shown on the above photograph from the LACMA at Los Angeles, is the closest we can get to the real design of the fog nozzle of the cooling passage. It is worth noting the presence of the little vertical notch in the middle of the nozzle that would have been used, most probably, by the Khepesh spanner wrench to screw or unscrew it to its support bracket.

The teeth of the nozzle are obviously not on the inside of the artifact, but we have to keep in mind that ancient Egyptians acted like they wanted to show everything of their technical feats, but at the same time, like they wanted to hide everything.

If I am right, they did exactly that on this artifact : everything is here, but it is misplaced : the top part of the nozzle (with the teeth) shouldn't be on top of the artifact, but inside it (inside the base). Besides, it looks like both parts aren't fixed together by any metal part (but I may be wrong on this point), but instead they kind of look they got fixed due to alteration over time (the grayish material).

Ram's-head Amuletca, 712–664 B.C from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York

 

The 3D representation of the fog nozzle

Another amazing artifact from the MET, is this golden ram's head that is another wonderful representation of the making of the fog of microdroplets. The ram's head horns echoes the pressurization of the inclined well (the ascending passage) by the fall of the impactor, and the snake echoes the use of its pressurized water. Instead of representing the fog nozzle as usual, with the circular shape and the 6 teeth or needles, which is nothing else than a 2 dimensions cross section of the nozzle, this time they represented the whole thing in 3D, in the exact same dome shape that we have on the previous artifact from the LACMA (if we place the crown with its teeth, back into its base).

 

Could the Sun Discs represent the fog nozzle ?

When I first saw this LACMA artifact, it was the front view photograph, and I thought that there was another Sun Disc on top of the head of the snake. Obviously it is not, but I'm wondering if it could be the explanation for the Sun Discs. What if they don't represent a disc at all, but a 3D representation of a golden fog nozzle ?

 

The suspension loop of the ram's-head amulet

Another remark has to be made, and it concerns the loop at the back of the artifact:

From the MET : "This amulet was probably made for a necklace worn by one of the Kushite kings. Representations show these pharaohs wearing a ram's-head amulet tied around the neck on a thick cord, the ends of which fall forward over the shoulders. Sometimes a smaller ram's head is attached to each end".

In my opinion, the loop of this particular amulet is way too massive to be nothing else than just a suspension loop for an amulet. I think it represents the attachment loop that was installed onto the real wooden cradle float and that would be connected to the main central rope of the gallery.

The Queen's chamber copper cold exchanger

Photographs above : we have what could be representations of the cold exchanger that were installed inside the Queen's chamber. I first thought it would take a modern copper serpentine appearance, but it was probably not, and maybe it looked exactly like on these photographs. If that is the case, probably dozens of these elements would have been connected in series inside the chamber.

 

Dendera Light Bulb photographs, taken in 2007 by Frank Dörnenburg (Germany).

 

The blue color of the liquid water on the Dendera Light Bulbs reliefs

On these amazing photographs, we can see that the reliefs were painted with vivid colors. Like for the fog nozzle under the snake's head, the color that pops-up right away, is a vivid blue. The color of water.

Interestingly, the most visible parts painted in blue are : the passage to which the water pipe is connected, the pipe itself, the character holding the bulb, the counterflow chemical segments of the Djed Pillar and the frog. All these elements are associated with liquid water.

The bulbs are not, because they are not made of liquid anymore : the horizontal passage was an evaporative cooling unit. Immediately after being created by the fog nozzle, the liquid microdroplets were transformed into vapor : a gas.

The Dendera Light Bulbs were made of cold air, most probably very cold air, between 5°C and 10°C (41°F to 50°F) : they weren't made of liquid water anymore and so, they didn't get the blue color.

 

Left : Ptah-Sokar-Osiris Figure, 306–30 B.C. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New-York. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue. Photographs on the right : figure of Imhotep EA40666 from the British Museum.

 

 

The Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figure bases are representations of the wooden cradle float that was operated in the Great Pyramid

What is interesting in these photographs is not the hollow that have been made to insert the figurine base, but the rectangular shape empty of any marking, drawn around it and materialized by a thin black line : that was the real cavity where the granite block would have been inserted in.

Please note that the big rectangular area delimited by the thin black line and empty of any decoration, is not made for the foot of the mummy : it is way bigger. The mummy had clearly let a imprint inside the rectangular shape, it appears in a different yellowish color around the hole.

