END
OF THE GREAT PYRAMID MYSTERIES
Harrison
N. Hoppes
Copyright
1999
Hoppes
Investment Holdings, LLC
LC#
TXu 890-617
GLOSSARY OF PROPER NAMES
Ascending
Passage:
Corridor rising at 260
from Descending Passage to Grand Gallery
Abu Roash:
Location of Djedefre�s pyramid
Abu Sir:
Location of many Dynasty V pyramids
Abydos:
Location of temple of Seti I
Al Mamun
Calif who opened Great Pyramid about 820 A.D.
Air Vents:
Channels from King�s and Queen�s Chambers to Great Pyramid surface
Ancient Egypt:
Egypt from about 3000 B.C. to 30 B.C.
Ankh-haf:
An oldest son of Seneferu; vizier of Khafre
Ankhhaf:
See Ankh-haf
Auibre:
Son of Djedefhor
Baw-f-ra:
See Baufre
Baufre:
Son of Khufu and king of Egypt
Baufhor:
Son of Khufu
Baufkhnum:
Son of Khufu
Baukare:
Egyptian version of Greek name Bikheris
Bikheris:
Manetho�s name for Baufre
Bent Pyramid: Seneferu�s Southern Pyramid at Dahshur
Bigfoot:
Large primate reportedly seen in Pacific Northwest
Cairo: Capitol of modern Egypt
CEO: Chief Executive Officer
Cephren:
Chephren/Khafre
iii
Chemnis:
Cheops/Khufu
Cheops:
Greek name for Khufu
Chephren:
Greek name for Khafre
Connecting
Passage:
Tunnel between two burial chambers of Bent Pyramid
Dahshur:
Location of Seneferu�s two pyramids
Dedef-hor:
See Djedefhor
Dedef-ra:
See Djedefre
Dedi: See Djedi
Derry, Dr. Douglas:
Pathologist who examined a number of Dynasty IV corpses
Descending Passage:
Corridor connecting Great Pyramid face with Subterranean Chamber
Diodorus Siculus:
First Century B.C. Greek historian from Sicily
Djedefhor:
Son of Khufu, wise man, and king of Egypt
Djedi: Famous magician during Khufu�s time
Djedefkhufu:
Son of Khufu
Djedefmin:
Son of Khufu
Djedefptah:
Manetho�s name for Djedefhor
Djedefre:
Khufu�s son and third king of Dynasty IV
Djer: King of Dynasty I
Djoser: See Zoser
Duwanera:
Son of Khafre and Queen Meresankh III
Duwa-re:
See Duwanera
Duwanehor:
Son of Khafre
Dynasty III:
Group of kings who ruled from about 2649-2575 B.C.
Dynasty
IV:
Group of kings who ruled from about 2575-2465 B.C.
Dynasty
V:
Group of kings who rules from about 2465-2323 B.C.
Faiyum:
Oasis near Meidum
Giza: See Giza Plateau
Giza
Plateau:
Location of pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure
Grand
Gallery:
Large opening in center of Great Pyramid
Great
Pyramid:
Pyramid built by Khufu
Grotto:
Man-made cave dug into Great Pyramid bedrock
Hammamat:
Wadi east of Luxor
Harris
Papyrus:
New Kingdom document containing King Yentef song
Hedjhekenu:
Queen of Khafre
Hemetre:
Daughter of Khentkaus
Hemiunu:
Vizier of Khufu
iv
Henutsen:
Queen of Shepseskaf; incorrect name for one of Khufu�s queens
Herodotus:
Greek historian called Father of History
Hetepheres:
I, Khufu�s mother; IA, Khufu�s wife ; II, Khufu�s daughter
Hetep-heres:
See Hetepheres
Hetephras:
See Hetepheres
Hor-baf:
See Baufhor
Hordedef:
See Djedefhor
Horizon
of Khufu:
Name of Khufu�s Great Pyramid
Huni: Last king of Dynasty III
Imhotep:
Vizier of Zoser and wise man, later deified
Ka: Physical representation of deceased person
Ka-aha-f:
Son of Seneferu
Kanofer:
An oldest son and vizier of Seneferu; first vizier of Khufu
Kawab:
Oldest son of Kanofer and father of Meresankh III
Ka-waab:
See Kawab
Ked-shepses:
Son of Seneferu
Khaba:
Penultimate king of Dynasty III
Khafkhufu:
See Khufukhaf
Khaf-khufu:
See Khufukhaf
Khafmin:
See Minkhaf
Khaf-min:
See Minkhaf
Khafre:
Khufu�s son and fourth king of Dynasty IV
Khaf-re:
See Khafre
Khamerernebty:
I,
Kanofer�s daughter and queen of Khafre; II, queen of Menkaure
Khenterka:
Son of Khafre and Queen Meresankh III
Khentkaus:
Daughter of Khafre and Meresankh III; last king of Dynasty IV
Khnumbaf:
See Baufkhnum
Khufu: Son of Seneferu and second king of Dynasty IV
Khufukhaf:
Son of Khufu and vizier of Khafre
Khufu-khaf:
See
Khufukhaf
King�s
Chamber:
Khufu�s burial chamber in Great
Pyramid
Mastaba:
Rectangular tomb made of stone or mud brick
Meidum:
Location of Collapsed Pyramid
Memphis:
Capitol of Old Kingdom Egypt
Menkaure:
Son of Khafre and king of Egypt
Meresankh:
I, Seneferu�s mother; II, Khufu�s daughter; III, daughter of Kawab
and Khafre�s Queen Hetepheres� II
