How Sand Built the Great Pyramid

Summary

This video delves into the mysteries of the Queen's Chamber in the Great Pyramid of Giza. It explores the unusual design features and the peculiar quartz sand found nearby, which may have facilitated the construction process by reducing friction. The theory suggests the sand's unique properties could explain the unfinished state of the chamber and its air channels, offering a new perspective on ancient Egyptian construction techniques.

Takeaways

• 📜 The Great Pyramid of Giza, particularly the Queen's Chamber, is filled with unique and mysterious design features not found in other pyramids.
• 🏛️ The Queen's Chamber's name originates from the Islamic Middle Ages and was not intended for a queen. Its vaulted ceiling was deemed feminine, contrasting with the King's Chamber.
• 🧩 Gilles Dormion's 1986 drilling into the Queen's Chamber passage revealed a low-density area filled with imported quartz sand, not native to the Giza Plateau.
• 🌍 The quartz sand found was smooth, large-grained, and from El Tor on the Sinai Peninsula, indicating a specific and unusual choice for construction materials.
• 🪨 Engineering studies suggest that the quartz sand's properties, such as reduced friction and better flowability, made it superior for construction purposes, especially in reducing the effort to move large stones.
• 🔍 The unfinished floor of the Queen's Chamber and the sand used in the passage suggest a possible connection between the two, implying a functional use for the sand in the construction process.
• 🚪 The perimeter of the Queen's Chamber floor was left rough, and holes along the edges suggest support structures were used during construction.
• 🏗️ The large beams of the chamber ceiling were likely installed using a buildup of masonry and sand, which could then be easily removed once the ceiling was in place.
• 💎 The quartz sand’s smooth, rounded grains were less abrasive and provided better support under compressive stress, making it ideal for supporting heavy loads during construction.
• 📚 The precise vertical alignment of joints in the passage stones is an unusual decorative choice, possibly intended for future inscriptions or aesthetic purposes.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the 'History for Granite' channel?

The 'History for Granite' channel focuses on exploring ancient civilizations, particularly ancient Egypt, and uncovering historical secrets through the analysis of architectural and archaeological findings.

Why is the Great Pyramid of Giza considered unique among pyramids?

The Great Pyramid of Giza is unique due to its size, being the largest pyramid ever constructed, and its many mysterious design features that have fascinated explorers throughout history.

Why is the chamber in the Great Pyramid known as the 'Queen's Chamber'?

The Queen's Chamber in the Great Pyramid got its name from the Islamic Middle Ages due to its gabled saddle vault ceiling, which was considered a feminine design at the time, contrasting with the King’s Chamber.

What was the purpose of the drilling conducted by Gilles Dormion in 1986?

Gilles Dormion drilled into the horizontal passage leading to the Queen’s Chamber in 1986, hoping to find sealed magazine storerooms filled with grave goods based on microgravimetry and ground penetrating radar surveys that indicated a low-density space adjacent to the corridor.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Mysteries of the Great Pyramid's Queen's Chamber

This paragraph introduces the video series 'History for Granite' and delves into the unique architectural features of the Great Pyramid of Giza, particularly focusing on the Queen's Chamber. It discusses the historical misconception of the chamber's purpose, the gabled saddle vault ceiling, and the peculiarities of the chamber's design, such as the sealed air channels and unfinished masonry. The narrative also touches on previous investigations into the chamber's mysteries, leading to a new exploration of an uninvestigated mystery related to the discovery of sand during drilling attempts in 1986.

05:01

🔍 The Enigmatic Sand of the Queen's Chamber Passage

This section explores the unexpected discovery of smooth, large-grained quartz sand during drilling operations near the Queen's Chamber, which was not native to the Giza Plateau but matched sand from El Tor on the Sinai Peninsula. The sand's unique properties, such as its purity, grain size, and smoothness, are highlighted, contrasting it with the local desert sand. The paragraph also discusses the potential construction benefits of this sand, including reduced friction for dragging heavy stones and better flowability, suggesting a deliberate choice in using this specific sand for construction purposes within the Great Pyramid.

10:04

🏗️ Construction Techniques and the Queen's Chamber's Role

The focus shifts to the possible construction techniques employed in the Great Pyramid, particularly the installation of the Queen's Chamber's saddle vault ceiling. It proposes that the unique quartz sand may have been used to facilitate the transportation and positioning of massive limestone beams. The paragraph also examines the unfinished state of the chamber's floor and walls, suggesting that the presence of the sand could explain the absence of a finished pavement and the peculiarities of the subfloor and air channels. The hypothesis is presented that the sand served a dual purpose: aiding in construction and later being used as filler material in the pyramid's structure.

