MJ Thomas Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hello Ronald,
>
> You write, ‘Imo, the work in the SC was halted in
> an early stage, not only due to the survival of
> Khufu but also due to the ambition by which this
> pharaoh is characterized. Let's not forget that
> this SC may have had a very symbolic function
> (too).’
>



> Okay, let me try a different approach.
> Let’s assume for the sake of this discussion that
> Khufu died several years after the Subterranean
> Chamber was (partly) excavated and more than, say,
> a year before the Queen’s Chamber was built.
> What in your opinion would then have happened to
> Khufu’s mortal remains and his part-built
> pyramid?



Good question. Well, the advantage of a mummified body is that it can be stored for a long time, till an appropriate burial chamber was available. What would have happened to the part-built pyramid ? I wouldn't be surprised that it would have been finished by the deceased king's successor. Furthermore, I am convinced that the worship of a deceased king was maintained for years by the priests of his successor(s).


Ronald.



> As for the Subterranean Chamber possibly having a
> symbolic function.
> I suggest that this Chamber with a Shaft in the
> floor is a nod to earlier pyramid interiors.
> When I look at sections of the pyramids pre-Khufu
> and then look at a section of Khufu’s pyramid I
> get the distinct impression that the person/s who
> designed Khufu’s pyramid was/were deliberately
> incorporating into it aspects from the
> tombs/temples of Khufu’s ancestors/predecessors
> (the KC and QC shafts appear to be an exception).
> But it is something that appears to start tailing
> off immediately after Khufu (as witnessed by the
> pyramids of Djedfre, Khafre, and Menkare).
> I have no suggestions to make as to why Khufu’s
> architect would have done this; my knowledge of
> 4th Dyn. Religion/magic/science isn’t up to the
> job.
>
>
> You write, ‘… we have two pharaoh's who apparently
> reigned about equally long. Nevertheless, Khafre
> did not built his chambers above ground-level and
> he built only two of them. Khufu built three of
> them, of which two above ground-level + long
> passages + a really impressive Grand Gallery +
> long shafts + 'relieving chambers'.
> Why this difference ? By the way, look at the
> similarities between Khafre's and Menkaure's (who
> died early).
>
> Well, adding to my paragraph above I would suggest
> that there was a fundamental shift in attitudes
> towards the king and his pyramid.
> I have a vague recollection that after Khufu the
> king was seen as the son of god and not god
> incarnate – well, something along these lines.
> And the abrupt shift to pyramids with smaller
> superstructures (note how Khafre cleverly built a
> smaller pyramid on higher ground) and less complex
> interiors suggests to me that suddenly the people
> decided they had had enough of their kings
> building such massive structures.
> I suppose one could see it as a major
> socio-economic change occurring with the end of
> Khufu’s reign.
>
> I must remind you that all of this is pure
> speculation on my part, and I am well out of my
> depth…
>
>
> You write, ‘Imo, the GP obviously is the result of
> a very personal view on resurrection and the
> Afterlife by a very ambitious pharaoh.’
>
> I tend to see it as more an inevitable culmination
> of things starting with the religious beliefs and
> the mastaba tombs of an earlier time.
>
> MJ
>
>
>
> Edited 1 times. Last edit at 10/09/07 04:28AM by
> MJ Thomas.