Chapter 1
The physics of moving mountains
Chapter 2
The great ramp debate
Chapter 3
Aligning with the stars
Chapter 4
The water-powered elevator at Saqqara
Chapter 5
Pyramids around the world
Ch 2 · The great ramp debate
007skaty Grand Gallery Counterweight
Slide it down, slide it down, The counterweight lifts up the stone!
007skaty Modern calculations show why a mile-long, 7-degree mudbrick ramp to the Great Pyramid's 481-foot summit is physically impractical
BETA
007skaty Guide stone blocks through the hidden spiral to discover how the Great Pyramid was built.
Fun Fact
Internal pyramid ramps: Infrared camera scans of the Great Pyramid show temperature differences that might reveal the hidden internal ramps proposed by architect Jean-Pierre Houdin.
Glossary
ramp (noun)
A slope or inclined plane used to join two different levels. Architect Jean-Pierre Houdin proposed in 2006 that an internal ramp was used to build Khufu's monument.
A slope or inclined plane used to join two different levels. Architect Jean-Pierre Houdin proposed in 2006 that an internal ramp was used to build Khufu's monument.
Quiz
What scientific survey from the 1980s provided unexpected evidence of a spiral pattern of varying density inside the Great Pyramid?
Quiz
Who is the French architect who spent decades developing the theory of an internal spiral ramp inside the Great Pyramid?
Quiz
What major engineering problem does an exterior spiral ramp create for pyramid builders?
Quiz
At what approximate angle does the Grand Gallery slope downwards inside the Great Pyramid?
Quiz
What is the name of the soaring, steep corbelled passage inside the Great Pyramid that may have housed a counterweight system?
Quiz
What is the maximum slope angle that ancient workers could reasonably use to haul heavy stone blocks up a ramp?
Quiz
Why is a single, straight external ramp reaching the top of the Great Pyramid considered highly unlikely by modern engineers?