Manetho:
Third Century B.C. Egyptian historian; author of king list
Mastaba:
Rectangular tomb made of stone or mud brick
Meidum:
Location of Collapsed Pyramid
Memphis:
Capitol of Old Kingdom Egypt
v
Merib: Son of Seneferu and Queen Sedyt
Mer-ib:
See Merib
Mersyankh:
Merytyetes:
I, Queen of Khufu; II, daughter of Khufu
Meryt-yetes:
See Merytyetes
Middle
Kingdom:
Dynasties XI to XIV
Minkhaf:
Son of Khufu and vizier of Khafre
Min-khaf:
See Minkhaf
Mycerinos:
Greek name for Mycerinus/Menkaure
Mycerinus:
See Menkaure
Nebemakhet:
Son of Khafre and Queen Meresankh III
Neferhetepes:
Daughter of King Djedefre and Queen Nimaathap
Nefertkauw:
Queen of Khufu and daughter of Seneferu
Nefert-kauw:
See Nefertkauw
Nefert-niswt: Daughter of Seneferu
Nekauwra:
Son of Khafre and Queen Meresankh III
Nether-aperif:
Son of Seneferu
New
Age: Age of awareness of the importance of the metaphysical
New
Kingdom:
Dynasties XVIII to XX
Nike-nswt:
Son of Seneferu
Nile: River flowing from south to north through Egypt
Nynetjer:
Third king of Dynasty II
Ny-weser-re:
Son of Khafre and Queen Meresankh III
Old
Kingdom:
Dynasties III to VI
Palermo
Stone:
Diorite slab containing information about early Egypt
Persenet:
Queen
of Khafre
Plethra:
Ancient Greek distance measure equal to about 105 feet
Queen�s
Chamber:
A burial chamber in Great Pyramid
Radedef:
See Djedefre
Rameses
II:
Rameses the Great, son of Seti I
Red
Pyramid:
Northern Pyramid of Seneferu at Dahshur
Rekhetre:
Queen of Menkaure
Re: Egyptian sun god
vi
Sahure:
Son of Khentkaus and second king of Dynasty V
Sakkara:
See Saqqara
Saqqara:
Location in desert opposite Memphis for burials
Saqqarah
List:
List of kings of Ancient Egypt
Saqqarah:
See Saqqara
Seberkheres:
Missing Dynasty IV king on Manetho�s list
Sedyt: Queen of Seneferu and sister(?) of Hetepheres I
Sekhemkara:
Son of Khafre and Queen Hedjhekenu
Sekhemket:
See Sekhemkhet
Sekhemkhet:
Third king of Dynasty III
Seneferu:
Son of Khaba and first king of Dynasty IV
Seneferukhaf:
Son of Nefermaat and grandson of Khufu
Seneferu-nefer-her:
Son of Seneferu
Seti: Second king of Dynasty XIX
Shepsesetkaw:
Daughter of King Khafre and Queen Meresankh III
Shepseskaf:
Successor of Menkaure
Shroud
of Turin:
Holy relic believed to have image
of Jesus Christ on it
Sneferu:
See Seneferu
Sneferu-khaf:
See Seneferukhaf
Snoferu:
See Seneferu
Stade: Ancient Greek distance measure equal to about 607 feet
Thamphthis:
Manetho name for Djedefhor
TLC: The Learning Channel
Tutankhamun:
Dynasty XVIII pharaoh whose tomb was found intact
Turin
Papyrus:
Document containing relatively accurate king list
Userkaf:
Husband of Khentkaus and first king of Dynasty V
Vizier: Highest administrative office during Dynasty IV
Wadi el
Hammamat:
Location of inscription listing
Djedefhor and Baufre as kings
Wemett-ka:
Son of Seneferu
Well
Shaft:
200-foot shaft from Grand Gallery to Descending Passage
Westcar
Papyrus:
Document containing Tale of Khufu
and the Magicians
Yentef: Dynasty XI king
Zawiyet
el Aryan:
Location of pyramids of Khaba and
Baufre
Zoser: Second king of Dynasty III
Zoser-Ti:
Third king of Dynasty III, also known as Sekhemkhet
vii
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Glossary
of Proper Names
iii
Preface
xi
Great
Pyramid Mysteries
1
Out
of Place Artifacts
13
Three
Missing Kings
17
What
the Pyramid Hid
25
Inside
the Great Pyramid
41
Around
and About the Great Pyramid
53
TABLES
1
Comparison of Dynasty IV Reigns by Publication
12
2
Contents of Papyrus Westcar
20
3
Summary of Tomb Complexes Built for Each King
32
FIGURES
1
Schematic Diagram of Great Pyramid
8
2
Grotto Area of Great Pyramid
10
3
Relation of Burial Chambers in Bent Pyramid
34
4
Schematic Diagram of Passage Construction
41
5
Photograph of Beginning of Horizontal Passage
42
Bibliography
61
Index
of Proper Names
69
Appendix Families of Seneferu, Khufu, and Khafre 73
ix
PREFACE
Only
this and nothing more. - - - -
Quoth
the Raven Nevermore
Edgar Allan Poe
A
child, however, who had no important job and could
only
see things as his eyes showed them to him, went
up
to the carriage. The Emperor is
naked, he said.