 

The representation of the granite block weight alone : the seated figures of Imhotep

Imhotep was a scientist, an architect and an engineer, so we shouldn't be surprised about the way he is depicted in his seated figurines : he holds the knowledge in his hands, seated with his feet in contact with what represented the most important piece of the Great Pyramid operating, the granite block that was inside the wooden cradle float.

We could argue that the "Imhotep's stone" is  not the granite block that was inserted inside the wooden cradle float, and that it was just representing the fact that Imhotep was the first architect to use stone blocks instead of bricks.

But I don't think it is : on the Metropolitan Museum figurine of Imhotep donated by Padisu (first photograph above), this block quite doesn't show at all, and it is pretty much absorbed by the base, which I believe is the cradle, but here it doesn't really matter.

If the intent was to show a block because Imhotep used blocks, they wouldn't have quite completely hide it.

 

Imhotep's "Refreshment of the Gods" Pyramid : the solution was here from the very beginning

Imhotep biggest influence was not in the medicine field, but in architecture. He is the one who built the first true pyramid in ancient Egypt, made of stone blocks and not dried mud bricks : the Djoser's Step Pyramid. Interestingly, this unprecedented step pyramid was called "The Refreshment of the Gods" ; and that obviously echoes the evaporative cooling process used in the Great Pyramid.

My conviction is that the term "refreshment" is not fully accurate: Imhotep's first pyramid was certainly not the "refreshment pyramid", but "the Pyramid of the cold".

 

Ancient Egyptians didn't master an ammonia Solvay-like process overnight : it had to be a long experimental journey, over many generations (the Disc of Sabu is dated from the First Dynasty, 3100 BCE to 3000 BCE ; and the Djed Pillars from even before that). Most probably, their biggest challenge from the beginning was cooling down the reaction chambers.

It is certainly not by accident that Imhotep not only was the first one to build structures out of limestone blocks, but also the first one to add columns to their design. Columns echoes to the Solvay towers but also to modern cooling towers (read the post about Sneferu's Red and Bent Pyramids for more on the subject).

 

Hypothetical influence of Imhotep on pharaohs Djoser (Dynasty 3) and Sneferu (Dynasty 4) that could explain the fact he was represented with the wooden cradle float and/or the granite block weight.

 

Was Imhotep the real mastermind behind Sneferu's and Khufu's pyramids?

From Wikipedia : "Very little is known of Imhotep as an historical figure, but in the 3,000 years following his death, he was gradually glorified and deified. It appears that this libation to Imhotep was done regularly, as they are attested on papyri associated with statues of Imhotep until the Late Period (c. 664–332 BCE). Wildung (1977) explains the origin of this cult as a slow evolution of intellectuals' memory of Imhotep, from his death onward". 

 

When Djoser died, Imhotep is thought to have gone on to serve his successors, Sekhemkhet (c. 2650 BCE), Khaba (c. 2640 BCE), and Huni, possibly Sneferu's father (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.

Maybe his ideas have been burrowed by his successor during the Fourth Dynasty, but most probably, in my opinion, he might as well also served Sneferu himself.

 

The 25 sarcophagi of the Serapeum of Saqqara were sealed containers designed for the storage of the sodium carbonate Natron manufactured inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

 

The 25 sarcophagi of the Serapeum of Saqqara and the 25 progression steps of the Grand Gallery

We've seen that the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza was the culmination of a wonderful technological research program for sodium carbonate manufacturing, the purest mineral form of natron, the salt used by ancient Egyptians for the mummification process.

We've seen that what we see today of the Great Pyramid, but the subterranean chamber still totally unclear, was designed to produce cold inside the Queen's chamber and use it to cool down Solvay or Solvay-like towers, where discs of Sabu would have been set. The temperature inside the chamber would have been between 5°C and 10°C (41°F to 50°F).

The question now is, how long did the pyramid was in operation.

I've written in the Disc of Sabu and the Dendera posts, that it could have been "for days, weeks, maybe even months without ever stopping" but I was probably wrong : the Great Pyramid could have been operating maybe for a couple of years, or so. It would explain the presence of the ventilated antechamber that indicates that the pyramid had to be shut down for a while, probably many times and in respond to I presume, periods of drought ; and the so huge effect the pyramid had on ancient Egyptian culture (please read the post about the scarab amulets for more information about it).

Another way of addressing the question is trying to guess how much sodium carbonate did they manufactured. And we may be able to answer this question, because the entire production of the sodium carbonate had to be stored somewhere.

