Anthony Wrote:
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> lobo-hotei Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
>
> >
> > According to both quotes the plugs are
> > 41.6"(approx. close anyways).
> >
>
>
>
> Actually, the M&R quote is probably the most
> accurate, and they say 41.3 inches for the blocks.
> That's an extra third of an inch to move the
> blocks by any wavering of the side walls.

Well if accuracy is the call the it would be 41.34 inches to 41.60 inches which leaves 0.25 inch play and per side would be the 1/8"(0.125) approx. I already stated. Either way it is alot closer to the stated width of Petrie,Smyth, etc.) then your stated interpretation of 38 inches that would allow ease of completition of the plugs sliding down the passage.
Also the pssage was measured at only 4 spots I believe it was said. That leaves alot of passage not measured which should be done in the future.

> They could have used water as well as a lubricant.
> Some have suggested the mortar, which is why it
> has been found in spots along the tunnel floor.
> M&R disagree with that hypothesis, by the
> way.

Either way whatever was purported to be used for lubricant would also prevent, or at least limit the efectiveness of, any worker trying to leverage the plugs in the already cramped passage where leverage would be poor from the start.

> To take this back to MJT's original post:
>
Quote:However, taking the Ascending Passage as a
> whole, its width varies from 41.4” to 42.1”
>
> This means that at one point in its length the
> Ascending Passage is 0.2” narrower than the
> maximum recorded width (41.6”) of the granite
> plugs.
>
> The blocks are less than that... 41.3 inches. His
> objection has been rendered technically null.
> Maybe not "practically" null, as you are
> suggesting here with your suggestion that it would
> have been too tight at those low clearances, but
> the claim that the passage was actually smaller
> than the plug stones is not entirely valid,
> according to the latest, most comprehensive
> survey.

I only showed that the measurements of the plugs were close enough to the few measurements of the ascending passage as to be the same width. An 1/8 inch gap per side is very little room at all. And with the 41.4 inch width measurement(passage) that gap becomes 1/32 inch per side. That gap is not enough to allow animal fat to lubricate the blocks, allow for buildup of the fat, and allow the air being trapped below the blocks to escape past the blocks. With those close tolerances and the animal fat sealant you could possibly get vapor(vapour) lock towards the lower levels with the compression of the air in the passage, not sure though.

As the lubricant goes it would need to cover all four sides due to such close tolerances and water doesn't stay too well on the ceilings and mortar would tend to build up in front of the plug filling in any small gaps along the floor and possibly wedging the plug up towards the ceiling or at the least build up in front of the plugs causing spaces between the plugs for both gaps(1[]2 and 2[]3) not just the one mentioned.

> I would also like to point out that many of these
> passages are probably measured at the top and
> bottom corners. To measure across the middle
> would require a certain amount of triangulation
> that might make it time consuming for such a basic
> measurement. However, there is another fact about
> the blocks that must be brought up, that I have
> not seen mentioned here yet, and it has been
> nagging at me.

It wouldn't matter where it was measured with less than 1/8" inch gap per side. The smallest width of the passage would stop the plug at the width across the top or bottom as well as in the middle.


> The edge corners all the way around the block were
> all rounded. If the Ascending Passageway, into
> which these plugs were shoved, had a slight bow to
> the walls, then the rounded corners would not
> interfere with the tight tolerances of the
> corners. In addition, the rounded edges also give
> the blocks an advantage when being slid down the
> passage: no hard edges to catch on anything. Why
> go through the work of rounding the blocks if they
> aren't going to be slid? It actually makes them
> harder to handle, I would suggest.

IF is a big word for two letters. Unless there is evidence to show the whole of the passage is bowed we can't assume such for sake of allowing a successful passage of the plugs/blocks.

As far as the rounded edges go it does make it easier to insert into a hole/gap but that gap could be 200 RC deep or 2RC deep. The rounded edges also allow build up of the lubricant as well as ramping up onto the lubricant.


IF the ascending passage had to be plugged then the intial level, with the more narrow ending, along with the first few levels to get the angle correct for future reference would need to be built before the plugs put in place. This would keep the plugs from sliding out into the ascending/descending juncture.
So building up to 2-3 levels above each plug stone could allow for continuation of the ascending passage angle and also have the plugs inserted into the 1-2 level hole(passage) without the problems that would accrue with the full length of the ascending passage. This works with the physical evidence of the passage and blocks shown here and negates the concerns over tolerances along the whole of the acending passage as well as huge quanatities of lubricant be it animal fat or mortar, though mortar would still be between the blocks into present times.


> These are practical issues as well, and given the
> preponderance of evidence for this being Khufu's
> tomb and these plug stones being standard passage
> blocking devices, I think the benefit of the doubt
> goes to the current paradigm: the blocks were slid
> down from the Grand Gallery to plug the passage
> after Khufu was interred.

Well since the AE were practical, vs. theoretical, problem solvers I would imagine that the problem of too tight tolerances would have been known by them with the previous experience of plug stones/ blocking stones having been used.

Regards,
Lobo-hotei
lobo

Treat the earth well, It was not given to you by your parents, It was loaned to you by your children.
Native American Proverb