DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1033#0014
14
THE PYRAMID OF HAWARA.
'A
709 from the probable casing edge, some signs were
found, marked in red paint with a fine brush on the
ends of two adjacent bricks, a few courses above the
lowest brick. These signs are shown in PI. IV. They
faced northward, i.e., were on the face of the pyramid
core while yet it was in process of being built. They
evidently refer to a measuring up of the pyramid
some time before its completion, in order to test the
regularity of the work, and the need of any correc-
tions in the further construction. The meaning
apparently is that the vertical line is two cubits
(shewn by the two dots and a stroke beneath for the
cubit arm) from the het ha, or heart of the building.
Now, on referring to the measures of the tunnel, it
appears that the middle of it (and these marks were
within two or three inches of the middle) is 84 inches
(or two double cubits of 42 inches) from the axis of
the pyramid (see PL II). We know that the Egyptians
always worked from an axis line, which we may see
still drawn along the middle of roofs in the rock
cuttings, and down the middle of designs. And we
also know that they habitually marked two or three
supplementary marks at one or two cubits from any
important point (see " Pyramids of Gizeh," pp. 93-4).
Hence it appears that when the pyramid was rather
more than a quarter built, and the sides were about
two-thirds of the ultimate length, a measurement of
the work was made, the axis or "heart of the
building" was defined, and supplementary marks
placed at one or two cubits from it, in case it should
be defaced on the bricks. Another noticeable point
is that the bricks, when stacked before building, were
sprinkled with white or yellow wash (as coals now
are), to prevent any being stolen. The splashes and
spots are clearly not put on after the bricks were
built together.
20. The first stage in the building was the clearing
from the ground the pebbles and sand of the desert.
Then the rock, which is here only a hardened sand,
was excavated to form the central hollow or pit, for
the chamber, and the trenches in which the passages
were to be built. The enormous monolith chamber
of sandstone was brought from Upper Egypt,
weighing over 100 tons, and was lowered into the pit:
the sarcophagus and the two coffers were placed in it,
the roof stones placed—two in position and the third
elevated to allow of an entrance—and then the great
beams of stone, horizontal, and over those sloping,
were set over the whole chamber, resting on masonry
which was built in around the monolith. The pas-
sages were all built in the rock trenches, and then a
great brick arch (PL IV) was thrown across the whole
of the masonry of the chamber, and the bricks of the
pyramid were piled up above it all.
21. We will now notice the details of construction,
beginning at the entrance. The plan of all the
passages is given on PL II, and their sections on a
larger scale in Plate III. The present entrance is
formed by a broken edge of floor, broken side blocks,
and a vertical joint face of the roof. This roof edge
is 27 inches inside the line of the brick core base, and
9 inches above the N.W. pavement, or +421 in the
system of levels here adopted from an arbitrary zero.
The axis of the passage is 961-5 from the middle of
the south face. Passage width is 384. upper end,
38'6 mid, and 38TJ at bottom. Half of the floor is
taken up by a flight of shallow steps, which leave
9"4 or 9'5 width of slope at the sides. These steps
were cleared and measured in one part, and hence
drawn throughout; they were occasionally seen in
clearing the passage, but not measured in other parts.
Their average width of the tread is 1327 on the
slope, or I2'5 horizontal. The height of the passage
is 70'2, 704, perpendicular, or 747 vertical. The
angle from end to end is 190 2>7%' slope.
At the bottom the roof is +96 and rises to +100
in a short passage 6o-3 long on W., or 594 E., and
334 wide leading to the ante-chamber. This is
curiously set askew, the ends and sides being all
aslant to the passages. It is i486 on W., 1463 on
E., 84'2 wide. Thence a passage continues 67 long,
and 3TO wide, to the chamber under the first trap-
door. This chamber is 89^5 wide, and 6ro long; the
trap-door being 70 long and overlapping the chamber
side 9 inches at both the south and the west. The
trap-door system used three times in this pyramid
was arranged by roofing a chamber with a sliding
block of stone, the side of which thus covered the end
of the high-level passage, the floor of which was on a
level with the roof of the chamber. Of these trap-
doors only the first had been drawn, the others were
carelessly left in their recesses and presented no
obstacle to the plunderers who had broken their way
past the first. They are all shaded in the plan
(PL II) and their positions are there seen. The first
trap-door is 70 wide, 71^ high, and about 104 long,
weighing therefore about 22 tons ; all the trap-doors
have a groove along the sides to allow of a rope
being passed around them whereby to drag them
along in their recesses, though in what way 22 tons
was to be thus slid along is hard to see. A short
passage of 71-3 long and 29-1 wide, leads into the
THE PYRAMID OF HAWARA.