And I also think we know exactly where it was, because they absolutely needed to store the product away from humidity. The most obvious chemical property of the sodium carbonate, the reason why it was manufactured in the first place, is that it is a marvelous dehumidifier. If you want to store it over a long period of time, you need to do so in perfectly dry conditions. You need to store it in perfectly sealed containers.

I think the 25 sarcophagi of the Serapeum of Saqqara, were these containers.

 

The Great Pyramid and the Serapeum are only separated by 14 kilometers

On site, there are 24 sarcophagi, but there is another one which is now at the Agricultural Museum in Cairo. That is a total of 25 sarcophagi. Is there a connection to the 25 progression steps that were used inside the grand gallery ? I would say, probably yes.

Those Saqqara sarcophagi would have been perfect ancient sealed containers. The most important of their features would have been the extremely well finished surfaces where the sarcophagi would have been in contact with their lids. This surface is both very large and contrary to the rest of the boxes, not mirror like finished : it would avoid any significant passage of air from the outside of a sarcophagus to the inside.

 

The dating of the Sarcophagi of the Serapeum

Scholar's position is that "The most ancient burials found at this site date back to the reign of Amenhotep III, the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty during the 1350s BCE." (from Wikipedia). But many people think the site is much more older, and that Amenhotep III rediscovered it and then reused it for his own purposes. To be more precise, it looks like the part where are the 24 sarcophagi left (25 at the origin), predates the rest of the complex.

My theory about the Great Pyramid, absolutely need these sarcophagi and I would really like to hear one day that the dating of the oldest part of the Serapeum of Saqqara had been corrected to the fourth Dynasty.

 

So what really was the natron for ?

If the 25 sarcophagi were really sealed containers for the sodium carbonate manufactured in the Great Pyramid, we are talking about tons of natron. Why did they want so much?

Were they experimenting with the liquid dehumidification mummification process with a natron solution instead of a conventional solid process?

Were the sarcophagi filled with powder natron or with a highly concentrated solution?

Was it only for mummification or did they use the sodium carbonate for other purposes. This mineral is nowadays produced in vast amounts and for many different purposes.

I've already submitted the hypothesis that pharaohs were using chemistry to prove to their people they were legitimate to reign, because gods were given to them the magical power. Was this natron used in temple ceremonies for demonstrations of this power?

It could be in particular in relation to the annual Djed pillar raising ceremony during the Sed festival.

 

The Djed pillar isn't just mythological : it was a real structure, used for chemical production and set in temples most of the time, like on this picture showing the second pylon of the Isis temple at Philae. The mastering of the chemistry was probably viewed as a magical proof that the gods were actually giving their confidence in the pharaoh. I chose not to illustrate this part with the more famous first pylon of the temple, because this first pylon is often represented with flags, with their poles positioned inside the high recesses. On this second pylon, it is pretty obvious that these recesses weren't designed for flags poles.

 

The Red Pyramid and the production of sodium carbonate Na2CO3, the pure mineral form of natron

As you can see on these photographs of the Red Pyramid at Dashur, I'm convinced that what is called today the "burial chamber" of the Red Pyramid, was a limestone kiln and that high temperature steam was circulating inside the descending passage. This steam is responsible for the red and yellow deposits that we can see essentially on the ceiling of this passage. Where this ceiling is damaged, we can see the natural grayish color of the stone.

When you add up these elements to the huge ammonia smell, you end up pretty quickly to the ammonia soda-ash Solvay process that makes today the sodium carbonate Na2CO3, the pure mineral form of the natron.

 

On the left : the "burial chamber" of the Red Pyramid at Dashur, before cement has been poured on the blocks, I presume, in order to reduce the ammonia gas emissions. That chamber was actually a limestone kiln. It explains why there is no floor, why the remaining blocks are burnt and laid out in concentric circles, why they are forming a cone shaped hole and why there is a little passage, supposedly digged by robbers. Please note, on that photograph, the burnt block on the foreground left corner. If you look attentively, you can find such burnt blocks all over the pit.

Image on the right : ancient limestone kiln at Betws yn Rhos, Abergele (Wales, United-Kingdom). 

 

Nobody took out the missing blocks, and no robbers ever digged out the short duct. This duct was a poking hole for the kiln. The CO2 coming out of the kiln was injected into the adjacent chamber.