15:08

🤔 Unfinished Mysteries and Theories of the Queen's Chamber

The final paragraph wraps up the discussion by addressing the unfinished aspects of the Queen's Chamber, such as the air channels and the subfloor, and proposes a cohesive model that explains these anomalies in the context of the chamber's construction. It also speculates on the psychological impact of finding an empty chamber on ancient intruders, leading to further exploration and digging. The paragraph concludes with a lingering question about the unusual stone joint alignment in the passage to the Queen's Chamber, suggesting a possible decorative or functional purpose that remains a subject of intrigue.

Keywords

💡Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex in Egypt. It is renowned for its unique and mysterious design features, which have captivated explorers and researchers for centuries. In the video's context, the pyramid's size and peculiarities are central to the discussion of its construction and the mysteries surrounding the Queen's Chamber.

💡Queen's Chamber

The Queen's Chamber is a space within the Great Pyramid of Giza that has been a subject of intrigue due to its distinct features and the mystery of its purpose. The video highlights the chamber's unique architectural elements, such as the gabled saddle vault ceiling, and its separation from the King's Chamber, suggesting it was not merely an antechamber but had a specific role in the pyramid's design.

💡Microgravimetry

Microgravimetry is a geophysical method used to measure small variations in gravity, which can indicate the presence of hidden chambers or voids. In the video, this technique was employed by Gilles Dormion to investigate the space adjacent to the passage leading to the Queen's Chamber, revealing the presence of a low-density area that turned out to be filled with sand.

💡Quartz sand

Quartz sand is a specific type of sand composed predominantly of quartz grains. In the video, the discovery of pure quartz sand near the Queen's Chamber is highlighted as unusual due to its non-native origin and its distinct properties compared to the local Giza sand. The script suggests that this sand may have been used for construction purposes due to its reduced friction and flowability.

💡Friction

Friction is the resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving over another. The video explains how the use of quartz sand in the construction of the Great Pyramid could have reduced the friction experienced when dragging heavy stones, making the construction process more efficient.

💡Sarcophagus

A sarcophagus is a stone coffin used for burials, often associated with high-status individuals. The script mentions old accounts of the Queen's Chamber containing a sarcophagus, adding to the mystery of its purpose and the nature of its contents.

💡Corbelled niche

A corbelled niche is an architectural feature created by corbelling, a technique where successive rows of masonry project inward to form a recess or arch. The video describes the decorative corbelled niche in the Queen's Chamber as one of the elements that contribute to the room's enigmatic character.

💡Air channels

Air channels refer to the small, narrow passages in the pyramid that may have served as ventilation or had a different, unknown purpose.

Highlights

The Great Pyramid of Giza has unique and mysterious design features, including the Queen’s Chamber, which has fascinated explorers throughout history.

The Queen’s Chamber is named for its gabled saddle vault ceiling, considered a feminine design during the Islamic Middle Ages.

The Queen’s Chamber is isolated from the King’s Chamber and was sealed off within the pyramid, adding to its mystery.

Gilles Dormion's 1986 exploration of the Queen’s Chamber passage revealed a low-density space filled with sand, not grave goods.

The sand discovered near the Queen’s Chamber is a smooth, large-grained pure quartz variety not native to the Giza Plateau.

The quartz sand from El Tor on the Sinai Peninsula was used as a premium building material, reducing friction for dragging heavy stones.

The pure quartz sand has better flowability and is more resistant to moisture compared to the local desert sand.

The Queen’s Chamber floor is rough and lacks a finished pavement, suggesting it was never completed.

The sub-floor of the Queen’s Chamber shows patterns that indicate the use of masonry and beams for supporting the ceiling during construction.

The Queen’s Chamber's unfinished state may be related to the use of quartz sand for construction and the subsequent removal process.

The horizontal passage to the Queen’s Chamber has a unique stone layout with vertically aligned joints, possibly a decorative choice.

The empty state of the Queen’s Chamber may have motivated ancient intruders to dig further, leading to the longest unsuccessful dig in an Old Kingdom pyramid.

The air channels in the Queen’s Chamber, thought to be utilitarian vents, were forgotten and only discovered in 1872.

A cohesive model explaining the anomalies in the Queen’s Chamber suggests a construction process involving the use of quartz sand and a focus on the ceiling beams.

The unique stone layout in the passage to the Queen’s Chamber could indicate an early attempt at wall decoration or text inscription.

The video concludes with a call to subscribe for more historical exploration and a reminder to share the content with others.

