RE: Ancient Astronaut Theory
February 4, 2011 at 9:30 pm
(This post was last modified: February 4, 2011 at 9:48 pm by Anomalocaris.)
The 3 pyramids under Sneferu might be explained by the proposition that Meidun was begun first, and the design change from a step to a smooth pyramid by the expedient of filling in the steps resulted in the failure of new casing. So Meidun was abandoned. A replacement was then begun as a steep sided true pyramid without the weaknesses exposed in Meidun. But when the construction of the replacement reached the point of the later bend the pyramid suffered internal subsidance. By this time Sneferu's reign must have already lasted a long time and it would be uncertain whether he would live long enough for yet another replacement pyramid to be built. So a parallel program was instituted where the existing pyamid was completed to an abbriviated design with reduced top weight so that it would be ready to receive the pharoh should he die prematurely. An entirely new pyramid was also started so the pharoh would have an unblemished pyramid available should he live long enough. I think this is at least a workable hypothesis. This hypothesis doesn't require that Maidun be started under Sneferu. It having been started under Huni, or even collapsed under Huni, makes no difference.
A trend away from the pyramid is seen in the reduced effort being put into pyramids, not in a stop to pyramid construction all together. They might have tossed out the style of highly refined pyramid building found on Giza simply because they no longer have the same faith in the utility of truly monumental pyramids for serving whatever purpose previous pharohs might have deemed them to be indispensible to serving. But tradition, even not as respected as it once was, can linger in diluted form for a long time.
As to the ramps, I see not monumental difficulty. So what about the ramp? I suspect the really large pyramid were built in such a way that originally there was an integral ramp that spirals up the sides of the pyramid. The corner of the pyramid might have been rounded a little to allow the material on the ramp to round each corner. As the pyramid neared completion, the corners were squared, the dressed stone for the casing laid, and finally the support for the ramp beveled off, from top down. This way the ramp requires very little additional material that doesn't eventually get incorporated into the pyramid. The general efficiency is thus not compromised by the need to provide additional material for a massive ramp that must later be disposed of.
For me, the engineering aspects of the pyramid, while impressive, is not demanding of extraordinary assumptions. I see no difficulties with pyramid that a copper age civilization blessed with good agricultural conditions and food surpluses could not ovecome. The only thing that appear to stand out about the great pyramid stand out is why such a civilization would choose to focus so much of its disposible effort on one monumental project of no comprehensible operational utility to the modern eye. But looking further afield, one sees a lot of ancient civilization must have invested a comparable amount of its disposible labor on similar monumental projects of no operational utility to the modern eye. Look for example at the Monk's mount in Kahokia, or the Pyramid of the sun and moon in Teotahucan. Even more extreme, look at the great wall of China, considering how long the thing is and how difficult the terrain it went through, the GW must have presented a logistic and organizational challenge even greater than the pyramid, yet no one said that was built by aliens.
A trend away from the pyramid is seen in the reduced effort being put into pyramids, not in a stop to pyramid construction all together. They might have tossed out the style of highly refined pyramid building found on Giza simply because they no longer have the same faith in the utility of truly monumental pyramids for serving whatever purpose previous pharohs might have deemed them to be indispensible to serving. But tradition, even not as respected as it once was, can linger in diluted form for a long time.
As to the ramps, I see not monumental difficulty. So what about the ramp? I suspect the really large pyramid were built in such a way that originally there was an integral ramp that spirals up the sides of the pyramid. The corner of the pyramid might have been rounded a little to allow the material on the ramp to round each corner. As the pyramid neared completion, the corners were squared, the dressed stone for the casing laid, and finally the support for the ramp beveled off, from top down. This way the ramp requires very little additional material that doesn't eventually get incorporated into the pyramid. The general efficiency is thus not compromised by the need to provide additional material for a massive ramp that must later be disposed of.
For me, the engineering aspects of the pyramid, while impressive, is not demanding of extraordinary assumptions. I see no difficulties with pyramid that a copper age civilization blessed with good agricultural conditions and food surpluses could not ovecome. The only thing that appear to stand out about the great pyramid stand out is why such a civilization would choose to focus so much of its disposible effort on one monumental project of no comprehensible operational utility to the modern eye. But looking further afield, one sees a lot of ancient civilization must have invested a comparable amount of its disposible labor on similar monumental projects of no operational utility to the modern eye. Look for example at the Monk's mount in Kahokia, or the Pyramid of the sun and moon in Teotahucan. Even more extreme, look at the great wall of China, considering how long the thing is and how difficult the terrain it went through, the GW must have presented a logistic and organizational challenge even greater than the pyramid, yet no one said that was built by aliens.
