The three pyramids called the queens are located near the east face of the Great Pyramid. They are currently called GI-a, GI-b and GI-c. Its construction dates back to the middle of the century BC. C. The one located further north (GI-a) is of the "classical" type and its sides measure 45.5, 47.4, 46.5, and 45.7 m., and 29.45 m. his height. It is attributed to Hetepheres I, the mother of Jufu (Cheops) (or to Merytetes, a wife). The one located in the center (GI-b) is of the "classic" type and its sides measure 47.8, 49.4, 48.2, and 47.1 m., its height is 30.62 m. It is attributed to Merytetes") (or to Hetepheres I). The southernmost one (GI-c) is of the "classical" type and its sides measure 45.5, 46.7, 46.8, and 45.2 m., and its height is 30.2 m. It is attributed to Henutsen, a wife of Jufu.

In 1954, a funeral boat was found buried in a pit near the south side of the pyramid. It was dismantled and it took fourteen years to rebuild it. It is exhibited in a large room erected over the moat. This boat was an important part of the funerary ritual, since it would be responsible for carrying Jufu (Cheops) on his journey through the afterlife. There is knowledge of another boat, but as a precaution and to prevent its deterioration it has not been extracted yet.

British Egyptologist William Matthew Flinders Petrie made the most detailed study of the monument until 1984. Currently, the following dimensions are considered valid, the result of the work of Mark Lehner and Jon Goodman in 1984:

• - Original height = 146.50 m.

• - Current height = 136.86 m.

• - Slope: 51º "Grade (mathematics)") 50' 39".

The length of the sides of the base, according to Mark Lehner, David Goodman and Glen Dash (AERA: The Great Pyramid’s Footprint: Results from Our Survey by Glen Dash (2015)) is:.

• - N side: 230,329 m.

• - E side: 230,334 m.

• - S side: 230,384 m.

• - W Side: 230,407 m.

• - Average: 230,363 m.

La Gran pirámide se erige en el periodo de mayor apogeo del poder faraónico durante el Imperio Antiguo, y muestra la gran capacidad organizativa y el conocimiento adquirido por los artesanos y técnicos egipcios para erigir tales monumentos, aunque con medios aparentemente simples. Es el mejor exponente de todas las pirámides realizadas en Egipto, la culminación de un proceso de mejoramiento de técnicas constructivas que comenzó en la época de Dyeser y prosiguió en la de Seneferu.

Existen diversas teorías que tratan de explicar cómo se construyeron las pirámides, pero no se sabe con certeza cómo se erigieron, al no haber perdurado ningún documento de la época describiéndolo. Posiblemente, puedan aportar datos significativos las excavaciones arqueológicas que se realizan en la meseta de Guiza en los restos del poblado de artesanos, del cementerio, los almacenes o las canteras.

El texto más antiguo que indica el modo de construirla proviene del historiador Heródoto, reflejando lo que le relataron los sacerdotes egipcios.

Heródoto, quien contempló la pirámide hacia el año 450 a. C., comentó que «su tiempo de construcción fue de veinte años», y que subían las piedras labradas, de grada en grada, mediante artefactos conformados de maderos cortos.

Durante el siglo proliferan las teorías de carácter «simbólico», pero con el paulatino avance de la arqueología y la egiptología, la mayoría han sido abandonadas, aunque algunas perduran transformadas en otras más acordes con las nuevas modas.

En el siglo surgen hipótesis como la del egiptólogo alemán Ludwig Borchardt, quien expuso en 1928 la teoría de utilización de grandes rampas, perpendiculares a la cara de la pirámide, como medio para construirla. A mediados del siglo , Goneim declaraba haber encontrado huellas de muros de contención de dichas rampas. Pero, otros estudiosos, como Dunham o Rösster, descartaron la teoría de las rampas, opinando que la propia pirámide sirvió de plataforma de trabajo, apoyando los relatos de los sacerdotes egipcios, transcritos por Heródoto.

El arquitecto francés Jean-Pierre Houdin expuso en abril de 2007 la teoría según la cual las piedras de la Gran Pirámide de Guiza fueron transportadas por una rampa exterior tradicional hasta una altura de 45 metros. Desde ahí los bloques eran subidos por otra rampa en espiral, montada en el interior de la propia pirámide. Según Houdin: «el túnel (sic) seguiría existiendo hoy en día.[12]​ y esta hipótesis podría dar veracidad a las narraciones de Heródoto y Plinio el Viejo reflejando relatos de cámaras subterráneas de la pirámide (sic),[13]​ siendo quizás la famosa Tumba-isla.[14]​».

El jefe del Consejo Superior de Antigüedades egipcio, Zahi Hawass, afirmó que sólo es una hipótesis más y que, por el momento, no concederá permiso de excavación en la Gran Pirámide.

Excavations on the Giza Plateau

Flinders Petrie, in his excavation campaigns in Giza, found remains of warehouses that were used to store large goods and to carry out various craft tasks. Saleh found remains of a waste dump. In 1988, remains of an official settlement were found, a royal storage and production complex, related to the construction of the pyramids of Giza, which has three paved streets of about one hundred meters and several large structures (about 35 m wide) that is being excavated by Mark Lehner.[15]​.