Transcripts

Welcome to History for Granite. Join me to  explore ancient Egypt. Please subscribe,  

and together we’ll uncover secrets  from the past, written in stone.

The Great Pyramid of Giza contains many unique  and mysterious design features compared to  

the pyramids that come before and after. Combined with the fact that it was the largest  

pyramid ever constructed, it’s no wonder  that these peculiarities have fascinated  

explorers throughout history. Among these many special qualities,  

the so-called Queen’s Chamber of the  Great Pyramid stands out as confounding  

those who have studied the pyramids. No modern researchers believe it was  

designed for a Queen, but rather its name comes  from the Islamic Middle Ages. The gabled saddle  

vault ceiling was considered a feminine design at the time, in comparison with the name given  

to the highest chamber in the pyramid known as the  King’s Chamber. This is why only the Great Pyramid  

has a King’s Chamber and a Queen’s Chamber,  while later pyramids are simply designated  

with a burial chamber and an antechamber. The Queen’s Chamber, however, is no mere  

antechamber as it stands isolated from the  King’s Chamber and was sealed off within the  

pyramid at the passage which leads to it. In previous videos I have discussed individual  

mysteries of the Queen’s Chamber including  old accounts of it containing a sarcophagus,  

the decorative corbelled niche, the sealed air  channels, and its other unfinished masonry. 

In this video, we’re going to tie all the  Queen’s Chamber mysteries together and  

present a cohesive understanding of the space.  In doing so, we’re going to focus on one more  

mystery that has not been fully investigated. In 1986, French architect and researcher Gilles  

Dormion was granted permission to drill into the  horizontal passage leading to the Queen’s Chamber.  

Microgravimetry and ground penetrating radar  surveys indicated a low-density space was  

adjacent to this corridor. Dormion hoped  to find sealed magazine storerooms filled  

with grave goods and drilled three times  into the western wall of the passage. 

Each drill core penetrated at a slightly  different angle, but all of them came up  

with varying depths of sand packed between  the inner limestone blocks of the pyramid. 

The first core drilled about 30 degrees down  from horizontal for about 2.6 meters and passed  

through a 20-centimeter cavity of sand. The second core drilled about 35 degrees from  

horizontal for a similar depth and passed  through a 10-centimeter sand cavity. 

The final and southernmost core drilled about  40 degrees from horizontal and reached a sand  

cavity at least 40 centimeters in depth  but could not drill farther through it. 

The discovery of sand rather than grave goods was  interpreted in the media as a failure at the time,  

and consequently no drilling has occurred  at the Great Pyramid since 1986. 

The sand itself is particularly interesting,  because microscopic analysis revealed it  

is a smooth and large-grained pure quartz  variety not native to the Giza Plateau. The  

closest match for the sand is El Tor on the  Sinai Peninsula, hundreds of miles away. 

Egyptology has yet to take interest in this sand,  and Mark Lehner and Zahi Hawass characterize it in  

their 2017 book as simply filler material  between the Queen’s Chamber passage walls  

and the rougher core masonry of the pyramid. This explanation has also given rise to the idea  

that the Great Pyramid used sand as a filler  throughout the entire structure. It should  

be expected that a fair amount of wind-blown  desert sand would find its way into the core  

of the pyramid during construction. Perhaps  when small gaps were present between blocks,  

sand was also intentionally deposited  into those areas as well.  

The sand found near the Queen’s Chamber passage,  however, is not what the ancient Egyptians would  

use as cheap filler for a structure the size  of the Great Pyramid. This quartz sand was  

transported from a great distance, and not  comparable to the cheaper materials at Giza  

used for the rougher fill of the pyramid. There  was plenty of sand available near the pyramids,  

so importing a different variety would  only be done for a specific reason.

The differences between the  Queen’s Chamber passage sand  

and Giza desert sand are as follows: The passage sand is 99% quartz with trace  

bits of plagioclase whereas Giza sand is a  mixture of calcite, quartz and plagioclase. 

The passage sand is large, with grain  size ranging from 100 to 400 microns.  

Giza desert sand is smaller, ranging  from 10 to 100 microns in size. 

Finally, the passage sand grains are  smooth and rounded, in contrast to  

Giza sand which is angular and sharp. Clearly the passage sand is very different  

from the desert sand, but what benefit  would this difference bestow upon the 

builders of the Great Pyramid? Attempting to read about engineering  

properties of sand, it became clear I was in over  my head. Thus, I reached out to experts who might  

help me understand the distinction between the  passage sand and the desert sand at Giza. 

An engineering professor at the University  of Sydney was kind enough to explain how the  

quartz sand found in the passage would be more  efficient for various methods of construction. 

