When did they start building the pyramid of Cheops. Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) - interesting facts. The Great Pyramids of Giza: the main decoration of the complex

Pyramid of Cheops (Egypt) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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Probably, there is no person who would not know the main Egyptian attraction - the pyramid of Cheops. Yes, and tourists who have visited Egypt and not visited the only one of the surviving Seven Wonders of the World, except that they can be counted on the fingers.

Despite numerous studies, the Cheops pyramid keeps many secrets. The sarcophagus of the pharaoh has not yet been found.

The height of the largest pyramid in Egypt today is 140 meters, and the total area is more than 5 hectares. The Pyramid of Cheops is built - attention - from 2.5 million stone blocks! To deliver these blocks to the construction site, the ancient Egyptians had to overcome distances of hundreds of kilometers! It took 20 years to build the pyramid of Cheops.

Millennia have passed, but the pyramid is still highly revered in Egypt. Every year in August, the Egyptians celebrate the day the construction began.

True, historians have not found reliable information confirming this fact.

ascent

The entrance to the pyramid of Cheops, like all ancient Egyptian tombs, is located on the north side at a height of about 17 m. Inside the pyramid there are three burial chambers and a whole network of descending and ascending corridors leading to these rooms. For the convenience of tourists, multi-meter passages are equipped with wooden steps and railings. Lighting in the pyramid has been done, but it is better to take a flashlight with you.

Despite numerous studies and excavations, the pyramid of Cheops keeps many secrets. So, for example, it has not yet been possible to find a corridor leading to the chamber with the pharaoh's sarcophagus.

In the burial room of the ruler's wife, scientists discovered secret doors that supposedly symbolize the way to the afterlife. But the archaeologists could not open the last door...

Near the pyramid of Cheops, several disassembled boats were found. Now everyone can admire the assembled ships (by the way, it took the researchers almost 14 years to do this).

Practical Information

How to get there: by bus or taxi from Tahrir Square in Cairo (about 20 minutes on the way), from Hurghada (5-6 hours), from Sharm El Sheikh (7-8 hours).

Working hours: daily from 8:00 to 17:00, in winter - until 16:30.

Entrance: on the territory - 80 EGP (for adults), 40 EGP (for children); to the pyramid - 200 EGP (for adults), 100 EGP (for children).

31-03-2017, 22:01 |

The Pyramid of Cheops is the only one of the seven wonders of the world that has survived to this day. Weight 5 million tons, height 146 meters, age 4500 years. The construction of the pyramid of Cheops is still shrouded in great mystery. Many scientists and Egyptologists make a number of assumptions about how it was possible to build such a massive structure at that time.

With the help of modern technology, one of the French architects managed to reproduce a fairly accurate picture. In general, the pyramids are a beautiful and mysterious sight. The massive structures of the pyramid - they were built without special techniques, only by the hands of the ancient Egyptians. It's very strange, and that's why it's so interesting.

Construction of the ancient pyramids of Egypt

To clarify the whole picture, let's go back during the construction of the pyramids. it's a manifestation. They became the gates for all pharaohs from the world of the living to the eternal world of the dead. The most impressive of the pyramids, the Egyptians built in one century. Initially, stepped pyramids were built, for example, the pyramid of Djoser in Sakar is like this.

But the first pyramid with even edges was built by the pharaoh from the IV dynasty Snefr. He was the father of Cheops. The special lining of the pyramids made them the earthly incarnation of the sun. Over time, the true cladding was borrowed from us by the construction of temples and mosques. We can meet such facing only at the base of the pyramid of Cheops and at the top of the pyramid of Khafre.

The Pyramid of Khafre was the last great pyramid in the history of Egypt. Then, after a century of grandiose construction, the whole country entered a difficult time for itself. The time of strife, climate change also occurred, droughts began to occur very often. This led to the fact that in a troubled time of civil strife, the secrets of building a pyramid were lost.

Recently, archaeologists found a settlement, in their opinion, it was there that the builders of the pyramid lived. This led to many discoveries. It became clear to Egyptologists how it passed - they lived quite decently, had good housing and plenty of food, ate meat, bread, drank beer. As it turned out, the builders were not. Previously, this point of view dominated.

Interestingly, the pyramid of Cheops was the highest in the world until the end19th century Recall that its height was 146 meters. The burial chamber of the pyramid is lined with granite blocks weighing more than 60 tons. It's all very strange and mysterious. How were the pyramids built? The amazing height and granite blocks inside the pyramid of Cheops are two big secrets.

Pyramid of Cheops construction viewpoint

Many tried to uncover the secret of the construction of this. Herodotus in the 5th century BC the idea was put forward to use levers made of wood. Another idea about the existence of mounds to the top of the pyramid, or ramps outside in the form of a spiral. These hypotheses are very common in history lessons. However, none of them contains a clear evidence base. There are no arguments that would allow us to say with 100% probability that this or that hypothesis is correct.

One French archaeologist came up with the idea that the construction of the pyramids took place from the inside with the help of a spiral tunnel. Before that, he conducted a series of studies of all hypotheses, examined the drawings. Soon he built his assumption about how they built. First, he should have done a technical analysis of his assumption. That is, to develop a theory of how such construction was implemented in practice.

In order to prove this hypothesis, everything had to be calculated. It can be said for sure that the Egyptians did not build ring-shaped tunnels. But they definitely knew how to build structures at a right angle. So the idea of ​​​​building a ramp inside at an angle of 90 degrees came into development. If such a ramp existed, then it became possible to raise the blocks so high, even 146 meters.

Construction in detail of the pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops

So, the idea of ​​interior ramps. The slope of the ramps should not exceed 7%, otherwise it is simply unrealistic to raise the blocks high. At the corners, special open areas were created. They allowed to turn the blocks in the right direction and at the same time carried out ventilation of the tunnels. The ramp theory was good, but needed proof.

To verify all the calculations, it was necessary to enlist the support of prominent historians. The French architect began to look for interested Egyptologists. However, it was not possible to find those in France who would pay attention to his large-scale project. But one of the American Egyptologists responded to his proposal. Upon meeting, the American was struck by this theory.

Scientists go to find proof of their theory. It is worth noting that the pyramid of Cheops is an amazing sight. Tourists are allowed inside through a predatory passage. Exploring the pyramid from the inside, scientists tried to find at least some hints of an internal ramp. The joints between the blocks are amazing, they are just perfect, there are no gaps.

If you move through a narrow passage under the ceiling of the gallery, then it will lead to 5 layers of granite blocks. They form unloading strips above the king's chamber, it relieves the load from the ceiling of the lower chambers. Without this system, the pharaoh's chamber would have collapsed.

In addition, there is a special construction passage to the very top of the pyramid. It was there that scientists at the beginning of the XIX century. discovered the cartouche of Pharaoh Cheops. This is the main proof that this is the pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops.

By the way, if you are a tourist and want to get acquainted with the treasures of the pharaohs, then you need to go to the Cairo Museum. There are a million exhibits that will tell about the ancient civilization of Egypt. But only two exhibits are related to the pyramid of Cheops specifically - the statuette of Cheops made of ivory and the cedar sleigh. Lebanese cedar sled allows you to understand how the pyramid was built.

Stages of building a pyramid

During the reign of Cheops, not a single Egyptian had any idea what a wheel was. Stone blocks were transported on cedar skids. But, nevertheless, in terms of the level of technology, the Egyptians achieved great success. The genius of the pyramid builders still fascinates Egyptologists.

According to the theory of the French architect, there were two ramps. The first straight line goes from the base of the pyramid outside. It allows you to build the base of the pyramid and even more than half of the structure itself, while also building the pharaoh's gallery. Then a second ramp was built, which was already located inside the pyramid. According to the theory, after the construction of 43 meters of the pyramid, blocks for the king's chamber were raised to its surface. Then the outer ramp was dismantled and a second inner ramp was built from these materials.

To prove this theory, you need to find the remains of a ramp inside. Not far from Cheops, a temple of the Sun was built, it was built 100 years later. Interestingly, there is a passage inside that looks like an internal ramp. The temple itself would have been destroyed at the end of the 19th century, but there is a drawing of it. This is direct evidence that the Egyptians knew how to build such passages. Thus, there is a high probability that the same ramp was built in the pyramid of Cheops.

Pyramid of Cheops and construction features

In order for the shape to be ideal, according to the scientist, the outer blocks were first laid. Accordingly, the internal blocks were laid later. This sequence made it possible to visually control the surface and the angle of inclination of the building under construction. There is a broken pyramid in Dashur, its facing has been preserved. The thickness of the outer cladding blocks is much greater than that of the inner blocks. This also speaks in favor of the fact that the external polished blocks were installed first, and then the internal ones.

So, the outer polished blocks were laid, then another layer of blocks horizontally, and the rest of the space was filled with rough blocks as a filler. With this order of construction, it really could have been erected within 20 years. Such a date is indicated in the texts of the ancient Egyptians.

On the pyramid of Cheops, whitish lines are visible from the outside, it can be assumed that this is the ramp. Their latitude and slope correspond exactly to the figures in this theory. For accurate data, the pyramid needs to be scanned, and if there are fluctuations in density, then this will be the main evidence for the existence of the ramp. After research, fluctuations were found. The vibrations formed the shape of a spiral. Such results were given by microgramimetric research.

According to the microgramimetric study, the voids in the density of the pyramid formed a spiral shape. According to the data obtained, voids occupied 15% of the entire density of the Cheops pyramid. There is a notch on the northeastern edge of the pyramid; according to calculations, it runs right in the area of ​​​​the ramp. Maybe there was a building site where the Egyptians were unrolling the blocks. But it is difficult to explore this area, since after accidents it is forbidden to climb the pyramid.