Hans Christian Anderson
This
book is written for the general reader who enjoys a good mystery, both in its
narration and in its step-by-step solution.
Although we are living in an age of discovery where scientists are
unraveling the mysteries of life, death, and the cosmos itself, we are
frequently confronted by reports of mysteries of interest to the general public
as well as to the scientific community. For
example, Is there a Loch Ness Monster? A yeti/abominable snowman?
A sasquatch/Bigfoot? To
date there is insufficient evidence to provide definite answers to these
questions. Yet many mysteries, like
dissonant chords, beg for resolution but continue to persist.
The creation of first-class mysteries requires dedicated storytellers who love to elaborate on (and indeed expand the scope of) the basic mystery. As soon as skeptics begin to challenge the �facts� underlying a mystery, these advocates find additional evidence to support their claims, often from surprising or seemingly unrelated sources. Eventually, the battle lines are drawn between the advocates dedicated to promoting/preserving a mystery and the skeptics determined to find its solution. Often the stalemate lasts for years.
When
a mystery can be phrased in �yes� or �no� terms, such as Is ______
real, or not?, the solution, when it is found, can be unpopular, leaving one
side devastated and the general public somewhat disappointed.
The findings that the Shroud of Turin was, indeed, a medieval forgery and
that Anna (Anastasia) Anderson was an impostor to the royal family of Romanov,
for example, generally produced feelings of regret or loss.
Attractions that persisted for years vanished overnight.
Most
mysteries, however, are too complex to be answered by a simple yes or no.
Such mysteries generally are phrased How did ______ or Why did
_____. Here the basic event is
not disputed, only its explanation. And
that explanation, once found, is often so simple or elegant that the solution to
the mystery produces a sense of gain, not loss; almost like: Why didn�t I
think of that?
Of
all the mysteries of the ancient world, none has proved more challenging or
enduring than the secrets of the Great Pyramid at Giza built by Khufu/Cheops,
the second king of Ancient Egypt�s Dynasty IV.
Literally, hundreds of books have been written about this subject, yet
even today there is little agreement about the purpose of many of the features
that distinguish this Pyramid from contemporary constructions.
For example, What is the purpose of the Grand Gallery, the Air Vents,
the Well Shaft, and the Grotto inside this Pyramid?
How was this Pyramid sealed? How was it plundered?
When? By whom? At first sight, these questions may appear impossible to
answer 4,500 years after the Pyramid was built, or at least beyond the scope of
non-professional Egyptologists. Yet,
as we will see, all the information required to provide convincing solutions
already exists in available books and video presentations about the Age of the
Pyramids. You or I might come up
with surprisingly similar solutions by studying the data that are readily
available to the layman, given the time and inclination to do so.
I�ve
been in love with Ancient Egypt for more than 50 years, mostly as an admirer of
a culture that survived for more than 30 centuries. As a young boy growing up in eastern Pennsylvania, I usually
selected topics about Ancient Egypt for school papers and book reports, whenever
appropriate. Later, in my
late-twenties, I acquired a copy of Gardiner�s Egyptian Grammar1
and began my self-taught study of Egyptian hieroglyphs.
By this time, I had received my BS degree in Chemical Engineering from
the Pennsylvania State University, my MS degree in Industrial Management from
the Sloan School at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and had completed
the course requirements for my PhD degree in Business Administration at the
American University in Washington, D.C.