This well-graded quartz sand would reduce  the friction of dragging heavy stones  

over it by up to half compared to the local  desert sand. The more homogenous grain size  

and the rounded shape of the pure quartz sand  contribute to this reduction in friction.

Reducing the friction of dragging  stones would have an obvious  

benefit when constructing a pyramid. But there’s another benefit to reducing  

the friction coefficient of the sand, and this  how the grains of sand act upon each other.

The pure quartz sand found in the passage  would have a much better flowability than  

the local desert stand. Rounded grains flow  better than angular grains. Also, the quartz  

sand has a 1 to 4 size distribution compared  to a 1 to 10 distribution for the desert sand.  

A more homogenous size distribution increases  flowability. Smaller sand grains also are more  

subjected to cohesion when moisture is introduced,  and a few drops of water combined with 10-micron  

sized sand grains turns them into a sticky paste.  The larger grains of pure quartz sand are thus  

more resistant to moisture. Finally, quartz is  mechanically stronger than calcite and the pure  

quartz sand would be subjected to less breakage  and abrasion induced by compressive stress. The  

breakage of sand produces fine particulate  that further increases its friction. 

All of these physical characteristics combine to  make the quartz sand found in the Queen’s Chamber  

passage far superior as a building material. The  ancient Egyptians may have been unaware why this  

sand created less friction and flowed better, but  nonetheless they could observe these effects when  

using it. If there’s one thing Egyptians  had a lot of experience with, its sand. 

But this premium quartz sand was transported  a great distance to Giza and it seems unlikely  

the primary function was to fill empty  gaps in the rough pyramid masonry. 

The Queen’s Chamber is not far from where  the quartz sand was discovered, and so  

perhaps a connection can be made between the two. The floor of this chamber is conspicuously rough  

and lacks a finished high-quality pavement.  Furthermore, the physical evidence suggests  

the floor was never finished, because the  sub-floor was only cut down in the center  

of the room to receive blocks fitted on top. The question of how enormous stones making up the  

saddle vault ceiling of the Queen’s Chamber  were installed can perhaps be combined with  

the missing floor and the sand. The other saddle vaults in the Great  

Pyramid include the chevron blocks  above the entrance and Campbell’s  

Chamber high above the King’s Chamber. But these other saddle vaults cover small spaces  

and have large notches cut to receive logs that  could support the beams as they were set in place.  

They were also never meant to be seen and thus  cut-outs in the stone were not problematic. 

The Queen’s Chamber, however, is a spacious  room with a high ceiling and was designed  

to have a finely finished appearance. Thus, the same technique of cutting into  

the walls for a log falsework of  support would not be suitable. 

The solution, first commented on by Flinders  Petrie, was to build up a structure inside the  

Queen’s Chamber on top of the subfloor to support  the ceiling beams as they were installed. 

Other researchers, such as Gilles Dormion, have  attempted to make sense of the stone layout in  

the floor and explain every detail that can be  observed. But taking one individual cutting,  

such as the lightning-bolt shaped edge in the  center of the room and extrapolating an entire  

design is too speculative for my liking. I prefer patterns, and there are only two clear  

patterns that I can see. The first is that  the perimeter of the floor has a raised edge  

75 centimeters from the wall on all sides. This  edge is clearly seen on at least eight different  

floor stones, including all four corners. Ancient Egyptians always cut down stones to fit  

blocks that would sit on top of them, and thus  it can be concluded that center of the Queen’s  

Chamber was built up with masonry, leaving a  75-centimeter gap along the walls on all sides. 

The second pattern is the numerous round holes  found cut into the subfloor. All of these holes,  

except for one in the center of the room, are  found along the perimeter of the chamber. Thus  

the holes would be supporting beams that  were placed in the empty space surrounding  

the masonry in the center of the chamber. We can be confident the Queen’s Chamber never  

received finished pavement, because the subfloor  would have been recut to set the pavement on top,  

yet we still see the cutting pattern for  construction massif in the center of the room. 

However, the walls of the chamber are dressed  nicely smooth, so why would this feature of the  

Queen’s Chamber be finished and not the floor? The answer is that in leaving a 75-centimeter gap  

along the perimeter, the builders were able to  continue to finish dressing the chambers walls  

as it was constructed, along with building the  stone support in the center of the chamber. 

These small holes in the floor  perimeter may have supported ladders  

or scaffolding that the builders would use to  work on the chamber as it rose in height. 

Finally, to install the ceiling, enormous  limestone beams would need to be pitched  

about 30 degrees above horizontal  and dragged over the chamber. 

