MJ Thomas Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> I asked, ‘Would they have built another chamber
> (perhaps different again in shape and size to the
> KC
> and the QC) at the level the superstructure had
> reached (in this scenario about 14 feet above the
> base) when the death occurred?’
>
> You reply, ‘No time for that. A simple finishing
> off of the first chamber would have been forced
> upon them.’
>
> How far would this ‘simple finishing off’ had
> gone?



Clearing out as much stone as possible, possibly adding false walls to hide the areas that were unfinished.


> Would they have excavated the entire volume marked
> out by the ceiling, walls and the area immediately
> surrounding the curious double shaft – thus
> creating a vast chamber 26.75 feet wide, 46 feet
> long, and 16.5 feet high (compared to the King’s
> Chamber @ 17.2 feet wide, 34.4 feet long, and 19.6
> feet high) ?


Of course not. The object at that point would have been to create an acceptable burial room. The dimensions were not as important as the level of finishing.



> Wouldn’t the builders have made sure that the
> Subterranean Chamber was properly prepared for a
> king’s burial before starting work on the
> superstructure?


Absolutely not. They would not have wasted a minute, since the ultimate goal was the completion of the 3rd (King's) Chamber.




>
> If the Pyramid’s builders were quite prepared to
> use the Subterranean Chamber for Khufu’s final
> resting place sans shafts, then it is obvious, is
> it not, that said shafts were not actually
> necessary.


Not at all. One must understand the purpose of the shafts, and the nature of ancient Egyptian cosmography, to understand why.




> In which case the inevitable question is: why were
> the shafts needed in the Queen’s Chamber and the
> King’s Chamber?



This has been answered. However, it cannot be answered here.


> If these shafts were essential for the deceased
> king’s post-mortem activities to work properly,
> why on earth would the builders even consider
> putting his remains in a chamber that simply could
> not have such shafts?


Because they were not needed in a chamber that could not have such shafts. Yes... that is a serious, thoughtful and accurate answer.



> Are you suggesting that Khufu would have been
> interred in this cavernous unfinished Chamber had
> he died before the Queen’s Chamber was built, and
> then moved into the latter once it was ready?



Goodness no. Once the king died, the construction stopped. He would have been interred in a hastily finished subterranean chamber and the pyramid would have been capped off exactly where it was on the day he died... give or take finishing stones to keep it waterproof, that is.



> Are you then proposing that once the King’s
> Chamber was completed, Khufu’s mortal remains were
> moved into it from the Queen’s Chamber?



You are continuing the same flawed line of reasoning. There was no more major construction after he died. Some of it would probably have been completed in mudbrick if they were really getting pressed for time, in fact.



> Was part of the contingency plan to move Khufu’s
> remains into the other chamber as and when they
> were completed?


If the king died early, they were never intended to be completed. That's basic Egyptian mortuary practice.



> Which begs the question: what would Khufu’s
> spirit/soul/whatever have been doing whilst
> waiting for the other two Chambers to be built
> (after all, it would have taken several years of
> building to get from the Subterranean Chamber to
> the Queen’s Chamber)?


Since your premise is flawed, the question requires no answer.


>
> Let’s try another angle.
> Had it proved necessary to place Khufu in the
> Subterranean Chamber, would the Queen’s Chamber,
> Grand Gallery, Antechamber, and King’s Chamber
> still have been built, and if so, why?
>



No. He was already dead and he would have been interred in the subterranean chamber as soon as his body was prepared. The pyramid would have been capped off exactly where it was, hastily given a quick dust-up (so to speak), and then it would have been off to Abu Roash for the workers to start on the next king's tomb.

If they had achieved a height between the 2nd and 3rd Chambers, they would have placed him in the 2nd Chamber, opened the shafts to that room, finished it off as a retrofitted burial chamber, and then capped off the pyramid.

You can find evidence for this practice all through Egyptian history. I was first made aware of it when personally examining tombs in the Valley of the Kings. In these tombs, we see the inscriptions at all different levels of completion. There was first applied red ink by the general scribes. Then, the entire sequence was edited over in blank ink by the senior scribes. (Scribal errors can be seen in the red ink that are corrected by the black ink, even). Once the black ink is completed, the stone masons would then come in and carve the hieroglyphic inscriptions into the walls. However this was never a "finished" project, as the king kept adding material to the walls so long as he was alive. That is why, when you enter a tomb and get past the fancy portico, you often will see red, then black over red, then carved inscriptions on the walls.

This practice is echoed by the unfinished pyramid at Zawiyet el Aryan. In this Dynasty IV pyramid, the top is flattened off. The explanation is quite simple: the king died before its completion. We also see much the same practice at the pyramid of Menkaure, whereby the outer casing is only dressed around the entrance, and the mortuary temple is finished hastily in mudbrick, rather than stone.


>
>
> I concede that my knowledge of 4th Dyn culture and
> mortuary practices is not as extensive as it could
> be.
> However this does not in anyway negate my above
> questions - questions which effectively question
> your conclusion.
>




I have no problem with reasonable questions like the ones you've asked. Years ago I began this process by asking myself nearly the same questions. Of course, I didn't really have the benefit of being able to converse with someone who had the answers to those questions. I hope I have at least pointed you in a better direction for your studies.

I do wish I could discuss things more openly. (drums fingers on desk, looks at calendar, drums fingers harder....)

Take care.

Anthony

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him think.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2007 09:04AM by Anthony.