The Pyramid of Cheops

But the authorities went to a meeting, and the Egyptologist, together with an assistant, climbed to look at the notch closer. However, no hint of a ramp could be found. But studies have proven for sure that there is a spiral cavity inside. Only here is another mystery - this is how the blocks for the king's chamber were raised. After all, only small blocks can be lifted along the inner ramp, but how the rest were delivered ... This is also a question-mystery for now. If you build a pyramid, then the outer ramp will not help deliver a block of 60 tons to the top. This requires 600 people who would work synchronously. And this is practically impossible.

Thus, the assumption of an internal ramp in the form of a spiral is viable, moreover, this version is more suitable than others for the construction of the pyramids. But there are some nuances that are still difficult to explain. It may well remain a mystery for many years to come.

Construction of the pyramid of Cheops video

The world-famous Egyptian pyramid of Cheops inside is like a “Russian nesting doll” and consists of three pyramids of three pharaohs. The veil of mystery is lifted over one of the seven wonders of the world. Every creation of human hands has a meaning.

“Everything that arises must have some reason for its occurrence, for it is absolutely impossible to arise without a cause.” So said the ancient Greek philosopher and sage Plato in the 4th century BC. e. in his book Timaeus.

All mysteries are overcome by knowledge. Knowledge can be acquired or created. As a “tool for creation”, let's take our common sense, the logic of thinking and the knowledge of ancient people who used the ideas about the world at that distant time.

“What is comprehended with the help of reflection and reasoning is obvious, and there is an eternally identical being; but what is subject to opinion ... arises and perishes, but never really exists. (IV century BC, Plato, "Timaeus").

Russian nesting doll

What does it say that the pyramid of Cheops is a kind of “Russian nesting doll”, containing two more pyramids inside, one inside the other? To confirm the conclusion about the trinity of the pyramid of Cheops, let's start with the facts and consider the scheme of the pyramid in section.

Firstly, there are three burial chambers in the pyramid of Cheops. Three! From this fact it follows that the pyramid at different times had three owners (three pharaohs). And each had its own separate burial chamber. After all, few of the living people come up with the idea of ​​​​preparing a tomb for themselves in three “copies”. In addition (as can be seen from the size of the pyramids), their construction is quite laborious for our time. Besides? archaeologists have already established that the pharaohs built pyramids-tombs for their wives separately and much smaller.

Egyptian historians have established that long before the construction of the pyramids in ancient Egypt in the 4th millennium BC. and earlier pharaohs were buried in structures called mastabas. Below in the picture is the appearance of the ancient crypt (mastaba) of Shepseskaf in Saqqara. It consists of underground and ground parts.

The pharaoh's mummy was located deep underground in an underground hall. In the ground part there was a prayer room with a statue of the pharaoh. In this statue after death (according to the ancient Egyptian priests) the soul of the deceased pharaoh moved. The halls in the mastaba above ground could be interconnected (or isolated from each other). Above these underground halls, a low, trapezoid, truncated pyramid was built from stone blocks.

Under the pyramid of Cheops there is an underground passage (4) at the end of which is a vast unfinished underground hall (5). From the hall there is also an exit (12) upward, which was made according to the theory of burial for the passage of the soul of the pharaoh to the above-ground part of the mastaba.

According to the plan of the section of the pyramid of Cheops, it can be concluded that if there is an underground hall (5) and there is a passage upward from it (12), then the upper prayer room of the mastaba should be in the center and slightly lower than the middle burial chamber (7). Unless, of course, by the beginning of the construction of his pyramid over the mastaba by the second pharaoh, these premises were not littered with stone, destroyed and survived to this day.

This conclusion (about the presence of internal mastaba halls in the center of the Cheops pyramid) is confirmed by the observations of French researchers - Gilles Dormayon and Jean-Yves Verdhart. In August 2004, while examining the floor in the middle burial chamber (7) with sensitive gravitational instruments, they discovered an unknown void below the floor at a depth of about four meters of impressive size, about the purpose of which at that time they had no versions.

According to the plan of the pyramid section, a narrow inclined almost vertical shaft (12) goes up from the underground burial pit (5). This passage should be connected to the above-ground prayer room of the mastaba. At the exit from the mine, at ground level under the base of the pyramid, there is a small grotto (expansion up to 5 meters in length). Apparently, in ancient times, when digging this grotto, they were already looking for a passage to the inner halls of the mastaba. It has been established that its walls consist of more ancient masonry that does not belong to the pyramid of Cheops. The passage ascending from the underground hall and the ancient masonry are nothing but the property of the first mastaba. From the expansion in the shaft (12) to the center of the pyramid, there should be a passage to the ground halls of the mastaba. This passage was most likely walled up by the builders of the second inner pyramid.

In appearance and according to archaeologists, the underground burial chamber (5) remained unfinished. In what condition are the prayer rooms in the upper above-ground part of the mastaba (which is the first of three in the pyramid of Cheops) and it remains to be seen by opening a passage in them.

The height of the first internal truncated pyramid (mastaba) according to the scheme of the section of the pyramid should be no more than 15 meters.

The presence of an unfinished burial structure (mastaba), located in the most advantageous place (on top of a stone plateau in the town of Giza), served as an excuse for the second (before Cheops) unknown pharaoh to use this mastaba to build his pyramid over it.

In favor of the fact that the plateau in Giza was previously "settled" by ancient mastabas, the fact of the presence of the "Sphinx" there also speaks. The purpose of the Sphinx is to have a tomb (mastaba) in the form of a sculpture of a lion. The age of the "Sphinx" (the deity in which, according to the theory, the soul of the pharaoh should move) is estimated much older than the pyramids (about 5 - 10 thousand years).

In Egypt, by the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC, the Egyptian priests had a new worldview about the place of residence of the soul after death.

In this regard, the burials of the pharaohs in mastabas were replaced by more majestic structures - stepped pyramids, and later to "smooth" hewn pyramids. According to the ideas of the priests, after death, the soul of a person flew to life on the stars related to their souls. “The one who lives the time measured out to him properly will return to the abode of the star of his name.” Plato, Timaeus.

The burial chamber (7) belonging to the second inner pyramid (on the plan of the cross section) is located above the prayer part of the first mastaba. The corridor ascending to it (6) is laid along the wall of the mastaba, and the horizontal corridor (8) along its roof. Thus, these two corridors to the chamber (7) show the approximate overall dimensions of the first ancient internal truncated trapezoidal mastaba pyramid.

Second and third pyramids

This can be judged by the length of the two outgoing from the chamber (7) in opposite directions, the so-called (in modern terms) "ventilation ducts". These channels (one to the north and the other to the south) in a section of 20 by 25 cm, approximately 10-12 meters do not reach the border of the outer walls of the third pyramid.

The modern name of the channels "air ducts", of course, is incorrect. The deceased pharaoh did not need ventilation ducts. The canals had a completely different purpose. Channels - a path that points to the sky, oriented with great accuracy (up to a degree) to the stars, where, according to the ideas of the ancient Egyptians, the soul of the pharaoh will settle after death.

The northern channel was oriented to the star "Kokhab" in the constellation "Ursa Minor". At that time, due to the precession (shift of the Earth's axis), "Kochab" was the "Polar Star", around which the sky revolved. It was assumed that after death the pharaoh becomes one of the stars in her environment in the northern part of the sky.

The southern channel was aimed at the star "Sirius". In Egyptian mythology, "Sirius" was associated with the name of the goddess Sopdet (protector and patroness of all the dead).

At the time when the second pyramid was built, both channels from the burial room (7) reached the edge of the outer walls and were open to the sky. The burial chamber of the second inner pyramid of the pharaoh may also have been unfinished (judging by the lack of its interior design).

It is possible that the top of the second pyramid was not completed to the end (for example, there was a war, the pharaoh was killed, died prematurely from illness, an accident, etc.). But, in any case, the second pyramid was erected no lower than the height of the channels ("air ducts") emanating from the burial chamber (7) to the outer walls.

The second inner pyramid reveals itself not only with tightly closed channels and its own separate burial chamber, but most of all it is revealed to the outside by the bricked-up central entrance (1) to the pyramid of Cheops.

Obviously, it immediately catches the eye that the entrance, tightly walled up with huge granite blocks, is buried in the body of the third pyramid (approximately the same 10-12 meters as the channels from the second burial chamber).

During the construction of the third pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops, there was no point in lengthening this external entrance to the second pyramid. Therefore, after an increase along the perimeter of the walls at the third pyramid, the entrance turned out to be “drowned” inside.

The entrance gates of all buildings are always made out of several structures, and not buried in the depths of the structure. Approximately the same entrance, but taken out, is also at the pyramid of Khafre.

Cheops - the third owner of the pyramid

Archaeologists and historians, according to the decoding of hieroglyphs, found that the pyramid of Cheops was built not by slaves (as was previously thought), but by civilian builders, who, of course, had to be well paid for hard work. And since the volume of construction was huge, it was more profitable for Cheops to take an unfinished pyramid than to build a new one from scratch. The favorable location of the unfinished second pyramid, which was located at the very top of the plateau, also mattered.

Cheops began the construction of the third pyramid by dismantling the central part of the second pyramid. In the resulting "crater" at a height of about 40 meters from the ground, an antechamber (11) and a third burial chamber of the pharaoh (10) were built. The passage to the third burial chamber only needed to be extended. The ascending tunnel (6) was continued in the form of a large 8-meter high cone-shaped gallery (9).

The cone-shaped form of the gallery is not similar to the initial part of the ascending narrow passage. This indicates that the tunnel was not made at the same time and according to different external conditions.

After the third pyramid of Cheops was expanded on the sides, adding 10-12 meters on each side, the outgoing channels at the second pyramid from the chamber (7) turned out to be closed, respectively.

