Characterizing my understanding of the Pyramid Texts as an interpretation is misleading. The simple fact is that the PT has a mostly coherent and literal meaning and this meaning is in total accord with the physical evidence and cultural and historic records. They quite plainly defined each term using the other terms. The fact that it fits into a whole simply implies this might have been the intent.

But one doesn’t need the Pyramid Texts to see that geysers fit as the explanation for almost everything in the culture and in evidence on the plateau. It’s known they “worshipped” the ben ben stone and a primeval mound or a “mound of creation”. It’s not unreasonable to assume these were related and that the ben ben was the mineral accretion of the vent on the mound which was the deposition of minerals from water containing lower levels of CO2 than that at the vent as is the nature of geysers. In other words this fits the cultural and historic record. Atum is associated with it and was said to be first God who created himself despite the fact that Nun (the God of water) preexisted him! This makes sense in terms of geysers but it doesn’t in other terms. The PT speaks of the king and Osiris usurping the place of Atum. The pyramid is thought of as the “instrument of ascension” and an extension of the primeval mound. This makes no sense in terms of islands emerging from high Nile but it does as a geyser since it is the water that made the mound and Atum just as the very same water creates the pyramid.

Of course there needs to be physical evidence for this and it is very widespread. While none of this evidence is conclusive it exists everywhere throughout the “Land Of Horus” where the great pyramids were built. This is a large triangle of land between Giza and the Fayuum with extensive evidence for water. Most of this land including Giza is high above sea level and in a desert where there should be no water at all except during rains. Yet this evidence is widespread and unmistakable. It’s not just the clear English of the PT that says inundation comes to the uplands as Osiris at Giza, it’s the simple fact that there is clear evidence that large amounts of water flowed from a catchment device at the base of G1 to the cliff face. It’s very apparent evidence that the stones on all the great pyramids moved straight up the sides and were laid as soon as they arrived from the quarry. This is shown by the numerous horizontal and vewrtical lines as well as the absense of sloped lines or patterns. There is a massive sinkhole just north of the Fayuum and water erosion in man made passages under Giza. The water down here today is known to flow since it is always clean.

It’s simply not a matter of there being a little bit of evidence here and there, it’s a matter of all the evidence supporting geysers for having built G1 and no evidence supporting the idea of ramps. Even the ramp remains found among some of the ruins are really more an argument against ramps than for them. Ramps that deliver stone to the base of the pyramid are useless for raising them on the pyramid. While this doesn’t disprove them it certainly bolsters the evidence that stones moved up the side by some means. Even the titles of the builders and overseers are inconsistent with theories that they used very highly primitive means (or ramps) to build. The titles paint a picture of a sophisticated people using ropes and boats rather than people who would attempt to use muscle power. Where is the “Overseer of Watercarriers”? They’s need hundreds of men to carry water from the Nile if it weren’t on site. There’s nothing consistent with highly primitive means and everything is consistent with a motive force. Since they had water and motive force there’s really no alternative to geysers.

Harnessing these were well within their capabilities. Even if the Pyramid Texts didn’t literally describe the process the fact is we know they had the requisite equipment and knowledge. They began growing yeast in 4400 BC and invented the drill in 3500 BC. They were stacking stones at some altitude long before they made pyramids and knew ropes. Ropes as large as 4” in diameter actually survive from this era. The only thing they needed to make a pyramid beyond this was a simple idea. This idea is that if you’re building using the water falling from a geyser you don’t have to stop when you reach the height of the water. You can just shorten the ropes and build higher. Of course you’ll make a funny looking pyramid the first time since it will be like a layer cake with each layer the height of the geyser. With practice and learning you can make progressively larger and more perfect structures.

This is what’s actually seen on the ground. It’s a natural learning curve using a motive force. This is consistent with the fact that there weren’t huge numbers of builders. The entire support town fits inside a couple city blocks. And of course, there would have been lots of administrative areas and storage here as well as some families and all the other things people need to do lots of work.

There are mountains of the other evidence that has been previously cited and is consistent with geysers. The simple fact is that virtually all the evidence is consistent or not related to geysers while no evidence is consistent with ramps. That the literal meaning of what the builders said is also consistent with it isn’t conclusive but it is very very strongly indicative. Certainly the literal meaning of their words paints them as something much different than they are usually perceived.

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Man fears the pyramid, time fears man.