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©2008 ReferencePoint Press, Inc. For more information, contact ReferencePoint Press, Inc. PO Box 27779 San Diego, CA 92198 www.ReferencePointPress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means —graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution, or information storage retrieval systems—without the written permission of the publisher. Picture credits: AP/Wide World Photos, 28, 32, 39, 52, 55, 58, 65, 71, 78, 88, 90 The British Museum, 24 Dreamstime, 30 Photos.com, 6, 10, 13, 16, 21, 26, 42, 46, 83 Steve Zmina, 14–15 Series design and book layout: Amy Stirnkorb LIBRARy Of CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PuBLICATION DATA George, Charles, 1949- Pyramids / by Charles George. p. cm. -- (Mysterious and unknown) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-60152-386-0 (e-book) 1. Pyramids--Miscellanea. I. Title. Bf1999.G3383 2007 909--dc22 2007010342 C O N T E N T S Foreword 4 Introduction 5 Chapter 1: The Pyramids of Giza 9 Chapter 2: Houses of Eternity 23 Chapter 3: Pyramids of Mesoamerica 38 Chapter 4: Pyramids of South America 54 Chapter 5: Pyramids of Asia 70 Chapter 6: Theories Old and New 81 Notes 97 For Further Research 98 Index 100 About the Author 104 F O R E W O R D “Strange is our situation here upon earth.” —Albert Einstein S ince the beginning of recorded history, people have been perplexed, fascinated, and even terrifi ed by events that defy explanation. While science has demystifi ed many of these events, such as volcanic eruptions and lunar eclipses, some continue to re- main outside the scope of the provable. Do UFOs exist? Are people abducted by aliens? Can some people see into the future? These questions and many more continue to puzzle, intrigue, and con- found despite the enormous advances of modern science and tech- nology. It is these questions, phenomena, and oddities that Reference- Point Press’s The Mysterious & Unknown series is committed to exploring. Each volume examines historical and anecdotal evidence as well as the most recent theories surrounding the topic in debate. Fascinating primary source quotes from scientists, experts, and eyewitnesses, as well as in-depth sidebars further inform the text. Full-color illustrations and photos add to each book’s visual appeal. Finally, source notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index provide further reference and research support. Whether for research or the curious reader, The Mysterious & Unknown series is certain to satisfy those fascinated by the unexplained. 4 I N T R O D U C T I O N T hhee eexxccaavvaattiioonn hhaadd ttaakkeenn 44 yyeeaarrss——44 yyeeaarrss ooff hheeaatt,, hhuummiiddiittyy,, aanndd cchhookkiinngg dduusstt,, 44 yyeeaarrss ooff bbaacckkbbrreeaakkiinngg wwoorrkk,, ddiiggggiinngg deeper and deeper into the pyramid, 4 years of chipping away limestone, of hauling away rock and rubble, 4 years to clear a steep stone stairway and then a narrow corridor. But what lay at the end of the corridor? At last, on July 15, 1952, deep within the pyramid of the Tem- ple of Inscriptions, in the Mayan city of Palenque, a workman’s crowbar broke through a wall of rubble at the end of the corri- dor. Shining a spotlight through the gap, Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier peered inside, glimpsing what no human had seen for more than 1,000 years. He later wrote about the experience: Out of the dim shadows emerged a vision from a fairy tale, a fantastic, ethereal sight from anoth- er world. . . . Delicate festoons of stalactites hung like tassels of a curtain, and the stalagmites on the fl oor looked like drippings from a great candle. The impression, in fact, was that of an abandoned 5 The tomb chapel. Across the walls marched stucco figures of Pacal the in low relief. Then my eyes sought the floor. This Great was was almost entirely filled with a great carved stone discovered slab, in perfect condition.1 in 1952 in the Mayan city of Palenque. After clearing the entrance to the tomb, Ruz Lhuillier squeezed through: I entered the mysterious chamber with the strange sensation natural for the first one to tread the entrance steps in a thousand years. I tried to see 6 Pyramids it all with the same vision that the Palenque priests had when they left the crypt; I wanted to . . . hear the vibrations of the last human voices beneath these massive vaults; . . . to capture the cryptic message that those men of old had given us. . . . QUOTE Across the impenetrable veil of time I sought the impossible bond between their lives and ours.2 “Then my eyes sought the fl oor. What he mistook for fl oor turned out to be a solid limestone This was almost slab 12 feet (3.7m) long and 7 feet (2m) across, weighing 5 tons entirely fi lled with (4.5t). Since