If the burial chamber (7) turned out to be empty, then the builders of the third pyramid had no reason to lengthen the old channels. From the outside, the channels were laid with new rows of wall blocks of the third pyramid, and from the inside, in the chamber (7), the outgoing channels were also walled up. In the burial chamber (7), the walled canals were discovered by treasure hunters (researchers) when they tapped the walls only in 1872.

In September 2010, English and German researchers launched a caterpillar robot into one of the narrow “air ducts” from the second burial chamber (7). Having risen to the end, he rested against a limestone slab 13 cm thick, drilled through it, inserted a video camera into the hole, and on the other side of the slab at a distance of 18 cm, the robot saw another stone barrier. Resting on a dead end, the search for scientists ended in nothing. The stone barrier is nothing but the blocks of the third pyramid.

The builders of the third pyramid of Cheops from the third burial chamber of the pharaoh laid new channels (10) for the "flight of the soul" to the stars.

If you carefully look at the section of the pyramid, then two pairs of channels (to the north and south) from the second and third chambers are not parallel! This is one of the "keys" to unraveling the mystery of the pyramid of Cheops.

The channels of the upper third chamber relative to the channels of the second chamber are rotated clockwise by 5 degrees. The northern pair of channels has inclinations of 32° and 37° (5° difference). The southern pair of channels, oriented towards the star Sirius, has inclinations of 45° and 39° (a difference of 6°). Here, an increase of 1 degree can be attributed to the own movement of the planet "Sirius" in its orbit. The discrepancy in the angles of inclination of the channels by 5 degrees is not accidental. Egyptian priests and builders very accurately recorded the position of the stars in the sky and clearly laid the direction of the channels to the stars (with an accuracy of minutes and seconds).

Then what's the matter

And the point here is that the axis of rotation of the Earth every 72 years is shifted by 1 degree, and every 25,920 years the axis of the Earth, rotating at an angle, like a "spinning top", makes a full circle of 360 degrees. This astronomical phenomenon is called precession. Plato called the total time of rotation of the Earth's axis in 25,920 years - "The Great Year".

When the Earth's axis shifts by 1 degree in 72 years, the angle of view towards all the stars (including the Sun) also changes by 1 degree. If the displacement of each pair of channels differs by 5 degrees, then it can be easily calculated that between the construction of the second pyramid (of an unknown pharaoh) and the third pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops, the difference is 5 x 72 = 360 years.

Egyptian historians say that Pharaoh Cheops (another pronunciation is Khufu) ruled in 2540-2560 BC. Counting "degree" years ago, we can say exactly when the second inner pyramid was built. Thus, the second pyramid was built in 2800-2820 BC.

In the pyramid of Cheops, in the only place under the ceiling (on powerful vaulted granite slabs like a roof over the third burial chamber) there is a nominal hieroglyph made by the workers who left their mark: "Builders, friends of Pharaoh Khufu." No other mention of the name of Cheops (Khufu) or the belonging of other pharaohs to the pyramid has yet been found.

Most likely, the third pyramid of Cheops was completed and used for its intended purpose. Otherwise, the pyramid of Cheops would not have been “sealed”. That is, a cork from several granite cubes would not be lowered into the ascending passage (6) from above and from the inside along an inclined plane. With these stone cubes, the pyramid was tightly closed for everyone for more than three thousand years (until 820 AD).

The ancient Egyptian name of the pyramid of Cheops is read in hieroglyphs as - "Horizon of Khufu". The name is literal. The angle of inclination of the side face of the pyramid is 51° 50'. This is the angle at which the Sun rose exactly at noon on the days of the autumn-spring equinox. The sun at noon, like a golden "crown", crowned the pyramid. Throughout the year, the Sun (the ancient Egyptian God - Ra) walks in the sky in the summer above, in the winter below (just like the pharaoh in his possessions) and always the Sun (pharaoh) returns to his "home". Therefore, the angle of inclination of the walls of the pyramid indicates the path to the house of the “God of the Sun”, to the “house of the pyramid” of Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops) - “the son of the God of the Sun”.

The sides of the walls are arranged at the angle of view of the Sun, not only in this pyramid. In the pyramid of Khafre, the angle of inclination of the sides of the walls is slightly more than 52-53 degrees (it is known that it was built later). In the pyramid of Menkaure, the slope of the faces is 51 ° 20′25 ″ (less than that of Cheops). Until now, historians did not know whether it was built earlier than the pyramid of Cheops or later. Now, given the open "degree time" of the Earth's precession, the smaller angle of inclination of the walls indicates that the Mycerinus pyramid was built not later, but earlier. In relation to the "degree age scale", the difference in the slope of the walls in 30 minutes corresponds to 36 years. In later Egyptian pyramids, for example, the pyramid of Pharaoh Khafre, respectively, the slope of the faces should be greater.

In Sudan (see the picture) there are many pyramids, the angle of inclination of the faces of which is much steeper. Sudan is south of Egypt and the Sun on the day of the spring-autumn equinox is higher above the horizon there. This explains the great steepness of the walls of the Sudanese pyramids.

In 820 AD Caliph Abu Jafar al-Mamun of Baghdad, in search of countless treasures of the pharaoh at the base of the pyramid of Cheops, made a horizontal gap (2), which is currently used by tourists to enter the pyramid. The break was broken through to the beginning of the ascending corridor (6), where they ran into granite cubes, which went around to the right and thus penetrated the pyramid. But, according to historians, they did not find anything but “dust in half a palm” inside. If there was anything of value in the pyramid, then the caliph's servants took it. And what was left, everything was taken out for the subsequent time - 1200 years.

Judging by the appearance of the gallery (9), 28 pairs of ritual statues stood along its walls in rectangular recesses. However, the exact purpose of the recesses is not known. Two facts speak about the fact that there were statues. The first - the eight-meter height of the gallery made it possible to install statues. The second - on the walls there were large round peeling imprints from the solution with which the statues were attached to the walls.

I will disappoint those who were determined to find “miracles” in the construction of the Egyptian pyramids.

More than a hundred pyramids have been discovered in Egypt today, and they are all different from each other. The pyramids have different angles of inclination of the faces oriented to the Sun (because they were built at different times), there is a pyramid with a “broken side” at a double angle, there are stone and brick pyramids, smoothly lined and stepped, there are with a base that is not square, but rectangular shape, for example, Pharaoh Djoser.

There is no unity even among the neighboring pyramids in Giza. The Pyramid of Menkaure (the smallest of the three) at the base is not oriented strictly to the cardinal points. The exact orientation of the sides is not given importance. In the main pyramid of Cheops, the third (topmost) burial chamber is located not in the geometric center of the pyramid and not even on the axis of the pyramid. In the pyramids of Khafre and Mykerin, the burial chambers are also not in the center. If the pyramids had some kind of secret secret, law or knowledge, the "golden section" and so on, then all the pyramids would have uniformity. But there is nothing like that in the pyramids. Below in the pictures are Egyptian pyramids of various shapes.

Former Minister of Archeology of Egypt and current chief expert on ancient Egyptian pyramids Zahi Hawass says: “Like any practitioner, I decided to check the statement that food does not spoil in the pyramid. Divided a kilo of meat in half. I left one part in the office, and the other in the pyramid of Cheops. The part in the pyramid deteriorated even faster than in the office.”

What else can you look for in the pyramid of Cheops

Perhaps you can find the above-ground prayer room of the first pyramid - the mastaba. It would be worth drilling down several holes in the floor of the second (7) burial chamber until an internal cavity is found at the bottom.

Then from the grotto (12) find a walled passage to the halls (or lay it). For the pyramid, this will not have any damage, since there was originally a connecting entrance from the underground burial chamber to the mastaba's aboveground room. And you just have to find it. After the discovery of the interior of the mastaba, perhaps it will become known about the pharaoh - the owner of the first truncated trapezoidal mastaba pyramid.

Of great interest on the plateau in Giza is the mastaba-Sphinx. The stone body of the ancient Sphinx, located from west to east. Funeral burials were also made from west to east. Presumably, the Sphinx is an integral part of the elevated structure (mastaba) - the tomb of an unknown pharaoh.

Searches in this direction would expand the boundaries of knowledge of the history of ancient Egypt. It is possible that even an earlier civilization, for example, the Atlanteans, whom the Egyptians deified, considering them to be progenitors, and referred to their ancient ancestors, as to the predecessor gods.

An identification study by American criminologists concluded that the face of the Sphinx does not look like the faces of the statues of the Egyptian pharaohs, but has distinct Negroid features. That is, the ancient ancestors of the Egyptians, including the legendary Atlanteans, had Negroid facial features and African origin.

It should be noted here that the Egyptian legend about the ancestors of the Atlanteans is indirect evidence of proximity to Egypt.

Probably, the burial chamber and the mummy of the ancient pharaoh of Negro origin is under the front paws of the Sphinx, as the American psychic Edgar Cayce said about this. In this case, there should be a passage upward from the underground hall - the path for the resettlement of the “soul” of the pharaoh and subsequent life in the body of the Sphinx statue (according to the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians).

The Sphinx is a lion (a symbol of royal power) with a human head and the face of a pharaoh. It is possible that the face of the discovered mummy of the pharaoh (after plastic restoration) will turn out to be like “two drops of water” similar to the face of the Sphinx.

By analogy with the construction (of the later pyramids over the early ones), we can say that many other Egyptian pyramids had more than one owner. In this regard, confusion is revealed with the time of the life of the pharaohs and the time of the construction of their pyramids.

For example, Pharaoh Menkaure ruled later than Cheops, but his pyramid, according to the angle of the walls, in accordance with the calculations for the “years of precession”, was started 36 years earlier than the pyramid of Cheops. How can this be? The answer to this question is that the pyramid began to be built earlier (before Mykerin), but it was completed later, when the angle of inclination of the lower walls that had been started could no longer be changed.