 

The second chamber inside the Red Pyramid, showing that hot gases were injected into the chamber, through 2 opposing holes, resulting in black ascending traces. Those traces were unfortunately deliberately cleaned off the wall recently.

 

Left and right : the Meidum Pyramid, built by pharaoh Sneferu. Center : the Red Pyramid at Dashur, by the same king. What is remarkable in the Meidum pyramid is that it shows a perfect split of the Red Pyramid layout in 2 completely independent parts. The red layout indicates the energy circuit, from the limestone kiln to the exit of the pyramid. The green layout shows the 2 chemical reacting chambers and the start of the descending passage, where the natron was separated from the steam getting out of the pyramid.

 

It seems that the Meidum Pyramid was a test mockup of the Red Pyramid, where each part could have been tested separately before putting everything together and building a fully functional Red Pyramid.

Actually, the global layout of the Red Pyramid is surprisingly nearly identical to a European sodium carbonate plant in the early 1800s and based on the late 1700s work by the French chemist Nicolas Leblanc. Sodium carbonate is the modern term for natron, the mummification salt used by ancient Egyptians.

For more details about the copy-paste similarities between the Red Pyramid and the 1800s sodium carbonate European plants, please visit : http://www.verre-histoire.org/colloques/innovations/pages/p302_01_chopinet.html

 

In this article, drawings from Figuier are very interesting, because they show the similar layout of the Red pyramid and the 1800s European plants for natron production : 3 adjoining and successive chambers, connected by low ceiling corridors and ended by an exhaust conduct. But the author also points out that in Europe, the industrial chemistry started with the glass industry.

And the ones who mastered the glass manufacturing process, in the first place, were the Egyptians, 5000 years ago. That is 500 years before Sneferu's reign and the Great Pyramid.

 

The red and yellow deposits, resulting in chemical reactions of the Solvay process don't appear in the lower part of the descending passage. In this particular location, was certainly installed a filter that was able to separate the sodium carbonate (natron) from the steam. This particular location was already set in the Meidum Pyramid, where the "chemical layout", in green on my draw, ends up with a truncated lower part of the descending passage.

 

 

The Solvay towers and the role of the diaphragm disc of Sabu

Another very interesting thing is that, if the sodium carbonate process used in the Red Pyramid was more or less identical to what we had in Europe in the 1800s, with 3 adjoining and successive chambers, separated by 2 low ceiling corridors and ended by an exhaust conduct, the Bent Pyramid, just next to the Red one, already starts to show tower imprints like we have nowadays with the Solvay process that was created in Belgium in 1861.

The disc of Sabu was a counterflow chemical reaction perforated and dome shaped plate. To understand the function of the disc of Sabu, you first need to put it upside down : it was a diaphragm inside a chemical tower, most probably a Solvay tower designed to produce the pure mineral form of the natron used for the mummification process : the sodium carbonate, Na2CO3.

 

Nowadays, the soda-ash Solvay towers present a particular tower, the carbonating tower, that is made of identical elements stacked on each others, and every one of them is cooled down by water pipes and contains a dome-shaped diaphragm which allows a maximum interacting surface between the descending ammoniated brine and the ascending CO2 from the limestone kiln.

The disc of Sabu is most probably, one of these diaphragms.

 

For more details about the disc of Sabu, please visit its dedicate page of the blog : 

The Disc of Sabu : a counterflow chemical reaction perforated plate used in Solvay towers

 

There are plenty locations in Egypt where we can see the imprint of towers on buildings, like in temples or pyramids. Here on the temple of Isis at Philae and on the south wall of the low distribution, inside the bent pyramid.

 

The stone basins at Abu Gorab, from the Solar Temple of Nyuserre, were parts of a chemistry production site. In some of these basins was most probably set a disc of Sabu.

 

The segmentation of the Solvay towers in identical units and the stone basins of the Abu Gorab "Solar Temple"

The stone basins on the left, with a single hole, look like they were filled with liquid and the ones on the right, with 3 holes, where probably cooled down by a pipe passing through the 2 lateral holes. Most of these basins show horizontal fractures passing through these 2 lateral holes, most probably resulting of the thermal stress induced by the cooling process. Please note that the central hole is nearly everytime free of any fracture, like the one we see here.

 

The wooden base of the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures (English) : the moving caisson / impactor of the grand gallery

The Nefertem amulets (English) : the fog nozzle of the horizontal cooling passage

 

All the posts about Ancient Egypt & Updates on the Theory : please click here