Hi Robin,

Thanks for the link to the topic with the discussion about the shafts. I'll read it all, because this question very interests me.

At now I can express my preliminary opinion on this topic.

1. Shafts are directed to north and south (and not for example to east and west) to emphasize the symbolic connection between north and south. (The whole history of Egypt is connected with north-south duality: a) division into Upper (south) and Lower (north) Egypt; b) The Nile is flowing from south to north - it is borning in the south and is dying in the north; the afterworld was originally located in the northern sky).
2. The main objects of the northern sky in Egypt were the Big Dipper (compare ancient Egyptian spelling: north - mht, the northern (plural) - mhtjw, Big Dipper - mshtjw) and Mooring Post, and the main objects of the southern - Sirius and Sah.
3. There are two hypotheses about the purpose of the shafts: a) stellar hypothesis: shafts were designed for symbolic connection of the pyramid chambers with stellar objects and were directed to the main objects of the northern and southern sky; b) geometrical hypothesis - the shafts were created for ventilation(?) and they located so to demonstrate geometric relations. Each of these hypotheses has both strengths and weaknesses.
4. Interestingly, the other pyramids do not have such shafts (with the exception of the Khafre pyramid, where shafts are very short and were obviously added after construction). This phenomenon should be explained within the framework of any proposed hypothesis.
5. The fact that there are 4 shafts and they all have different angles of slope (the builders could simply copy the angles of QC shafts for KC shafts) in my opinion indicates: a) that the Khufu pyramid was originally planned with a three-chamber design (it would be strange if at first the builders decided to direct shafts to Sirius and Meskhetiu (QC), and then changed their minds decided to direct them to Sah and Mooring Post (KC)); b) 4 shafts with different angles of inclination correspond to the mentioned 4 main objects of the northern and southern sky, what, it seems to me, supports the stellar hypothesis.
6. The QC shafts do not reach the surface and were blocked in the chamber, although the continuation of their construction to a height much higher than the position of the King chamber suggests that they were not abandoned in favor of KC shafts. Any proposed hypothesis should try to explain this phenomenon.
7. The inclination (at the beginning) of the QC shafts is very close to the perpendicular to the facing (according to Petrie's data), which at first glance testifies in favor of the geometrical hypothesis.
8. KC shafts reach the surface almost at the same level. This is a very powerful argument in favor of the geometrical hypothesis, because the simultaneous alignment of two shafts to two stellar targets with the condition that the exits of the shafts must be at the same level is in most cases an impossible task.
9. The 45 degree of inclination of south KC shaft also seems to support a geometrical hypothesis.

If I'm wrong in some points - please correct me.

Want to say that I have not yet formed a final opinion on the issue. In order to make any more or less final conclusions, it is necessary to have accurate data about the measured angles and also come to an agreement the angles of which particular parts are considered to be the angle of the shafts and why.

In connection with these, I wonder what values for inclination of shafts you prefer and why.

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Petrie plotted the exits in the 102 and 103 courses but Gantenbrink's geometric plan requires higher exit points.

Very interesting! Is it possible to conclude that the average angles given by him are slightly overestimated?

Petrie wrote on this matter:

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It is striking that the slope of both passages continuously increases up to the outside (except just at the mouth of the S. channel); hence these quantities, which only extend over a part of either passage, cannot give the true mean slope; probably on the whole length the means would not be greater angles than 31º and 44½º respectively.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2020 04:16PM by keeperzz.