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Loading... The Riddle of the Pyramids (1974)by Kurt Mendelssohn
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"This fascinating book is a union of physics and Egyptology. It is constructed like a mystery story, and it would be unfair to give away too much of the plot. . . . " The New Yorker. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)913.32History and Geography Geography and Travel Geography of and travel in ancient world Antiquities of ancient countries Egypt to 640LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Mendelssohn’s theory runs as follows:
* Huni builds the Meidum pyramid as a step pyramid.
* Snefrw decides to “improve” his father’s pyramid by filling in the steps, converting it to a “true” pyramid, while simultaneously beginning his own pyramid at Dashur.
* However, the Meidum pyramid was finished when Snefrw starts the conversion; thus the coarse interior had already been covered with a smooth limestone casing. Thus the in-filling is unstable, and sometime during it the exterior of the pyramid collapses, burying the construction crew. Snefrw fears a similar disaster with his own pyramid, and changes the angle to reduce the finished size, resulting in the “Bent” Pyramid.
* Lastly, just to be safe, Snefrw constructs the Red Pyramid, with the same shallow angle as the top of the Bent Pyramid.
Egyptologists have generally been respectful to Mendelssohn, and were probably flattered by his interest. However, although his theory is often mentioned in the professional literature, it has not been accepted. The sticking points are:
* No documentary evidence connects the Meidum pyramid with Huni. All available ancient sources say it’s Snefrw’s.
* An inscription by a New Kingdom tourist - a thousand or so years after the Meidum pyramid was completed - describes it in glowing terms as “the beautiful pyramid of King Snefrw”. It’s considered unlikely that someone would describe a heap of rubble that way.
* The clincher was the discovery of Late Period burials underneath the rubble, showing that this area was accessible millennia after the pyramid was built. The general consensus among Egyptologists is that the rubble is the result of stone-robbing during Islamic times and the pyramid was intact until then.
There are, of course, some ways the objections of Egyptologists could be explained away. A definitive answer would require excavation of the rubble mound, something the SCA is extremely unlikely to allow. Thus Mendelssohn’s theory will probably remain interesting but unlikely. ( )