On one of the side walls of the Menkaure pyramid there is a large vertical gap. Getting to the treasures of the pharaoh in the burial chamber inside the pyramid, the robbers dismantled part of the wall from top to bottom. In the thus formed "vertical section" of the section of the inner blocks of the pyramid, the following was revealed - with a certain, clearly defined boundary, the upper blocks were not stacked tightly and not as neatly as the lower ones. This confirms that the pyramid was being completed and that later builders did not carefully monitor the quality of laying the internal blocks.

At the same time, judging by the two underground halls under the pyramid of Menkaure (which belong to the tombs of the pharaohs during the construction of the mastabas), the funerary structure was begun many centuries earlier. Such a confusion of times suggests that inside the pyramid of Menkaure, as well as in the pyramid of Cheops, there should have been ground-based prayer rooms of the original mastaba belonging to the more ancient burial of the pharaoh. And in the body of the pyramid there should also be a chamber-tomb of the later burial of Pharaoh Mykerin.

The "curtain" of the centuries-old mystery over the secret of the Egyptian pyramid of Cheops is lifted. It remains to enter the open door.
This requires permission from the Egyptian authorities, which they give to research scientists with great reluctance.
The secret loses its attractive power when it is revealed.

But, despite this, the interest of tourists in the majestic buildings of the ancient world, which have survived to this day, does not disappear.

How the pyramid of Cheops was built

Another confirmation of the trinity of the pyramid of Cheops. In 2009, French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin, and later with the support of Egyptologist Bob Brier of the American University of Long Island, observed how roads were built in the mountains, put forward a similar erroneous assumption. about the construction technology of the Egyptian pyramid of Cheops. The fact that stone blocks were dragged to the pyramid, around its walls along inclined ramps and corridors, as if along a serpentine mountain road. This is a long and laborious journey. Following this, Jean-Pierre Houdin began to look for evidence for his hypothesis.

In support of his assumption, he accepted the research of a group of engineers from the French Academy of Sciences, who in 1986 scanned the interior of the Cheops pyramid for several months in order to find hidden cavities inside it. French researchers found wide bands around the perimeter of the pyramid at different heights with a lower, by about 15%, density (see above the picture of the Cheops pyramid gravimetry). Areas with a density of 1.85 to 2.3 tons per 1 cubic meter are highlighted in different colors.

The French scientists could not explain why there are rarefied bands along the walls of the pyramid, and therefore the results of the study in the subsequent scientific world did not receive any discussion.

In June 2012, engineer Vladimir Garmatyuk uncovered the “secret” of the Cheops pyramid in Russia. Obvious evidence is given that the pyramid, like a kind of "Russian matryoshka" inside, consists of three pyramids of three pharaohs of different times. When it became known that inside the pyramid of Cheops (the third from the beginning of construction) there is an older (360 years earlier) second pyramid (see the picture - a recessed entrance to the second closed pyramid).

And there is an even more ancient first truncated pyramid (a mastaba that reveals itself in the underground hall under the pyramid and other signs), then the strips of material with a lower density inside the pyramid of Cheops found their explanation. The stripes show and confirm the separation of the bodies of the second and third pyramids.

How and how to explain it

The outer layer of the pyramid for the strength of the structure was laid out from hewn tightly packed blocks. Hence the high density of the outer layer of the walls. Whereas the inner rows of the pyramids consist of roughly fitted unhewn blocks. Therefore, the density of the inner rows of the pyramid is less.

See, for example, the picture below - the "insides" of the pyramid of Pepi II from South Saqqara. Outside the pyramid are tightly packed hewn blocks, and inside are ordinary stones mined from a horizontal cleavage of layered limestone deposits.

It is possible that the same thing happened inside the pyramid of Cheops (of course, not in the central part, where the burial chambers of the pharaohs are located) as a filler of the volume, a mound of stones, rubble and sand, delivered to the pyramid in baskets, was used. After all, this significantly reduced the cost and accelerated the construction of the pyramids. A mound of stones easily explains the same vast spaces rarefied in density that were discovered in 2017 by French and Japanese physicists when studying the interior of the pyramid with muon telescopes.

With an accurate measurement of the plane of the side faces of the pyramid of Cheops, it is noticeable that they have some concavity inward (to a depth of one meter). Indeed, for 4.5 thousand years since the construction of the pyramid, there have been many earthquakes, which over and over again gradually shook its contents. And because of this, the walls (since there is loose material inside the pyramid), due to their lower density, somewhat fell inward.

According to the gravimetry of the pyramid of Cheops (white) stripes along the perimeter of the walls of the second pyramid have a density of 1.85-2.05 tons per cubic meter. This just says that there is a mound of stone.

The third (outer visible today) pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops increased the second (inner) pyramid on the sides and in height by 10-12 meters. The inner unhewn blocks of the third pyramid are laid along the dense, hewn outer walls of the second pyramid. Therefore, French researchers of gravimetry in 1986 recorded a difference in the density of the material inside the pyramid, it is this (density difference) that creates the appearance of a "serpentine". This circumstance was noted by French researchers, but they could not explain.

Other arguments by Jean-Per Houdin and Bob Bryer, given in support of the assumption of the "serpentine" construction of the pyramid, each separately has its own explanation. Researchers in 2009 did not yet know that the Cheops pyramid consists of three different pyramids. For example, longitudinal stripes of stone blocks of the same color on the faces of the pyramid of Cheops, interpreted by them as “dusty roads” from transporting blocks, are explained by the uniform color of the stones mined in the quarry from one layer of rock.

The third pyramid was built up with stone blocks evenly in height and perimeter on the walls of the second pyramid, like “cream on a cake”. The stone was mined in one place, and therefore there is a similarity of blocks in color. In what order the stone blocks were mined, in such a sequence they were laid into the walls. When they took the blocks in another place, their color was somewhat different.

Or their other argument is a small pothole-depression on the edge near the top of the pyramid, which they called the transport corridor. The pothole may have been made after the pyramid was built, for example, as an unsuccessful attempt to get inside. Or the pothole could be made like:

• the guardhouse of the guards for giving a signal,

as a guard post for religious, ascetic, cult or other purposes.

The fact that the Cheops pyramid consists of three different pyramids, separated by hundreds of years of construction time, means that it was built by more than one generation of people, and there was no such great construction “in one breath”.

This significantly alleviates the troublesome problem of the complexity of building a pyramid, but does not cancel and does not in any way reduce the grandeur of the undoubtedly greatest building of the ancient Egyptian civilization in the history of mankind.

Why did the ancient Egyptians build pyramids, how were these grandiose and mysterious creations of human hands created. Many mysteries have not yet been revealed, and there are more questions than answers. Perhaps the rulers of those times wanted to emphasize the majesty of the era, to confirm the constancy of their power, to show proximity to the gods.

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First buildings

From the end of the 4th millennium BC. pharaohs were buried in truncated structures - medium-sized stone buildings (mastabs), for fastening which a solution of clay was used. Today, such structures look like shapeless piles of stones that do not carry any architectural value.

The history of the pyramids - the most unusual buildings of ancient Egypt - began in 2780-2760 BC, during the reign of Pharaoh Djoser, who completely changed the architectural style of the tombs. His new tomb consisted of as many as 6 mastabas erected on top of each other. The narrowest was at the top, the widest at the bottom. Such a building was a stepped building. Its height was just over 60 meters, and the perimeter was 115 by 125 meters.

The construction of the pyramids in ancient Egypt was carried out in a special architectural style that reigned for two hundred years. Its developer and designer was the famous vizier Imhotep. They built pyramids in a different form. For example, the period of the reign of Pharaoh Snefru was marked by the creation of two unique pyramids of ancient Egypt - broken and pink:

1. At the first, the angle of inclination of the walls from the base of the building to its middle is 54° 31', and then it changes to 43° 21'. There are many versions explaining such a strange form of construction. The main one is that the death of the pharaoh was sudden, so the workers made the slope steeper to speed up the construction process. There are other opinions on this matter. For example, that it was a trial version created for the sake of "experiment".
2. The second got its name due to the color of the blocks that were used for construction. The stone was a pale pink hue, and at sunset it turned bright pink. Initially, the outer cladding was white, but over time, the coating gradually peeled off, and pink limestone, the material from which the structure was laid out, came out.

But still, the most famous are those structures that proudly rise on the Giza plateau. These three majestic pyramids of impressive size are famous all over the world.

The largest pyramid

Its other name is the Pyramid of Khufu. This is one of the most famous and largest buildings in the world. Let's make a brief description of it. When was the pyramid of Cheops built? It was erected near the city of Giza (at the moment - a suburb of Cairo). The largest pyramid began to be built on August 23, 2480 BC. For its construction, the forces of 100 thousand people were used. The first 10 years were required in order to build a road along which giant blocks of stones were delivered. It took another 20 years to build the structure itself.

Attention! The Pyramid of Cheops is striking in its scale. Today, its height is 137 meters, but this was not always the case, because over time the cladding was worn out and part of the base was covered with sand. Initially, it was 10 meters higher.

147 meters is the length of the side of the base, made in the form of a square. According to studies, more than 2 million limestone blocks were used for construction, the average weight of one of them is 2.5 tons. Each block fits perfectly to the next one and is raised to a certain height. The entrance can be found on the north side of the building, at a height of just over 15 meters. Stone slabs resembling an arch are laid out around.

It is still unknown how exactly the Egyptians managed to cope not only with the lifting of the blocks, but also with their perfect fit to each other. There are no gaps between blocks. Some are sure that they were not engaged in raising the blocks - they just crushed the limestone, brought it to a powdery state, and then removed the moisture, and so it turned into cement, which was poured into pre-created formwork. After that, water, crushed stone and stone were added - in this way monolithic blocks arose.

