Pyramids of the Giza Plateau by Charles Rigano

Pyramids of the Giza Plateau by Charles Rigano

Author:Charles Rigano [Rigano, Charles]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Published: 2014-12-19T05:00:00+00:00


This small section “Barracks” top north-south wall is the “most distinct”. Other parts look like very low mounds.

In 1837, Vyse made preliminary cuts through some of the mounds thinking they might be burials for common people but found only stone and sand.8 Petrie was drawn to the site by what appeared to be lines of stone rubble and identified the sharp edges of walls. In a brief excavation he found the walls were built of rough limestone pieces imbedded in mud and covered with mud and lime.9 Petrie proposed that the galleries were barracks which could house 4,00010 people, possibly the permanent pyramid staff of masons.11 Based on location, the “Barracks” were presumed part of the Khafre’s complex, but a quick look at a map will show they are also close to Menkaure’s complex. Possibly they were employed during the building of both pyramids.

In barracks we would expect to find settlement debris such as ash, bones, charcoal, and fiber. Instead, Petrie found Old Kingdom pottery shards, alabaster and diorite statues fragments, pieces of quartzite, and a part of an unidentified statue head.12 In 1988 - 89, Zahi Hawass and Mark Lehner opened eleven “rooms” to sample the site. They found the rooms, which were about 9’ wide, 93’ long, and at minimum 11’10” high, filled with windblown sand. They found a large number of quartzite, diorite, basalt, and granite fragments; some minor statue pieces; and small flint tools. These findings reinforced the idea that the galleries were not barracks but may have served several functions including the storage of food, raw craft material, and items related to the royal cult. Additionally, the galleries and areas in front of them may have been used for sculpting and stone working.13



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