aarvai Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In 1837 Howard Vyse looked for a Southern entrance
> to the Great
> Pyramid. After removing about 30 feet of blocks,
> he gave up.
>
> [1.bp.blogspot.com]
>
> In his published results he says this:
>
> > The stones were very large, and the half of each
> of them
> > was keyed in under the upper layer, besides
> which, many
> > of them were in slanting directions, although in
> horizontal
> > courses
>
> I'm not sure what he means by half of each stone
> being keyed under the
> layer above it. From the images I found, it
> doesn't appear that any
> stones are keyed. It also doesn't look like the
> stones are slanted. Does
> anyone have any more information or better
> pictures showing what he was
> referring to? Here's a link to his publication:
>
> [archive.org]

Here is the full quote from that page

""The excavation for a southern entrance in the Great
Pyramid was begun at the distance of twenty-four feet
westwards from the centre, and carried on to the depth
of thirty feet, which was a work of considerable difficulty
and labour, and was not finished till the 29th of May.^
The stones were very large, and the half of each of them
was keyed in under the upper layer, besides which, many
of them were in slanting directions, although in horizontal
courses ; it became therefore necessary to break, almost
every block before it could be removed.'' The mortar
was nearly as hard as the stone itself, so that with
Arab workmen, and common tools, it was a most tedious
operation. To obviate some of these difficulties, I ordered
the people to get up twenty or thirty feet, and to cut
perpendicularly down behind the stones ; but very little
advantage was gained in proportion to the increased

^ Tlie principal part of the blocks composing the pyramids were
quarried from the rock on which they stand, and abound with fossil
remains ; but, for the casing of the exterior, for the lining of the pass-
ages, and for many other particular parts, they w-ere brought from the
Mokattam, and consisted of a compact limestone which contains few
fossils, and is termed by geologists swine-stone.

7 Mr. Perring observed, that the mortar used for the casing and
lining of the passages was of lime only; that in the body of the pyramid
it was composed of red brick, gravel, Nile earth, crushed granite, and
calcareous stone, and of lime ; and that for fillings in desert sand was
employed in a grout of liquid mortar.