The stepped structure served several purposes: it was used as a sundial, a seasonal calendar, and a reference point for geodetic measurements.

Little is known about who built the largest Egyptian pyramid. The architect was the vizier of the pharaoh named Cheops Hemiun. He was engaged in design, was the head of the work, but he did not have time to see his offspring, as he died shortly before the completion of construction.

Attention! Today there is no exact information that the tomb of Cheops is located inside. However, it is believed that such buildings were part of ritual burial complexes.

Chamber inside Khufu's pyramid

Inside there are three chambers: the upper one is the royal burial chamber and is lined with granite blocks, each one weighs 60 tons. This chamber is located at a height of 43 meters from the base. There is also an ascending corridor and the queen's chambers. In the burial pit at the beginning of the 20th century, two engineers dug a well, where, in their opinion, a hidden burial chamber should have been located.

However, their efforts were in vain: it later turned out that the construction of the chamber was not completed. Instead, the burial chambers were arranged in the center, they are located one above the other.

More recently, using muon radiography technology, it was possible to find a room that was not known before.. It was calculated that its length is 30 meters, and its width is 2 meters, it is located right in the center of the building. Scientists are trying to drill a small 3-centimeter hole in order to launch a mini-robot inside and explore the room they found, since it is still unknown what is in it and for what purposes it serves.

Today, there is almost nothing left of the cladding - the inhabitants of Cairo decided that it would be “more necessary” for the construction of their houses, and they took it to their homes. However, there are remains of white limestone on the nearby Pyramid of Khafre, which is somewhat smaller.

Second largest building

Its height is 143.5 meters. If you believe the legends, then it was crowned with a granite pyramidion, decorated with gold. There is no data on why what is no longer there, and where it is now. Khafre spent 40 years building a tomb for himself. It was built using the same technology as the previous one, but it is located on a higher hill, and its slope is steeper, which makes the structure impregnable and difficult even for professional climbers. At the moment, climbing to the top is prohibited in order to preserve the remains of the old cladding.

The protective material granite was used inside and outside the pyramid, but it was not used in the burial chamber. At the moment, the condition of the building is assessed as good, despite the fact that its size has slightly decreased. The blocks, made of limestone and weighing a couple of tons each, are attached to each other so tightly that not a piece of paper or even a hair can be inserted between them.

The youngest of the three, the height is 62 meters. At the same time, in some pictures, tourists manage to choose the angle so that it looks the highest. The ancient building has been preserved in good condition and is open to the public. Starting from this building, large tombs were no longer erected. Scientists believe that by that time the decline of the era of great buildings began.

Attention! An interesting feature of the Menkaure pyramid is that the largest stone block in it weighs at least 200 tons.

Other architectural elements

Later, the pharaohs stopped creating grandiose structures. Thus, Pharaoh Userkaf ordered the construction of a building in Saqqara, the height of which is 44.5 meters. At the moment, it looks like a pile of stones that has nothing to do with an architectural structure. The same goes for the rest of the buildings. In total, about 100 pyramids were erected in Egypt. Their appearance is the same - only the height and volume change.

Great sphinx

A monolithic limestone rock was used to make this famous sculpture. The Great Sphinx is considered one of the elements of the architectural complex in Giza. The length of the sphinx is 73 meters, and it “stretched” up to 20 meters in height. For all the time of its existence, the sculpture turned out to be almost completely covered with sand. It was cleared only in 1925 - then they learned about the actual dimensions of the architectural object.

Output

Some believe that the multi-stage pyramids in ancient Egypt were born as a result of the actions of a mysterious and powerful civilization or alien beings. Different concepts of how the ancient Egyptians built their structures are attractive and more than once formed the basis of works of literature and cinema.

, vizier and nephew of Cheops. He also bore the title "Manager of all construction sites of the pharaoh." For more than three thousand years (until the construction of the cathedral in Lincoln, England, about 1300), the pyramid was the tallest building on Earth.

It is assumed that the construction, which lasted twenty years, ended around 2540 BC. e. The existing methods of dating the time of the beginning of the construction of the pyramid are divided into historical, astronomical and radiocarbon. In Egypt, the date of the start of the construction of the Cheops pyramid is officially established and celebrated - August 23, 2560 BC. e. This date was obtained using the astronomical method of Kate Spence (University of Cambridge). However, this date should not be considered a true historical event, since her method and the dates obtained with its help have been criticized by many Egyptologists. The existing three other dating methods give different dates - Stephen Hack (University of Nebraska) 2720 BC. e., Juana Antonio Belmonte (University of Astrophysics in Canaris) 2577 BC. e. and Pollux (Baumann University) 2708 BC. e. The radiocarbon method gives a range from 2680 BC. e. until 2850 BC e. Therefore, there is no serious confirmation of the established “birthday” of the pyramid, since Egyptologists cannot agree on exactly what year the construction began.

Statistical data

• Altitude (today): ≈ 138.75 m
• Sidewall Angle (Now): 51° 50"
• Side rib length (original): 230.33 m (calculated) or about 440 royal cubits
• Side rib length (now): about 225 m
• The length of the sides of the base of the pyramid: south - 230.454 m; north - 230.253 m; west - 230.357 m; east - 230.394 m
• Base area (originally): ≈ 53,000 m² (5.3 ha)
• Side surface area of ​​the pyramid (originally): ≈ 85,500 m²
• Base perimeter: 922 m
• The total volume of the pyramid without deducting the cavities inside the pyramid (initially): ≈ 2.58 million m³
• Total volume of the pyramid minus all known cavities (originally): 2.50 million m³
• Average volume of stone blocks: 1.147 m³
• Average weight of stone blocks: 2.5 t
• The heaviest stone block: about 35 tons - is located above the entrance to the "King's Chamber".
• The number of blocks of the average volume does not exceed 1.65 million (2.50 million m³ - 0.6 million m³ of rock base inside the pyramid = 1.9 million m³ / 1.147 m³ = 1.65 million blocks of the specified volume can physically fit in the pyramid, without taking into account the volume of the solution in the interblock seams); reference to a 20-year construction period * 300 working days per year * 10 working hours per day * 60 minutes per hour results in a laying (and delivery to the construction site) speed of about a block of two minutes.
• According to estimates, the total weight of the pyramid is about 4 million tons (1.65 million blocks x 2.5 tons)
• The base of the pyramid rests on a natural rocky elevation with a height in the center of about 12-14 m and, according to the latest data, occupies at least 23% of the original volume of the pyramid

About the pyramid

The pyramid is called "Akhet-Khufu" - "Horizon of Khufu" (or more precisely "Related to the sky - (this is) Khufu"). Consists of blocks of limestone and granite. It was built on a natural limestone hill. After the pyramid has lost several layers of lining, this hill is partially visible on the eastern, northern and southern sides of the pyramid. Despite the fact that the Pyramid of Cheops is the tallest and most voluminous of all Egyptian pyramids, Pharaoh Sneferu built the pyramids in Meidum and Dahshut (the Broken Pyramid and the Pink Pyramid), the total mass of which is estimated at 8.4 million tons.

Initially, the pyramid was lined with white limestone, harder than the main blocks. The top of the pyramid was crowned with a gilded stone - a pyramidion (ancient Egyptian - "Benben"). The cladding shone in the sun with a peach color, as if "a shining miracle, to which the sun god Ra himself seemed to give all his rays." In 1168, the Arabs sacked and burned Cairo. The inhabitants of Cairo removed the lining from the pyramid in order to build new houses.

pyramid structure

The entrance to the pyramid is at a height of 15.63 meters on the north side. The entrance is formed by stone slabs laid in the form of an arch, but this is a structure that was inside the pyramid - the true entrance has not been preserved. The true entrance to the pyramid was most likely closed with a stone plug. A description of such a cork can be found in Strabo, and its appearance can also be imagined based on the surviving slab that closed the upper entrance to the Bent Pyramid of Snefru, the father of Cheops. Today, tourists enter the pyramid through a 17-meter gap, which was made in 820 by the Baghdad caliph Abdullah al-Mamun 10 meters lower. He hoped to find the innumerable treasures of the pharaoh there, but found there only a layer of dust half a cubit thick.

Inside the pyramid of Cheops there are three burial chambers located one above the other.

Funeral "pit"

A descending corridor 105 m long, inclined at 26° 26’46, leads to a horizontal corridor 8.9 m long leading to the chamber 5 . Located below ground level in a rocky limestone base, it was left unfinished. The dimensions of the chamber are 14 × 8.1 m, it is elongated from east to west. The height reaches 3.5 m, the ceiling has a large crack. At the southern wall of the chamber there is a well about 3 m deep, from which a narrow manhole (0.7 × 0.7 m in cross section) stretches southward for 16 m, ending in a dead end. Engineers John Shae Perring and Richard William Howard Vyse cleared the floor of the chamber in the early 19th century and dug a 11.6 m deep well in which they hoped to find a hidden burial chamber. They were based on the evidence of Herodotus, who claimed that the body of Cheops was on an island surrounded by a channel in a hidden underground chamber. Their excavations turned up nothing. Later research showed that the chamber was left unfinished, and it was decided to arrange the burial chambers in the center of the pyramid itself.

Interior

Interior

Interior

Interior

Interior

Interior

Interior

Ascending Corridor and Queen's Chambers

From the first third of the descending passage (after 18 m from the main entrance) upwards at the same angle of 26.5 ° there is an ascending passage to the south ( 6 ) about 40 m long, ending at the bottom of the Great Gallery ( 9 ).

