THE NAME OF THE PYRAMID, OR SOMETHING ELSE ?
The representation above the entrance to the pyramid is quite extraordinary. On the one hand it resembles the Sphinx, although it has a hump or second head on its back, and obviously the Sphinx of today has no such thing. There are only a few forms that appear like the one above the entrance if it is not the Sphinx, and the closest ones we will find are that of Aker, the horizon between the two sacred mountains, Def and Duau, yesterday and tomorrow; and Ruti, the two-headed lion merged out of two lions back to back with the Sun supported between them. Both Aker and Ruti indicate the area of existence that the Sun resides within, and is expressed as Akhet, The Horizon, taking in the scope of the entire sky that the Sun, planets and the stars perform upon. The Great Pyramid is known as Akhet Khufu, the Shining Horizon of Khufu, and may well be considered as consisting of the entire scope of the cosmos within it. One other form like the two mounds defining Aker is that of three mounds, which basically means a 'foreign land'.
We already know that many temples in Egypt have been refurbished or entirely rebuilt, sometimes many times because of some reason or another that requires a re-orientation or resizing due to some change in understanding that is either an improvement upon an older understanding, or a change in the surroundings themselves, such as the movements of the stars or a slight variation of importance to do with the sun upon the horizon, either at sunrise or sunset. In this consideration, this feature above the entrance could very well be modelled upon an early representation that became the Sphinx, or became structures of the Giza pyramids.
The representation above the entrance to the pyramid is quite extraordinary. On the one hand it resembles the Sphinx, although it has a hump or second head on its back, and obviously the Sphinx of today has no such thing. There are only a few forms that appear like the one above the entrance if it is not the Sphinx, and the closest ones we will find are that of Aker, the horizon between the two sacred mountains, Def and Duau, yesterday and tomorrow; and Ruti, the two-headed lion merged out of two lions back to back with the Sun supported between them. Both Aker and Ruti indicate the area of existence that the Sun resides within, and is expressed as Akhet, The Horizon, taking in the scope of the entire sky that the Sun, planets and the stars perform upon. The Great Pyramid is known as Akhet Khufu, the Shining Horizon of Khufu, and may well be considered as consisting of the entire scope of the cosmos within it. One other form like the two mounds defining Aker is that of three mounds, which basically means a 'foreign land'.
We already know that many temples in Egypt have been refurbished or entirely rebuilt, sometimes many times because of some reason or another that requires a re-orientation or resizing due to some change in understanding that is either an improvement upon an older understanding, or a change in the surroundings themselves, such as the movements of the stars or a slight variation of importance to do with the sun upon the horizon, either at sunrise or sunset. In this consideration, this feature above the entrance could very well be modelled upon an early representation that became the Sphinx, or became structures of the Giza pyramids.
The
'head' of the figure in the feature above the entrance is slightly
damaged with a gash down the edge of it, as though something had
fallen across it. There is a curved section coming from the rear of
the figure, arcing down and around towards the front area, as though
resembling a tail. There are 'legs' in front of the figure, extending
out to the straight angle of a pyramid form that meets the gabled
roof-block. All in all, this figure very much resembles the Sphinx
except for the hump on its back, and while there is no definite face
to speak of, the image looks very much like a head and neck. As for
the pyramid form at the left of it, this is not the only detail that
beckons scrutiny.
Between the hump and the 'head' are two curves, one just above the ridge of the base between the two mounds, and the other about half way up the heights of these two forms, as though it were part of a disc; in front of the 'head' are two more curves, at about the same height as the other, which stretch over to the roof-block, and within this area is a smaller disc, fully formed; at this meeting point with roof-block, another straight edge angles downwards nearly at the same angle as the pyramid form. Upon the rear of the figure, a straight edge rises from the back and meets the western covering block, being only a few inches high, and also another disc resides here; in the top area of this feature the triangle appears to be split in two because of the forms of the core stones backing this feature, which are of the 22nd course, with the western/right-hand side protruding out from the back of the whole by a few inches, and the lower few inches of it projected out as a small ledge. While we can readily discern the blocks of the 22nd course, the 21st and 20th are hidden by the feature itself as this is constructed from a single block of stone, its sides shaped to fit perfectly between the gable blocks and in front of the 21st and 20th courses.
Closer scrutiny of the 'forelegs' stretching to the eastern side seems to show an upright rectangular form, as though it were a doorway; and a little further left of this is a single pole-like form. Yes, this feature above the entrance to The Great Pyramid offers up a good deal of information concerning not just the pyramid or Giza Plateau on the whole, but some other hidden meaning that is more profound. The base of it is horizontal, and in projecting this toward the casing of the pyramid, it meets the intersection of the ceiling of the entrance passage and casing exactly.