Due to its antiquity, magnitude and unique geometry, the Great Pyramid of Giza has dazzled many famous visitors. These are some of their testimonies:

Bernard of Breidenbach, in his book Journeys of Breyndeback of 1484, believed that they were the granaries built by the biblical Joseph.

Jean Palerme, brother of Henry III of France, in 1581 observed that the chest (sarcophagus), if hit, rings like a bell; and he took a piece, possibly the one from the damaged corner.[16]​.

John Greaves, 1638, professor at Oxford, author of the first scientific work on the pyramids, thought that it had been built by Cheops, as a tomb. Athanasius Kircher, in 1666, was the first to believe that obelisks and pyramids had a mystical and occult meaning. Gemelli Careri in 1693 suggested that, in addition to being a tomb, the Great Gallery had previously served as an astronomical observatory.[17]​.

Paul Lucas, a London doctor, in 1714 proposed that the pyramid was a large sundial that indicated the solstices. Thomas Shaw, in 1721, thought it was a temple of initiation into the mysteries of Osiris. Nathaniel Davison, 1763-65, discovered the first discharge chamber, which would later bear his name.[18]​.

Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798. He wanted to be left alone in the King's Chamber and when he emerged, shocked, when asked, he said he had nothing to comment. He always kept what happened a secret.[19] Thomas Yeates, an English theologian, wrote in 1833 that the Great Pyramid could be a copy of the Tower of Babel, erected shortly before. M. Fialin de Persingny, in 1845, stated that the purpose of the pyramids was to act as a barrier from the desert sands. Flinders Petrie, in his 1883 book The Pyramids and Temples of Giza, made a very complete measurement of the pyramids.[20]​.

The construction of the great pyramid and the supposed metric relationships it presents have been the subject of numerous hypotheses in recent times, generally without excessive scientific rigor. One of the best known—and put forward by the esoteric world—is the association of the original height of the pyramid as a fraction of the distance from the Earth to the Sun.[Note 3]​[21]​ This construction has been attributed to extraterrestrials, Atlanteans, Egyptians before Cheops or other unknown cultures or civilizations.

These theories have had an impact on the internet, in magazines, books and in the world of cinema, with films such as Stargate or 10,000 BC. C., where the construction is attributed to extraterrestrials or to an unknown civilization from 12,000 years ago, respectively.

• - Portal:Egyptology. Content related to Egyptology.

• - Ancient Egypt.

• - Seven wonders of the world.

Secondary sources

• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Great Pyramid of Giza.

The three pyramids called the queens are located near the east face of the Great Pyramid. They are currently called GI-a, GI-b and GI-c. Its construction dates back to the middle of the century BC. C. The one located further north (GI-a) is of the "classical" type and its sides measure 45.5, 47.4, 46.5, and 45.7 m., and 29.45 m. his height. It is attributed to Hetepheres I, the mother of Jufu (Cheops) (or to Merytetes, a wife). The one located in the center (GI-b) is of the "classic" type and its sides measure 47.8, 49.4, 48.2, and 47.1 m., its height is 30.62 m. It is attributed to Merytetes") (or to Hetepheres I). The southernmost one (GI-c) is of the "classical" type and its sides measure 45.5, 46.7, 46.8, and 45.2 m., and its height is 30.2 m. It is attributed to Henutsen, a wife of Jufu.

In 1954, a funeral boat was found buried in a pit near the south side of the pyramid. It was dismantled and it took fourteen years to rebuild it. It is exhibited in a large room erected over the moat. This boat was an important part of the funerary ritual, since it would be responsible for carrying Jufu (Cheops) on his journey through the afterlife. There is knowledge of another boat, but as a precaution and to prevent its deterioration it has not been extracted yet.

British Egyptologist William Matthew Flinders Petrie made the most detailed study of the monument until 1984. Currently, the following dimensions are considered valid, the result of the work of Mark Lehner and Jon Goodman in 1984:

• - Original height = 146.50 m.

• - Current height = 136.86 m.

• - Slope: 51º "Grade (mathematics)") 50' 39".

The length of the sides of the base, according to Mark Lehner, David Goodman and Glen Dash (AERA: The Great Pyramid’s Footprint: Results from Our Survey by Glen Dash (2015)) is:.

• - N side: 230,329 m.

• - E side: 230,334 m.

• - S side: 230,384 m.

• - W Side: 230,407 m.

• - Average: 230,363 m.

La Gran pirámide se erige en el periodo de mayor apogeo del poder faraónico durante el Imperio Antiguo, y muestra la gran capacidad organizativa y el conocimiento adquirido por los artesanos y técnicos egipcios para erigir tales monumentos, aunque con medios aparentemente simples. Es el mejor exponente de todas las pirámides realizadas en Egipto, la culminación de un proceso de mejoramiento de técnicas constructivas que comenzó en la época de Dyeser y prosiguió en la de Seneferu.