At its beginning, the ascending passage contains 3 large cubic granite "plugs", which, from the outside, from the descending passage, were masked by a block of limestone that fell during the work of al-Ma'mun. Thus, for the previous approximately 3 thousand years, it was believed that there were no other rooms in the Great Pyramid, except for the descending passage and the underground chamber. Al-Ma'mun failed to break through these plugs and simply hollowed out a bypass in the softer limestone to the right of them. This passage is still in use today. There are two main theories about plugs, one of them is that the ascending passage has plugs installed at the beginning of construction and thus this passage was sealed by them from the very beginning. The second asserts that the present narrowing of the walls was caused by an earthquake, and the plugs were previously located within the Great Gallery and were used to seal the passage only after the burial of the pharaoh.

An important mystery of this section of the ascending passage is that in the place where the traffic jams are now located, in a full-size, albeit shortened model of the pyramid passages - the so-called test corridors north of the Great Pyramid - there is a junction of not two, but three corridors at once, the third of which is the vertical tunnel. Since no one has been able to move the traffic jams so far, the question of whether there is a vertical hole above them remains open.

In the middle of the ascending passage, the construction of the walls has a peculiarity: the so-called “frame stones” are installed in three places - that is, the passage, square along the entire length, pierces through three monoliths. The purpose of these stones is unknown. In the area of ​​the frame stones, the passage walls have several small niches.

A horizontal corridor 35 m long and 1.75 m high leads to the second burial chamber from the lower part of the Great Gallery in a southerly direction. . Behind the western wall of the passage there are cavities filled with sand. The second chamber is traditionally called the "Queen's Chamber", although according to the rite, the wives of the pharaohs were buried in separate small pyramids. The "Queen's Chamber", lined with limestone, has 5.74 meters from east to west and 5.23 meters from north to south; its maximum height is 6.22 meters. There is a high niche in the eastern wall of the chamber.

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Blueprint of the Queen's Chamber ( 7 )

Niche in the wall of the Queen's Chamber

Corridor at the entrance to the Queen's Hall (1910)

Entrance to the Queen's Chamber (1910)

Niche in the Queen's Chamber (1910)

Ventilation duct in the queen's chamber (1910)

Corridor to ascending tunnel ( 12 )

Granite Plug (1910)

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Corridor to the ascending tunnel (left - closing blocks)

Grotto, Grand Gallery and Pharaoh's Chambers

Another branch from the lower part of the Grand Gallery is a narrow almost vertical shaft about 60 m high, leading to the lower part of the descending passage. There is an assumption that it was intended for the evacuation of workers or priests who were completing the "sealing" of the main passage to the "King's Chamber". Approximately in the middle of it there is a small, most likely natural extension - the "Grotto" (Grotto) of irregular shape, in which several people could fit from strength. Grotto ( 12 ) is located at the "junction" of the masonry of the pyramid and a small, about 9 meters high, hill on a limestone plateau lying at the base of the Great Pyramid. The walls of the Grotto are partially reinforced with ancient masonry, and since some of its stones are too large, there is an assumption that the Grotto existed on the Giza plateau as an independent structure long before the construction of the pyramids, and the evacuation shaft itself was built taking into account the location of the Grotto. However, taking into account the fact that the shaft was actually hollowed out in the already laid masonry, and not laid out, as evidenced by its irregular circular section, the question arises of how the builders managed to accurately reach the Grotto.

The large gallery continues the ascending passage. Its height is 8.53 m, it is rectangular in cross section, with walls slightly tapering upwards (the so-called “false vault”), a high inclined tunnel 46.6 m long. 1 meter wide and 60 cm deep, and on both side protrusions there are 27 pairs of recesses of unclear purpose. The deepening ends with the so-called. The “Big Step” is a high horizontal ledge, a platform of 1 × 2 meters at the end of the Great Gallery, directly in front of the entrance to the “entrance hall” - the Anterior Chamber. The site has a pair of recesses similar to the ramp recesses, recesses at the corners near the wall (the 28th and last pair of BG recesses). Through the "entrance hall" the manhole leads to the burial chamber "King's Chamber" lined with black granite, where an empty granite sarcophagus is placed. The lid of the sarcophagus is missing. Ventilation shafts have mouths in the "Chamber of the King" on the southern and northern walls at a height of about a meter from the floor level. The mouth of the southern ventilation shaft is badly damaged, the northern one appears undamaged. The floor, ceiling, walls of the chamber do not have any decorations or holes or fasteners of anything related to the time of the construction of the pyramid. The ceiling slabs have all burst along the southern wall and do not fall into the room only due to the pressure of the overlying blocks by the weight.

Above the "King's Chamber" there are five unloading cavities with a total height of 17 m discovered in the 19th century, between which monolithic granite slabs about 2 m thick lie, and above - a gable limestone ceiling. It is believed that their purpose is to distribute the weight of the overlying layers of the pyramid (about a million tons) in order to protect the "King's Chamber" from pressure. Graffiti has been found in these voids, probably left by workers.

Interior of the Grotto (1910)

Grotto drawing (1910)

Drawing connecting the Grotto with the Grand Gallery (1910)

Tunnel Entrance (1910)

Tunnel Entrance (1910)

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View of the Grand Gallery from the entrance to the premises

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Grand gallery

Grand Gallery (1910)

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"Big Step"

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Drawing of the Pharaoh's Chamber

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pharaoh's chamber

Pharaoh's Chamber (1910)

Interior of the vestibule in front of the king's chamber (1910)

Channel "ventilation" at the south wall of the king's room (1910)

ventilation ducts

From the “King’s Chamber” and the “Queen’s Chamber” in the north and south directions (at first horizontally, then obliquely upwards) the so-called “ventilation” channels 20-25 cm wide depart. At the same time, the channels of the “King’s Chamber”, known since the 17th century, through, they are open both from below and from above (on the faces of the pyramid), while the lower ends of the channels of the "Queen's Chamber" are separated from the surface of the wall by about 13 cm, they were discovered by tapping in 1872. The upper ends of these channels do not reach the surface of about 12 meters. The upper ends of the channels of the "Queen's Chamber" are closed with stone "Gantenbrink Doors", each with two copper handles. Copper handles were sealed with plaster seals (not preserved, but traces remained). In the southern ventilation shaft, a "door" was discovered in 1993 using a remote-controlled robot "Upuaut II"; the bend of the northern shaft did not allow this robot to detect the same "door" in it. In 2002, using a new modification of the robot, a hole was drilled in the southern "door", but behind it a small cavity 18 centimeters long was found and another stone "door". What lies next is still unknown. This robot confirmed the presence of a similar "door" at the end of the northern channel, but they did not drill it. A new robot in 2010 was able to insert a serpentine television camera through a drilled hole in the southern “door” and found that the copper “handles” on the other side of the “door” were designed in the form of neat hinges, and separate badges were applied in red ocher on the floor of the “ventilation” shaft. Currently, the most common version is that the purpose of the "ventilation" ducts was of a religious nature and is associated with the Egyptians' ideas about the afterlife journey of the soul. And the “door” at the end of the channel is nothing more than a door to the afterlife. That is why it does not go to the surface of the pyramid.

Tilt angle

It is not possible to accurately determine the original parameters of the pyramid, since its edges and surfaces are currently mostly dismantled and destroyed. This makes it difficult to calculate the exact angle of inclination. In addition, its symmetry itself is not perfect, so deviations in numbers are observed with different measurements.

The study of the geometry of the Great Pyramid does not give an unambiguous answer to the question of the original proportions of this structure. It is assumed that the Egyptians had an idea of ​​\u200b\u200b" Golden section"And the number pi, which were reflected in the proportions of the pyramid: for example, the ratio of height to half the perimeter of the base is 14/22 (height \u003d 280 cubits, and base \u003d 220 cubits, half-perimeter of the base \u003d 2 ×220 cubits; 280/440 = 14/22). For the first time in world history, these values ​​were used in the construction of the pyramid at Meidum. However, for pyramids of later eras, these proportions were not used anywhere else, as, for example, some have height-to-base ratios, such as 6/5 (Pink Pyramid), 4/3 (Chefren's Pyramid) or 7/5 (Broken Pyramid).

Some of the theories consider the pyramid to be an astronomical observatory. It is alleged that the corridors of the pyramid point exactly towards the "polar star" of that time - Tuban, the ventilation corridors of the south side - to the star Sirius, and from the north side - to the star Alnitak.

Side concavity

As in the 18th century, when this phenomenon was discovered, today there is still no satisfactory explanation for this feature of architecture.

pharaoh boats

Near the pyramids, seven pits were found with real ancient Egyptian boats disassembled into parts. The first of these vessels, called "Solar Boats" or "Solar Boats", was discovered in 1954 by Egyptian architect Kamal el-Mallah and archaeologist Zaki Nur. The boat was made of cedar and did not have a single trace of nails for attaching elements. The boat consisted of 1224 parts, they were assembled by the restorer Ahmed Youssef Mustafa only in 1968.

Boat dimensions: length - 43.3 m, width - 5.6 m, and draft - 1.50 m.

On the south side of the pyramid of Cheops, a museum of this boat is open.

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One of two solar boat pits. Eastern part of the pyramid

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The place where the solar boat was discovered

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Boat museum on the south side of the pyramid

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Cheops solar boat, discovered near the pyramid in 1954

Pyramids of Queens of Cheops

Pyramide Henoutsen 01.JPG

Descent to the Henoutsen burial chamber

Pyramide Henoutsen 02.JPG

Henoutsen burial chamber

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Literature

• Ionina N. A. 100 great wonders of the world. - Moscow., 1999.
• Vojtech Zamarovsky. Their majesties pyramids. - Moscow., 1986.