Petrie does not mention much about this feature, and barely gives a few notes about the angles of the gabled roof-blocks, let alone the specifics of this feature; but with this scant information and various photographs, we can recreate it and define that the cavity beneath the covering blocks is approximately 65" high, and 158" wide at its base, with the gabled roof blocks having between 39º 20' and 39º 55' angle of slope upon their bases in the cavity. Interacting with the two small 20th and 21st courses of the layers of the pyramid, we find the top of the 20th touches the level between the two mounds, and the top of the 21st touches the ledge of the base of the upper triangle. Considering these details, the 20th and 21st courses can be associated with the feature above the entrance, and have a further influence within the pyramid, just as the 19th course is aligned with the original entrance. Accordingly, other courses could be associated with other particulars of the pyramid, and certainly through this analysis associations can be identified.
This feature could portray the Sphinx, given that it is on the north side of the pyramid and viewing through the pyramid and across the plateau towards the south east, we do see the Sphinx oriented just so with how the feature is presented. There is a striking similarity to the Sphinx, but the angled form of a pyramid to the left would mean the Sphinx Temple would have to represent this form, such is its location in front of the Sphinx. For all identifications of the temple though, it wasn't in the shape of a pyramid and more likely had a second storey to it, although with a flat roof. Another possibility is that the feature represents the pyramids of the plateau itself.
If we consider this feature as being directly modelled upon the Giza Plateau, and reorient it to portray the plateau, we can take this northerly position looking south and turn it ninety degrees so it is viewed from the east looking west. This now appears as two great mounds and a pyramid, with the mounds being in the positions of the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre, and then Menkaure's pyramid on the south. With the discs between, in front of and at the rear of the mounds, we can imagine them as possibly representing the Sun setting in the directions of the summer and winter solstices, and also the equinoxes. But this is only one direction to orient it, as we could also turn it the other way so it is viewed from the west looking east, and then the two mounds would be the lesser pyramids while the actual pyramid form would be the Great Pyramid. We have already questioned the stars of Orion upon the eastern horizon as representing the three pyramids, and that they have been reoriented in order to match the configuration of the pyramids, so looking from west through to east is a possibility. There are examples of pyramids that have two entrances with one on the north side and the other on the west side, such as the earlier-built Bent Pyramid of Sneferu, so making this adjustment to direction might be the only way we can understand why the particulars in the following analysis have not been uncovered before.
The feature above the entrance could be just symbolic, or it could allude to the actualities of the area by offering a recreation of what existed on the plateau before Khufu and Khafre made repairs to the already existing 'temples' there, and before Menkaure enlarged the smallest of them. As had been alluded to in what became known as 'Khufu's Inventory Stele' purportedly recast in the 26th Dynasty and a copy of something far older, Khufu found the 'Temple of Isis' to the north of the Sphinx, and both of them in dire need of repairs, and he set to it, as well as building a smaller pyramid for his daughter. The wording used in the stele has been debated as to what is actually being described considering the Sphinx is supposed to have been built by Khufu's son, Khafre, and yet it is mentioned in the stele; and to what does the 'Temple of Isis' refer? As much as history has passed down to us, the pyramid is known as Akhet Khufu, the Shining Horizon of Khufu, amongst several of its names, but possibly this does not do it enough justice.
One title of the Giza Plateau area is Rostau, which in some way represents not just the ground upon which the pyramids rest but also the ground beneath them. There is supposed to be some importance placed upon the Lord of Rostau, who guards the ways into the underworld beneath the pyramids, and in a sense can be identified with Osiris being the Lord of the Underworld, as just one of his many titles. In the days of old, the titles and particular personages associated with places, energies and occurrences could be adopted or taken over by subsequent identities, so identifying the Great Pyramid beyond the name of Khufu might be better assigned to not just the place itself but to an important identity or identities for the ancient Egyptians. It could be speculated that several Gods would be associated with this name, in the same way that individual Gods merged together, and also in the same fashion that the Pharaohs had several names associated with their own existence. What the true name of the Great Pyramid of Egypt is will never be known. Most certainly though, we shall come to know the pyramid like it has never been known before.
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Between the hump and the 'head' are two curves, one just above the ridge of the base between the two mounds, and the other about half way up the heights of these two forms, as though it were part of a disc; in front of the 'head' are two more curves, at about the same height as the other, which stretch over to the roof-block, and within this area is a smaller disc, fully formed; at this meeting point with roof-block, another straight edge angles downwards nearly at the same angle as the pyramid form. Upon the rear of the figure, a straight edge rises from the back and meets the western covering block, being only a few inches high, and also another disc resides here; in the top area of this feature the triangle appears to be split in two because of the forms of the core stones backing this feature, which are of the 22nd course, with the western/right-hand side protruding out from the back of the whole by a few inches, and the lower few inches of it projected out as a small ledge. While we can readily discern the blocks of the 22nd course, the 21st and 20th are hidden by the feature itself as this is constructed from a single block of stone, its sides shaped to fit perfectly between the gable blocks and in front of the 21st and 20th courses.