My
career in operations research/ systems analysis/ systems management provided me
with ample opportunities to travel to many countries, including Egypt.
In 1976 and again in 1978, for example, I visited Egypt as part of a team
of experts funded by the US Agency for International Development to study ways
of improving rural healthcare delivery. During
the weeks we spent in Cairo working with representatives of the Ministry of
Health, I visited the Giza Plateau whenever possible to explore the pyramids
with the help of I.E.S. Edwards� useful guide, The Pyramids of Egypt.2
Like most first-time visitors, I was amazed by the size, symmetry, and
steep angle of ascent of the three principal pyramids.
Since then, I�ve made three more trips to the Giza Plateau and nearby
sites such as Abu Roash, Abu Sir, Dahshur, Saqqara, and Meidum to study the
pyramids there.
How can a layman with an obvious interest but
lack of formal training presume to be able to solve one of the most fascinating
mysteries of all time? I�m
convinced that individuals with far less knowledge about Ancient Egypt but the
time and powers of concentration to stay focused on working out
the details of the puzzle could achieve equally satisfying solutions. It appears
that the so-called experts, the professional archeologists currently digging in
Egypt, are so absorbed in their daily activities or are so opinionated that they
can�t (or choose not to) see the forest for the trees.
They even choose to ignore highly pertinent evidence about the big
picture while continuing to magnify the importance of their own discoveries--at
an incredible loss. Simply stated,
I believe the current experts have missed the most important archeological
discovery in Egypt of the twentieth century, even more important than the
location of King Tut�s tomb by Howard Carter in 1921. If I am correct, Khufu
plundered his father Seneferu�s tomb at Dahshur and then re-buried his father
and mother inside the Great Pyramid as it was being constructed.
Moreover, their burial location inside the Great Pyramid is widely known,
easily accessible, and awaits opening. To
make matters even more incredible, Khufu�s son Khafre/Chephren, builder of the
second largest pyramid at Giza, in turn, plundered Khufu�s burial chamber and
reburied his father within his own pyramid complex. If these observations appear
disturbing, improbable, or repulsive, please read on and try to find a fatal
flaw in my solution of the Great Pyramid mystery that follows.
The
following chapter summarizes our current understanding about Great Pyramid
mysteries and Dynasty IV events. The
next chapter then identifies a number of possible facts/clues that do not appear
to fit into our current understandings and, if correct, could provide the basis
for us to modify our beliefs about the Great Pyramid and/or Dynasty IV events.
Succeeding chapters subject the current beliefs to analyses, studying
possible modifications to currently accepted views to accommodate the
troublesome facts/clues that don�t agree with our current understandings.
As changes to our current understandings become necessary, the revised
picture is tested against still more facts/clues.
By following this process, a completely different view of Dynasty IV and
Great Pyramid events begins to emerge, and the mysteries of the Great Pyramid
seem to vanish into thin air.
xiii
GREAT PYRAMID MYSTERIES
Man fears time; but time fears only the pyramids. Old Arab proverb.
The
Ancient World contained many marvels: the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the
Colossus of Rhodes, the Statue of Zeus at Olympus, the Temple of Diane at
Ephesus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Lighthouse at Alexandria, and the
Great Pyramid at Giza. Collectively, these structures are known as the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World. Only the Great Pyramid, built some 2000 years before the
other six structures, has survived the ravages of time to remain a true marvel
today.
When
it was completed approximately 4,500 years ago, the Great Pyramid stood 481 feet
high, the tallest manmade structure in the world until surpassed by the main
tower (526 feet) of the Cathedral of Ulm (built 1844-1890), the Washington
Monument (555 feet, built from 1848 - 1888), and the Eiffel Tower (986 feet,
built from 1887-1889). Each side of
the Pyramid, oriented true north, east, south, or west, measured 756 feet,
producing a pentahedron with four sides rising at an angle of 520
from the base. In total, the Pyramid contained between 2 and 2 � million blocks
of limestone, the average block weighing about two tons.
Apparently,
the Great Pyramid still was in excellent shape in classical times.
After the Greek historian from Sicily, Diodorus Siculus1,
visited Egypt in the first century B.C., he wrote that:
The eighth king after Remphis was Chemmis (Cheops/Khufu) of Memphis. He ruled for fifty years and built the largest of the three pyramids, which are accounted among the most famous works of the world. These pyramids are located a hundred and twenty stades from Memphis and forty-five from the Nile on the Libyan side. All who behold them are struck with a kind of wondrous awe at the size of the structures and the skill of the workmanship. The largest of them is square in its ground plan; each of its sides has a base length of seven plethra, and its height is more than six plethra; but it slopes gradually from the base to the apex, until at the top each side is but six cubits long. It is built entirely of a hard stone which is difficult to work but
1