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An excerpt characterizing the Pyramid of Cheops

Benigsen from Gorki went down the high road to the bridge, to which the officer from the mound pointed out to Pierre as the center of the position, and near which rows of mowed grass, smelling of hay, lay on the bank. They drove across the bridge to the village of Borodino, from there they turned left and past a huge number of troops and guns drove to a high mound on which the militias were digging the ground. It was a redoubt, which did not yet have a name, then it was called the Raevsky redoubt, or barrow battery.
Pierre did not pay much attention to this redoubt. He did not know that this place would be more memorable for him than all the places in the Borodino field. Then they drove across the ravine to Semyonovsky, where the soldiers were pulling away the last logs of huts and barns. Then, downhill and uphill, they drove forward through the broken rye, knocked out like hail, along the road to the flushes [a kind of fortification. (Note by L.N. Tolstoy.) ], also then still dug.
Bennigsen stopped at the fleches and began to look ahead at the Shevardinsky redoubt (which had been ours yesterday), on which several horsemen could be seen. The officers said that Napoleon or Murat was there. And everyone looked eagerly at this bunch of riders. Pierre also looked there, trying to guess which of these barely visible people was Napoleon. Finally, the horsemen drove off the mound and disappeared.
Benigsen turned to the general who approached him and began to explain the whole position of our troops. Pierre listened to Benigsen's words, straining all his mental powers to understand the essence of the upcoming battle, but felt with chagrin that his mental abilities were insufficient for this. He didn't understand anything. Bennigsen stopped talking, and noticing the figure of Pierre listening, he suddenly said, turning to him:
- You, I think, are not interested?
“Oh, on the contrary, it’s very interesting,” Pierre repeated, not quite truthfully.
From the flush, they drove even more to the left along the road, winding through a dense, low birch forest. In the middle of it
forest, a brown hare with white legs jumped out in front of them on the road and, frightened by the clatter of a large number of horses, was so confused that it jumped for a long time along the road in front of them, arousing general attention and laughter, and only when several voices shouted at him, rushed to the side and hid in the thicket. Having traveled two versts through the forest, they drove to a clearing on which stood the troops of Tuchkov's corps, which was supposed to protect the left flank.
Here, on the extreme left flank, Bennigsen spoke a lot and ardently and made, as it seemed to Pierre, an important order from a military point of view. Ahead of the disposition of Tuchkov's troops was an elevation. This elevation was not occupied by troops. Bennigsen loudly criticized this mistake, saying that it was foolish to leave the high ground unoccupied and place troops under it. Some generals expressed the same opinion. One in particular spoke with military vehemence that they were put here to be slaughtered. Bennigsen ordered in his name to move the troops to the heights.
This order on the left flank made Pierre even more doubtful of his ability to understand military affairs. Listening to Bennigsen and the generals who condemned the position of the troops under the mountain, Pierre fully understood them and shared their opinion; but precisely because of this, he could not understand how the one who placed them here under the mountain could make such an obvious and gross mistake.
Pierre did not know that these troops were not sent to defend the position, as Bennigsen thought, but were placed in a hidden place for an ambush, that is, in order to be unnoticed and suddenly strike at the advancing enemy. Bennigsen did not know this and moved the troops forward for special reasons, without telling the commander-in-chief about it.

On this clear August evening on the 25th, Prince Andrey was lying, leaning on his arm, in a broken barn in the village of Knyazkov, on the edge of his regiment. Through the hole in the broken wall, he looked at the strip of thirty-year-old birch trees with the lower branches cut off along the fence, at the arable land with smashed heaps of oats on it, and at the bushes, along which the smoke of fires - soldiers' kitchens - could be seen.
No matter how cramped and no one needs and no matter how hard his life now seemed to Prince Andrei, he, just like seven years ago in Austerlitz on the eve of the battle, felt agitated and irritated.
Orders for tomorrow's battle were given and received by him. There was nothing more for him to do. But the simplest, clearest and therefore terrible thoughts did not leave him alone. He knew that tomorrow's battle was to be the most terrible of all those in which he participated, and the possibility of death for the first time in his life, without any regard for worldly, without considerations of how it would affect others, but only in relation to himself, to his soul, with liveliness, almost with certainty, simply and terribly, she presented herself to him. And from the height of this idea, everything that had previously tormented and occupied him was suddenly illuminated by a cold white light, without shadows, without perspective, without distinction of outlines. All life seemed to him like a magic lantern, into which he looked for a long time through glass and under artificial light. Now he suddenly saw, without glass, in bright daylight, these badly painted pictures. “Yes, yes, here they are, those false images that agitated and delighted and tormented me,” he said to himself, turning over in his imagination the main pictures of his magic lantern of life, now looking at them in this cold white daylight - a clear thought of death. - Here they are, these roughly painted figures, which seemed to be something beautiful and mysterious. Glory, public good, love for a woman, the fatherland itself - how great these pictures seemed to me, what deep meaning they seemed to be filled with! And it's all so simple, pale and crude in the cold white light of that morning that I feel is rising for me." The three main sorrows of his life in particular caught his attention. His love for a woman, the death of his father and the French invasion that captured half of Russia. “Love! .. This girl, who seemed to me full of mysterious powers. How I loved her! I made poetic plans about love, about happiness with her. O dear boy! he said out loud angrily. - How! I believed in some kind of ideal love, which was supposed to keep her faithful to me during the whole year of my absence! Like the gentle dove of a fable, she must have withered away from me. And all this is much simpler ... All this is terribly simple, disgusting!
My father also built in the Bald Mountains and thought that this was his place, his land, his air, his peasants; and Napoleon came and, not knowing about his existence, like a chip from the road, pushed him, and his Bald Mountains and his whole life fell apart. And Princess Marya says that this is a test sent from above. What is the test for, when it no longer exists and will not exist? never again! He is not! So who is this test for? Fatherland, death of Moscow! And tomorrow he will kill me - and not even a Frenchman, but his own, as yesterday a soldier emptied a gun near my ear, and the French will come, take me by the legs and by the head and throw me into a pit so that I don’t stink under their noses, and new conditions will develop lives that will also be familiar to others, and I will not know about them, and I will not be.
He looked at the strip of birch trees, with their motionless yellowness, greenery and white bark, shining in the sun. "To die so that they would kill me tomorrow, so that I would not be ... so that all this would be, but I would not be." He vividly imagined the absence of himself in this life. And these birches with their light and shadow, and these curly clouds, and this smoke of bonfires - everything around was transformed for him and seemed something terrible and threatening. Frost ran down his back. Rising quickly, he went out of the shed and began to walk.
Voices were heard behind the barn.
- Who's there? - called Prince Andrew.
The red-nosed Captain Timokhin, Dolokhov's former company commander, now, due to the loss of officers, the battalion commander, timidly entered the shed. Behind him entered the adjutant and treasurer of the regiment.
Prince Andrei hurriedly got up, listened to what the officers had to convey to him in the service, gave them some more orders and was about to let them go, when a familiar, whispering voice was heard from behind the barn.
– Que diable! [Damn it!] said the voice of a man who had bumped into something.
Prince Andrei, looking out of the barn, saw Pierre coming up to him, who stumbled on a lying pole and almost fell. It was generally unpleasant for Prince Andrei to see people from his own world, especially Pierre, who reminded him of all those difficult moments that he experienced on his last visit to Moscow.
- That's how! - he said. - What fates? That's not waiting.
While he was saying this, there was more than dryness in his eyes and the expression of his whole face - there was hostility, which Pierre immediately noticed. He approached the barn in the most lively state of mind, but, seeing the expression on Prince Andrei's face, he felt embarrassed and awkward.
“I arrived ... so ... you know ... I arrived ... I’m interested,” said Pierre, who had so many times that day meaninglessly repeated this word “interesting”. “I wanted to see the fight.
– Yes, yes, but what do the Masons brothers say about the war? How to prevent it? - said Prince Andrei mockingly. - What about Moscow? What are mine? Have you finally arrived in Moscow? he asked seriously.
- We've arrived. Julie Drubetskaya told me. I went to them and did not find. They left for the suburbs.