its discovery, its delicately carved surface has come a great carved to be considered one of the most extraordinary examples of Ma- stone slab, in yan sculpture. Ruz Lhuillier believed the massive stone to be the perfect condition.” lid of a sarcophagus, a stone coffi n. After weeks of preparation, — A Mexican archae- his workmen raised the slab with automobile jacks. Underneath, ologist describing his entering the tomb of they found a second slab, with stone plugs at each end. Once Pacal the Great. they raised the upper slab high enough, Ruz Lhuillier climbed between the stones, removed one of the plugs, and peered in- side: “My fi rst impression was that of a mosaic of green, red, and white. Then it resolved itself into details—green jade orna- ments, red painted teeth and bones, and fragments of a mask. I was gazing at the death face of him for whom all this stupendous work—the crypt, the sculpture, the stairway, the great pyramid with its crowning temple—had been built.”3 Ruz Lhuillier and his team had found the remains of one of the most powerful Mayan kings—Pacal the Great. Before their discovery, few archaeologists believed Mayan pyramids were more than platforms for temples. No one imag- ined that some served as tombs, like the pyramids of Egypt. Even modern-day Maya knew little about the ruins, other than to The PyraImntirdosd oufc Gtiiozna 7 avoid them after dark, fearing the spirits they believed inhabited Did You them. Know? But the clues were there just waiting to be noticed. One sec- tion of the fl agstone fl oor in the sanctuary atop the pyramid had The fl oor of the small holes in it, with stone plugs fi lling each hole. Explorers and tomb of Pacal the scientists had studied the architecture and hieroglyphs of this Great is considered temple-topped pyramid since 1831. Scores of scholars and tour- one of the most ists had walked across this fl oor without stopping to wonder extraordinary about the two rows of curiously plugged holes, but Ruz Lhuillier, examples of Mayan intrigued by them, began digging to discover what they were, and the rest, as they say, is history. sculpture. All over the World Around the world, on virtually every continent, ancient pyra- mids rise from deserts, fi elds, and jungles. Some are large, oth- ers small. Some served as tombs; others did not. Some are stone monuments, others adobe brick or packed earth. In most cases, scholars know who built them and when. In others, they can- not be sure. In almost every case, it is diffi cult to imagine how ancient peoples, without today’s heavy equipment, managed to build such massive structures. It is also hard to know precisely why these people built pyr- amids. Experts can speculate as to why and, in some cases, be reasonably sure they know the answers, but they can never be 100 percent sure. Theories abound, some fi rmly grounded in sci- ence, while others are based on wild conjecture. Because of that uncertainty, all pyramids share one thing in common. They are a never-ending source of mystery. And humans have always en- joyed a good mystery. 8 Pyramids C H A P T E R 1 The Pyramids of Giza W hheenn ppeeooppllee hheeaarr ““ppyyrraammiidd,,”” mmoosstt tthhiinnkk ooff EEggyypptt,, aanndd iinn ppaarrttiiccuullaarr,, tthhee ppyyrraammiiddss oonn tthhee GGiizzaa PPllaatteeaauu,, oouuttssiiddee Cairo. There, between the lush Nile Valley and the endless sands of the Libyan Desert, stand massive pyramids built to honor three pharaohs—Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure—who ruled Egypt dur- ing a period known as the Old Kingdom (ca. 2700-2200 bc). No structures on earth are more recognizable or have been more carefully studied, yet many questions remain. Later pyra- mids in Egypt contain hieroglyphs explaining who, when, why, and in some cases, how they were built, but the Giza pyramids do not. Most scholars believe they know approximately when these pyramids were constructed and who ordered them built, but some skeptics disagree. Scholars also disagree about why they were built—whether intended as pharaohs’ tombs or merely as monuments in their honor. Some speculate that the pyramids 9 Egypt’s Giza Plateau contains the world’s best known pyramids. The smallest of the three main pyramids, Menkaure’s, is shown with its three lesser pyramids. may have been constructed for other, as yet undiscovered, pur- poses. The most common mysteries associated with the Giza pyramids concern methods used in their construction. Most who study pyramids wonder how a culture that supposedly did not have the wheel, pulleys, or iron tools could have built such gigantic structures. For centuries, researchers also thought that the Giza pyramids were built primarily with slave labor. Recent discover- 10 Pyramids
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