Closer scrutiny of the 'forelegs' stretching to the eastern side seems to show an upright rectangular form, as though it were a doorway; and a little further left of this is a single pole-like form. Yes, this feature above the entrance to The Great Pyramid offers up a good deal of information concerning not just the pyramid or Giza Plateau on the whole, but some other hidden meaning that is more profound. The base of it is horizontal, and in projecting this toward the casing of the pyramid, it meets the intersection of the ceiling of the entrance passage and casing exactly.
Petrie does not mention much about this feature, and barely gives a few notes about the angles of the gabled roof-blocks, let alone the specifics of this feature; but with this scant information and various photographs, we can recreate it and define that the cavity beneath the covering blocks is approximately 65" high, and 158" wide at its base, with the gabled roof blocks having between 39º 20' and 39º 55' angle of slope upon their bases in the cavity. Interacting with the two small 20th and 21st courses of the layers of the pyramid, we find the top of the 20th touches the level between the two mounds, and the top of the 21st touches the ledge of the base of the upper triangle. Considering these details, the 20th and 21st courses can be associated with the feature above the entrance, and have a further influence within the pyramid, just as the 19th course is aligned with the original entrance. Accordingly, other courses could be associated with other particulars of the pyramid, and certainly through this analysis associations can be identified.
This feature could portray the Sphinx, given that it is on the north side of the pyramid and viewing through the pyramid and across the plateau towards the south east, we do see the Sphinx oriented just so with how the feature is presented. There is a striking similarity to the Sphinx, but the angled form of a pyramid to the left would mean the Sphinx Temple would have to represent this form, such is its location in front of the Sphinx. For all identifications of the temple though, it wasn't in the shape of a pyramid and more likely had a second storey to it, although with a flat roof. Another possibility is that the feature represents the pyramids of the plateau itself.
If we consider this feature as being directly modelled upon the Giza Plateau, and reorient it to portray the plateau, we can take this northerly position looking south and turn it ninety degrees so it is viewed from the east looking west. This now appears as two great mounds and a pyramid, with the mounds being in the positions of the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre, and then Menkaure's pyramid on the south. With the discs between, in front of and at the rear of the mounds, we can imagine them as possibly representing the Sun setting in the directions of the summer and winter solstices, and also the equinoxes. But this is only one direction to orient it, as we could also turn it the other way so it is viewed from the west looking east, and then the two mounds would be the lesser pyramids while the actual pyramid form would be the Great Pyramid. We have already questioned the stars of Orion upon the eastern horizon as representing the three pyramids, and that they have been reoriented in order to match the configuration of the pyramids, so looking from west through to east is a possibility. There are examples of pyramids that have two entrances with one on the north side and the other on the west side, such as the earlier-built Bent Pyramid of Sneferu, so making this adjustment to direction might be the only way we can understand why the particulars in the following analysis have not been uncovered before.
The feature above the entrance could be just symbolic, or it could allude to the actualities of the area by offering a recreation of what existed on the plateau before Khufu and Khafre made repairs to the already existing 'temples' there, and before Menkaure enlarged the smallest of them. As had been alluded to in what became known as 'Khufu's Inventory Stele' purportedly recast in the 26th Dynasty and a copy of something far older, Khufu found the 'Temple of Isis' to the north of the Sphinx, and both of them in dire need of repairs, and he set to it, as well as building a smaller pyramid for his daughter. The wording used in the stele has been debated as to what is actually being described considering the Sphinx is supposed to have been built by Khufu's son, Khafre, and yet it is mentioned in the stele; and to what does the 'Temple of Isis' refer? As much as history has passed down to us, the pyramid is known as Akhet Khufu, the Shining Horizon of Khufu, amongst several of its names, but possibly this does not do it enough justice.
One title of the Giza Plateau area is Rostau, which in some way represents not just the ground upon which the pyramids rest but also the ground beneath them. There is supposed to be some importance placed upon the Lord of Rostau, who guards the ways into the underworld beneath the pyramids, and in a sense can be identified with Osiris being the Lord of the Underworld, as just one of his many titles. In the days of old, the titles and particular personages associated with places, energies and occurrences could be adopted or taken over by subsequent identities, so identifying the Great Pyramid beyond the name of Khufu might be better assigned to not just the place itself but to an important identity or identities for the ancient Egyptians. It could be speculated that several Gods would be associated with this name, in the same way that individual Gods merged together, and also in the same fashion that the Pharaohs had several names associated with their own existence. What the true name of the Great Pyramid of Egypt is will never be known. Most certainly though, we shall come to know the pyramid like it has never been known before.
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INDEX