Certain elements of the famous Great Pyramid of Giza’s design may shine light on a construction method employed in ancient Egypt, the Daily Express reports citing Egyptologist Dr Chris Naunton.
According to the newspaper, Naunton suggested that the lowest of the three chambers located within the pyramid, which is believed to be unfinished, might’ve been "the intended final resting place of a mighty ruler."
"I suspect that, initially, the pyramid was going to be constructed with a subterranean chamber, but it was later decided to change the way things were done," he said. "They decided to have the burial chamber contained within the mass of the pyramid, rather than underground."
Noting how he first thought the chamber was unfinished was because it was "abandoned," possibly because the chamber’s purpose "disappeared when there was a change of plan," Naunton also provided another likely explanation, arguing that "the Egyptians were much more comfortable with not finishing things."
"We are rather more wedded to the idea that things have got to be completely, and perfectly, finished," he mused. "Egyptian monuments were under construction for a very long time and often what happened was you would get the king suddenly die – then it would be new king, a new project – and they would either dismantle it or build over it. Places like Giza, and particularly big temples, they would have been in a constant state of building. I suspect they were not as bothered by something not being finished."
He also suggested that there’s no need to assume that the pyramids’ builders had "any type of advanced technology," and that those feats of engineering were achieved "with a lot of people, some very sturdy ropes and a lot of heaving," along with "some clever devices" like sledges and ramps, not to mention the practice of wetting the sand in order to move stone blocks over it more easily.