Post by brillbilly on Jun 25, 2021 5:49:21 GMT 10
NEW THEORY: Why the Giza Pyramids are Part-Cased in Granite. 
What I discuss in this video are the casing stones of the Khafre and Menkaure pyramids of Giza, which sit to the southwest of the Great Pyramid. These pyramids often fall in the shadow of their big brother, but do deserve more attention. They are particularly unusual because unlike the Great Pyramid, they are both part-cased in Granite.
The Khafre or middle pyramid has granite casing for its lowermost course around the bottom, up to a height of 41 inches or just over a metre. Howard Vyse said there were two courses, which would double the height of granite around the base, but this is unconfirmed. We can see surviving examples of the granite casing on the south side of the pyramid. The rest of the structure was cased in Mokattam limestone, a different quality to that used on the Great Pyramid, being harder and greyer and less spectacular in appearance.
The smaller Menkaure pyramid was also part-cased in granite. Diodorus Siculous stated this pyramid had 15 courses of the harder pink stone, whilst Flinders Petrie thought there were 16. This means it covered a quarter of the height of the pyramid. The fact the huge gash in the side that was dug by Arab explorers starts directly above on the 17th course also indicates that this was where the granite ended and the limestone began.
The granite casing on the mentioned pyramids was finely jointed and would not be out of place in Inca heartland of Cusco, not to mention the fact we still see stone protrusions on a number of blocks. Looking at pictures from the incredible Isida Project archive and the cutting and fitting of the granite really is quite astonishing. A tight fit was clearly important.
But why did they do it? Why did the Egyptians bother when limestone was so plentiful, easy to work and local to Giza? Why hasn't the Great Pyramid also been part-cased in granite? There must be a good reason so watch this video to hear my new theory.
What I discuss in this video are the casing stones of the Khafre and Menkaure pyramids of Giza, which sit to the southwest of the Great Pyramid. These pyramids often fall in the shadow of their big brother, but do deserve more attention. They are particularly unusual because unlike the Great Pyramid, they are both part-cased in Granite.
The Khafre or middle pyramid has granite casing for its lowermost course around the bottom, up to a height of 41 inches or just over a metre. Howard Vyse said there were two courses, which would double the height of granite around the base, but this is unconfirmed. We can see surviving examples of the granite casing on the south side of the pyramid. The rest of the structure was cased in Mokattam limestone, a different quality to that used on the Great Pyramid, being harder and greyer and less spectacular in appearance.
The smaller Menkaure pyramid was also part-cased in granite. Diodorus Siculous stated this pyramid had 15 courses of the harder pink stone, whilst Flinders Petrie thought there were 16. This means it covered a quarter of the height of the pyramid. The fact the huge gash in the side that was dug by Arab explorers starts directly above on the 17th course also indicates that this was where the granite ended and the limestone began.
The granite casing on the mentioned pyramids was finely jointed and would not be out of place in Inca heartland of Cusco, not to mention the fact we still see stone protrusions on a number of blocks. Looking at pictures from the incredible Isida Project archive and the cutting and fitting of the granite really is quite astonishing. A tight fit was clearly important.
But why did they do it? Why did the Egyptians bother when limestone was so plentiful, easy to work and local to Giza? Why hasn't the Great Pyramid also been part-cased in granite? There must be a good reason so watch this video to hear my new theory.
Happy New Years Everybody!!!