'A
709 from the probable casing edge, some signs were
found, marked in red paint with a fine brush on the
ends of two adjacent bricks, a few courses above the
lowest brick. These signs are shown in PI. IV. They
faced northward, i.e., were on the face of the pyramid
core while yet it was in process of being built. They
evidently refer to a measuring up of the pyramid
some time before its completion, in order to test the
regularity of the work, and the need of any correc-
tions in the further construction. The meaning
apparently is that the vertical line is two cubits
(shewn by the two dots and a stroke beneath for the
cubit arm) from the het ha, or heart of the building.
Now, on referring to the measures of the tunnel, it
appears that the middle of it (and these marks were
within two or three inches of the middle) is 84 inches
(or two double cubits of 42 inches) from the axis of
the pyramid (see PL II). We know that the Egyptians
always worked from an axis line, which we may see
still drawn along the middle of roofs in the rock
cuttings, and down the middle of designs. And we
also know that they habitually marked two or three
supplementary marks at one or two cubits from any
important point (see " Pyramids of Gizeh," pp. 93-4).
Hence it appears that when the pyramid was rather
more than a quarter built, and the sides were about
two-thirds of the ultimate length, a measurement of
the work was made, the axis or "heart of the
building" was defined, and supplementary marks
placed at one or two cubits from it, in case it should
be defaced on the bricks. Another noticeable point
is that the bricks, when stacked before building, were
sprinkled with white or yellow wash (as coals now
are), to prevent any being stolen. The splashes and
spots are clearly not put on after the bricks were
built together.
20. The first stage in the building was the clearing
from the ground the pebbles and sand of the desert.
Then the rock, which is here only a hardened sand,
was excavated to form the central hollow or pit, for
the chamber, and the trenches in which the passages
were to be built. The enormous monolith chamber
of sandstone was brought from Upper Egypt,
weighing over 100 tons, and was lowered into the pit:
the sarcophagus and the two coffers were placed in it,
the roof stones placed—two in position and the third
elevated to allow of an entrance—and then the great
beams of stone, horizontal, and over those sloping,
were set over the whole chamber, resting on masonry
which was built in around the monolith. The pas-
sages were all built in the rock trenches, and then a
great brick arch (PL IV) was thrown across the whole
of the masonry of the chamber, and the bricks of the
pyramid were piled up above it all.
21. We will now notice the details of construction,
beginning at the entrance. The plan of all the
passages is given on PL II, and their sections on a
larger scale in Plate III. The present entrance is
formed by a broken edge of floor, broken side blocks,
and a vertical joint face of the roof. This roof edge
is 27 inches inside the line of the brick core base, and
9 inches above the N.W. pavement, or +421 in the
system of levels here adopted from an arbitrary zero.
The axis of the passage is 961-5 from the middle of
the south face. Passage width is 384. upper end,
38'6 mid, and 38TJ at bottom. Half of the floor is
taken up by a flight of shallow steps, which leave
9"4 or 9'5 width of slope at the sides. These steps
were cleared and measured in one part, and hence
drawn throughout; they were occasionally seen in
clearing the passage, but not measured in other parts.
Their average width of the tread is 1327 on the
slope, or I2'5 horizontal. The height of the passage
is 70'2, 704, perpendicular, or 747 vertical. The
angle from end to end is 190 2>7%' slope.
At the bottom the roof is +96 and rises to +100
in a short passage 6o-3 long on W., or 594 E., and
334 wide leading to the ante-chamber. This is
curiously set askew, the ends and sides being all
aslant to the passages. It is i486 on W., 1463 on
E., 84'2 wide. Thence a passage continues 67 long,
and 3TO wide, to the chamber under the first trap-
door. This chamber is 89^5 wide, and 6ro long; the
trap-door being 70 long and overlapping the chamber
side 9 inches at both the south and the west. The
trap-door system used three times in this pyramid
was arranged by roofing a chamber with a sliding
block of stone, the side of which thus covered the end
of the high-level passage, the floor of which was on a
level with the roof of the chamber. Of these trap-
doors only the first had been drawn, the others were
carelessly left in their recesses and presented no
obstacle to the plunderers who had broken their way
past the first. They are all shaded in the plan
(PL II) and their positions are there seen. The first
trap-door is 70 wide, 71^ high, and about 104 long,
weighing therefore about 22 tons ; all the trap-doors
have a groove along the sides to allow of a rope
being passed around them whereby to drag them
along in their recesses, though in what way 22 tons
was to be thus slid along is hard to see. A short
passage of 71-3 long and 29-1 wide, leads into the