The officers wanted to take their leave, but Prince Andrei, as if not wanting to remain eye to eye with his friend, invited them to sit and drink tea. Benches and tea were served. The officers, not without surprise, looked at the fat, huge figure of Pierre and listened to his stories about Moscow and the disposition of our troops, which he managed to travel around. Prince Andrei was silent, and his face was so unpleasant that Pierre turned more to the good-natured battalion commander Timokhin than to Bolkonsky.
“So you understood the entire disposition of the troops?” Prince Andrew interrupted him.
- Yes, that is, how? Pierre said. - As a non-military person, I can’t say that it is completely, but still I understood the general arrangement.
- Eh bien, vous etes plus avance que qui cela soit, [Well, you know more than anyone else.] - said Prince Andrei.
– A! - said Pierre in bewilderment, looking through his glasses at Prince Andrei. - Well, what do you say about the appointment of Kutuzov? - he said.
“I was very pleased with this appointment, that’s all I know,” said Prince Andrei.
- Well, tell me, what is your opinion about Barclay de Tolly? In Moscow, God knows what they said about him. How do you judge him?
“Ask them here,” said Prince Andrei, pointing to the officers.
Pierre, with a condescendingly inquiring smile, with which everyone involuntarily turned to Timokhin, looked at him.
“They saw the light, your excellency, how the brightest acted,” said Timokhin, timidly and constantly looking back at his regimental commander.
- Why is it so? Pierre asked.
- Yes, at least about firewood or fodder, I will report to you. After all, we retreated from Sventsyan, don’t you dare touch the twigs, or the senets there, or something. After all, we're leaving, he gets it, isn't it, Your Excellency? - he turned to his prince, - but don't you dare. In our regiment, two officers were put on trial for such cases. Well, as the brightest did, it just became so about this. The world has been seen...
So why did he forbid it?
Timokhin looked around in embarrassment, not understanding how and what to answer such a question. Pierre turned to Prince Andrei with the same question.
“And in order not to ruin the land that we left to the enemy,” Prince Andrei said angrily and mockingly. – It is very thorough; it is impossible to allow to plunder the region and accustom the troops to looting. Well, in Smolensk, he also correctly judged that the French could get around us and that they had more forces. But he could not understand this, - Prince Andrei suddenly cried out in a thin voice, as if escaping, - but he could not understand that for the first time we fought there for the Russian land, that there was such a spirit in the troops that I had never seen, that we fought off the French for two days in a row, and that this success multiplied our strength tenfold. He ordered a retreat, and all the efforts and losses were in vain. He did not think about betrayal, he tried to do everything as best as possible, he thought everything over; but that doesn't make him any good. He is no good now precisely because he thinks everything over very thoroughly and carefully, as every German should. How can I tell you ... Well, your father has a German footman, and he is an excellent footman and will satisfy all his needs better than you, and let him serve; but if your father is ill at death, you will drive away the footman and with your unaccustomed, clumsy hands you will begin to follow your father and calm him better than a skilled, but a stranger. That's what they did with Barclay. While Russia was healthy, a stranger could serve her, and there was a wonderful minister, but as soon as she was in danger; you need your own person. And in your club they invented that he was a traitor! By being slandered as a traitor, they will only do what later, ashamed of their false criticism, they will suddenly make a hero or a genius out of traitors, which will be even more unfair. He is an honest and very accurate German...
“However, they say he is a skilled commander,” said Pierre.
“I don’t understand what a skilled commander means,” Prince Andrei said with a sneer.
“A skillful commander,” said Pierre, “well, one who foresaw all accidents ... well, guessed the thoughts of the enemy.
“Yes, it’s impossible,” said Prince Andrei, as if about a long-decided matter.
Pierre looked at him in surprise.
“However,” he said, “they say war is like a game of chess.
“Yes,” said Prince Andrei, “with the only slight difference that in chess you can think as much as you like about each step, that you are there outside the conditions of time, and with the difference that a knight is always stronger than a pawn and two pawns are always stronger.” one, and in war one battalion is sometimes stronger than a division, and sometimes weaker than a company. The relative strength of the troops cannot be known to anyone. Believe me,” he said, “that if anything depended on the orders of the headquarters, then I would be there and make orders, but instead I have the honor to serve here in the regiment with these gentlemen, and I think that we really tomorrow will depend, and not on them ... Success has never depended and will not depend either on position, or on weapons, or even on numbers; and least of all from the position.
- And from what?
“From the feeling that is in me, in him,” he pointed to Timokhin, “in every soldier.
Prince Andrei glanced at Timokhin, who looked at his commander in fright and bewilderment. In contrast to his former restrained silence, Prince Andrei now seemed agitated. He apparently could not refrain from expressing those thoughts that suddenly came to him.
The battle will be won by the one who is determined to win it. Why did we lose the battle near Austerlitz? Our loss was almost equal to that of the French, but we told ourselves very early that we had lost the battle—and we did. And we said this because we had no reason to fight there: we wanted to leave the battlefield as soon as possible. “We lost - well, run like that!” - we ran. If we had not said this before evening, God knows what would have happened. We won't say that tomorrow. You say: our position, the left flank is weak, the right flank is extended,” he continued, “all this is nonsense, there is nothing of it. And what do we have tomorrow? One hundred million of the most varied accidents that will be solved instantly by the fact that they or ours ran or run, that they kill one, kill another; and what is being done now is all fun. The fact is that those with whom you traveled around the position not only do not contribute to the general course of affairs, but interfere with it. They are only concerned with their little interests.
- At a moment like this? Pierre said reproachfully.
“At such a moment,” repeated Prince Andrei, “for them, this is only such a moment in which you can dig under the enemy and get an extra cross or ribbon. For me, this is what tomorrow is: a hundred thousand Russian and a hundred thousand French troops have come together to fight, and the fact is that these two hundred thousand are fighting, and whoever fights more viciously and feels less sorry for himself will win. And if you want, I'll tell you that no matter what happens, no matter what is confused up there, we will win the battle tomorrow. Tomorrow, whatever it is, we will win the battle!
“Here, Your Excellency, the truth, the true truth,” said Timokhin. - Why feel sorry for yourself now! The soldiers in my battalion, believe me, did not begin to drink vodka: not such a day, they say. - Everyone was silent.
The officers got up. Prince Andrei went out with them outside the shed, giving his last orders to the adjutant. When the officers left, Pierre went up to Prince Andrei and just wanted to start a conversation, when the hooves of three horses clattered along the road not far from the barn, and, looking in this direction, Prince Andrei recognized Wolzogen and Clausewitz, accompanied by a Cossack. They drove close, continuing to talk, and Pierre and Andrei involuntarily heard the following phrases:
– Der Krieg muss im Raum verlegt werden. Der Ansicht kann ich nicht genug Preis geben, [The war must be transferred into space. This view I cannot praise enough (German)] - said one.
“O ja,” said another voice, “da der Zweck ist nur den Feind zu schwachen, so kann man gewiss nicht den Verlust der Privatpersonen in Achtung nehmen.” [Oh yes, since the goal is to weaken the enemy, then private casualties cannot be taken into account (German)]
- O ja, [Oh yes (German)] - confirmed the first voice.
- Yes, im Raum verlegen, [transfer to space (German)] - Prince Andrei repeated, angrily snorting his nose, when they drove by. - Im Raum then [In space (German)] I left a father, and a son, and a sister in the Bald Mountains. He doesn't care. That's what I told you - these gentlemen Germans will not win the battle tomorrow, but will only tell how much their strength will be, because in his German head there are only arguments that are not worth a damn, and in his heart there is nothing that alone and you need it for tomorrow - what is in Timokhin. They gave all of Europe to him and came to teach us - glorious teachers! his voice screamed again.
"So you think tomorrow's battle will be won?" Pierre said.
“Yes, yes,” Prince Andrei said absently. “One thing I would do if I had the power,” he began again, “I would not take prisoners. What are prisoners? This is chivalry. The French have ruined my house and are going to ruin Moscow, and have insulted and insult me ​​every second. They are my enemies, they are all criminals, according to my concepts. And Timokhin and the whole army think the same way. They must be executed. If they are my enemies, they cannot be friends, no matter how they talk in Tilsit.
“Yes, yes,” Pierre said, looking at Prince Andrei with shining eyes, “I completely, completely agree with you!”
The question that had been troubling Pierre from Mozhaisk Mountain all that day now seemed to him completely clear and completely resolved. He now understood the whole meaning and significance of this war and the forthcoming battle. Everything that he saw that day, all the significant, stern expressions of faces that he caught a glimpse of, lit up for him with a new light. He understood that latent (latente), as they say in physics, warmth of patriotism, which was in all those people whom he saw, and which explained to him why all these people calmly and, as it were, thoughtlessly prepared for death.
“Do not take prisoners,” continued Prince Andrei. “That alone would change the whole war and make it less brutal. And then we played war - that's what's bad, we are magnanimous and the like. This generosity and sensitivity is like the generosity and sensitivity of a lady, with whom she becomes dizzy when she sees a calf being killed; she is so kind that she cannot see the blood, but she eats this calf with sauce with gusto. They talk to us about the rights of war, about chivalry, about parliamentary work, to spare the unfortunate, and so on. All nonsense. In 1805 I saw chivalry, parliamentarianism: they cheated us, we cheated. They rob other people's houses, let out fake banknotes, and worst of all, they kill my children, my father and talk about the rules of war and generosity towards enemies. Do not take prisoners, but kill and go to your death! Who has come to this the way I did, by the same suffering...
Prince Andrei, who thought that it was all the same to him whether Moscow was taken or not taken the way Smolensk was taken, suddenly stopped in his speech from an unexpected convulsion that seized him by the throat. He walked several times in silence, but his body shone feverishly, and his lip trembled when he began to speak again:
- If there was no generosity in the war, then we would go only when it is worth it to go to certain death, as now. Then there would be no war because Pavel Ivanovich offended Mikhail Ivanovich. And if the war is like now, then the war. And then the intensity of the troops would not be the same as now. Then all these Westphalians and Hessians led by Napoleon would not have followed him to Russia, and we would not have gone to fight in Austria and Prussia, without knowing why. War is not a courtesy, but the most disgusting thing in life, and one must understand this and not play war. This terrible necessity must be taken strictly and seriously. It's all about this: put aside lies, and war is war, not a toy. Otherwise, war is the favorite pastime of idle and frivolous people ... The military estate is the most honorable. And what is war, what is needed for success in military affairs, what are the morals of a military society? The purpose of the war is murder, the weapons of war are espionage, treason and encouragement, the ruin of the inhabitants, robbing them or stealing for the food of the army; deceit and lies, called stratagems; morals of the military class - lack of freedom, that is, discipline, idleness, ignorance, cruelty, debauchery, drunkenness. And despite that - this is the highest class, revered by all. All kings, except for the Chinese, wear a military uniform, and the one who killed the most people is given a big reward ... They will converge, like tomorrow, to kill each other, they will kill, maim tens of thousands of people, and then they will serve thanksgiving prayers for having beaten there are many people (of which the number is still being added), and they proclaim victory, believing that the more people are beaten, the greater the merit. How God watches and listens to them from there! - Prince Andrei shouted in a thin, squeaky voice. “Ah, my soul, lately it has become hard for me to live. I see that I began to understand too much. And it’s not good for a person to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ... Well, not for long! he added. “However, you are sleeping, and I have a pen, go to Gorki,” Prince Andrei suddenly said.

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