Existen diversas teorías que tratan de explicar cómo se construyeron las pirámides, pero no se sabe con certeza cómo se erigieron, al no haber perdurado ningún documento de la época describiéndolo. Posiblemente, puedan aportar datos significativos las excavaciones arqueológicas que se realizan en la meseta de Guiza en los restos del poblado de artesanos, del cementerio, los almacenes o las canteras.

El texto más antiguo que indica el modo de construirla proviene del historiador Heródoto, reflejando lo que le relataron los sacerdotes egipcios.

Heródoto, quien contempló la pirámide hacia el año 450 a. C., comentó que «su tiempo de construcción fue de veinte años», y que subían las piedras labradas, de grada en grada, mediante artefactos conformados de maderos cortos.

Durante el siglo proliferan las teorías de carácter «simbólico», pero con el paulatino avance de la arqueología y la egiptología, la mayoría han sido abandonadas, aunque algunas perduran transformadas en otras más acordes con las nuevas modas.

En el siglo surgen hipótesis como la del egiptólogo alemán Ludwig Borchardt, quien expuso en 1928 la teoría de utilización de grandes rampas, perpendiculares a la cara de la pirámide, como medio para construirla. A mediados del siglo , Goneim declaraba haber encontrado huellas de muros de contención de dichas rampas. Pero, otros estudiosos, como Dunham o Rösster, descartaron la teoría de las rampas, opinando que la propia pirámide sirvió de plataforma de trabajo, apoyando los relatos de los sacerdotes egipcios, transcritos por Heródoto.

El arquitecto francés Jean-Pierre Houdin expuso en abril de 2007 la teoría según la cual las piedras de la Gran Pirámide de Guiza fueron transportadas por una rampa exterior tradicional hasta una altura de 45 metros. Desde ahí los bloques eran subidos por otra rampa en espiral, montada en el interior de la propia pirámide. Según Houdin: «el túnel (sic) seguiría existiendo hoy en día.[12]​ y esta hipótesis podría dar veracidad a las narraciones de Heródoto y Plinio el Viejo reflejando relatos de cámaras subterráneas de la pirámide (sic),[13]​ siendo quizás la famosa Tumba-isla.[14]​».

El jefe del Consejo Superior de Antigüedades egipcio, Zahi Hawass, afirmó que sólo es una hipótesis más y que, por el momento, no concederá permiso de excavación en la Gran Pirámide.

Excavations on the Giza Plateau

Flinders Petrie, in his excavation campaigns in Giza, found remains of warehouses that were used to store large goods and to carry out various craft tasks. Saleh found remains of a waste dump. In 1988, remains of an official settlement were found, a royal storage and production complex, related to the construction of the pyramids of Giza, which has three paved streets of about one hundred meters and several large structures (about 35 m wide) that is being excavated by Mark Lehner.[15]​.

Due to its antiquity, magnitude and unique geometry, the Great Pyramid of Giza has dazzled many famous visitors. These are some of their testimonies:

Bernard of Breidenbach, in his book Journeys of Breyndeback of 1484, believed that they were the granaries built by the biblical Joseph.

Jean Palerme, brother of Henry III of France, in 1581 observed that the chest (sarcophagus), if hit, rings like a bell; and he took a piece, possibly the one from the damaged corner.[16]​.

John Greaves, 1638, professor at Oxford, author of the first scientific work on the pyramids, thought that it had been built by Cheops, as a tomb. Athanasius Kircher, in 1666, was the first to believe that obelisks and pyramids had a mystical and occult meaning. Gemelli Careri in 1693 suggested that, in addition to being a tomb, the Great Gallery had previously served as an astronomical observatory.[17]​.

Paul Lucas, a London doctor, in 1714 proposed that the pyramid was a large sundial that indicated the solstices. Thomas Shaw, in 1721, thought it was a temple of initiation into the mysteries of Osiris. Nathaniel Davison, 1763-65, discovered the first discharge chamber, which would later bear his name.[18]​.

Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798. He wanted to be left alone in the King's Chamber and when he emerged, shocked, when asked, he said he had nothing to comment. He always kept what happened a secret.[19] Thomas Yeates, an English theologian, wrote in 1833 that the Great Pyramid could be a copy of the Tower of Babel, erected shortly before. M. Fialin de Persingny, in 1845, stated that the purpose of the pyramids was to act as a barrier from the desert sands. Flinders Petrie, in his 1883 book The Pyramids and Temples of Giza, made a very complete measurement of the pyramids.[20]​.

The construction of the great pyramid and the supposed metric relationships it presents have been the subject of numerous hypotheses in recent times, generally without excessive scientific rigor. One of the best known—and put forward by the esoteric world—is the association of the original height of the pyramid as a fraction of the distance from the Earth to the Sun.[Note 3]​[21]​ This construction has been attributed to extraterrestrials, Atlanteans, Egyptians before Cheops or other unknown cultures or civilizations.

These theories have had an impact on the internet, in magazines, books and in the world of cinema, with films such as Stargate or 10,000 BC. C., where the construction is attributed to extraterrestrials or to an unknown civilization from 12,000 years ago, respectively.

• - Portal:Egyptology. Content related to Egyptology.

• - Ancient Egypt.

• - Seven wonders of the world.

Secondary sources

• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Great Pyramid of Giza.