In 1837 Howard Vyse and John Perring excavated  the northwest corner of the ceiling to determine  

how far the roof beams extend into the pyramid.  The beams are about twice in length as they can  

be seen in the chamber, so about 6 meters long in  total. Their thickness is unknown, but referencing  

the two-meter-thick chevrons above the pyramid  entrance allows us to estimate the weight of  

each ceiling beam at 30-40 imperial tons. These would be some of the most challenging  

stones in the pyramid to transport and install.  Perhaps the anomalous sand found by Gilles  

Dormion near the Queen’s Chamber passage  could have been used in this process. 

This well-graded quartz sand could reduce the  friction of dragging the beams into their final  

position. Furthermore, the sand would make  an ideal filler for the 75-centimeter-deep  

perimeter of the Queen’s Chamber that was  left empty. The rounded quartz sand resists  

compression compared to angular sand, and thus a  40-ton limestone beam would be better supported  

as it was aligned for the chamber roof. After the chamber ceiling was completed,  

the chamber could be unblocked at the passage and  fluid quartz sand would be easily removed. Then  

the builders could immediately begin dismantling  the masonry inside the chamber from all sides. 

The polished Queen’s Chamber walls would also  have been protected by the rounded quartz sand,  

and this contrasts with angular sand which is the  kind used for sandblasting in modern construction.  

Also leaving the air channels uncut in the chamber  would prevent the sand from clogging them up. 

The builders conspicuously left the corner  of the Queen’s Chamber entrance with extra  

stone to protect it from being damaged during  this construction process. Workers carrying  

the support stones out of the chamber would be  prevented from damaging the sharp corner. This  

is the only reason to leave the edge protruding  like this, and it’s the only corner found like  

this in any pyramid. Transporting fragile grave  goods is not a threat to limestone walls. 

After removing the quartz sand from the  Queen’s Chamber, what do you do with it?  

Some was probably stored for other uses, but  excess could have been recycled as filler  

for the pyramid in nearby locations. This of  course, is exactly where the sand was found. 

One meter beneath the Queen’s Chamber passage  seems like a low elevation for this sand to  

appear, but remember the ceiling beams of the  chamber angle down deep into the pyramid in  

this exact location. Therefore, much of the  Queen’s Chamber had to be constructed earlier  

than surrounding parts of the pyramid  for the roof to be laid in place. 

Ground penetrating scans conducted by Waseda  University in 1987 also detected low density  

space in this area of the pyramid. Perhaps  some cavities were intentionally left in the  

pyramid to quickly receive the excess sand. Therefore, in connecting the quartz sand to the  

Queen’s Chamber we have explained why the  air channels, the subfloor, and the corner  

threshold all remained unfinished. This also explains why the chamber  

remained so mysterious throughout the ages. Imagine you were among the intruders to discover  

the Queen’s Chamber. You dismantle the false  floor in the Grand Gallery, and thus know with  

certainty you are the first to enter. But you only find an empty room, nothing  

inside at all. You would assume that hidden  treasures still lay uncovered. This is the  

motivation necessary to dig 15 meters through  the Niche, convinced that a hidden passage lay  

behind it. The Niche is by far the longest  ancient dig into an Old Kingdom pyramid that  

resulted in failure. It took the extraordinary  circumstance of the Queen’s Chamber being empty  

to provoke such a reaction from intruders. The chamber being abandoned also explains why  

its air channels were not uncovered until 1872.  If these channels were sacred spiritual conduits,  

some knowledge of their existence would have  survived long enough for someone to search  

for them. Every conceivable hidden space was  examined for valuables. But the air channels were  

never-used utilitarian vents, and thus entirely  forgotten by everyone in ancient Egypt.

Now having explained the many anomalies in  the Queen’s Chamber with a cohesive model,  

I feel satisfied that most of the puzzle  is solved. But I’ll leave you with one last  

unexplained mystery to ponder before the end. The horizontal passage to the chamber is laid with  

stones which align their joints vertically,  and the joints also mirror each other on the  

walls for much of its length. The Egyptians  always staggered their joints for stability,  

so what is going on here? It is this very anomaly that led  

Gilles Dormion to probe the walls and discover  the quartz sand nearly 4 decades ago.  

For myself, these joints seem decorative –  a rare aesthetic choice for the layout of  

stones. It gives the impression of a canvas,  perhaps an aborted idea of adorning the walls  

with decorations or texts. Interestingly,  the later pyramids which contain texts are  

deliberate with the layout of stones  on which the texts are inscribed.

The openable portcullises in pyramids made a  Queen’s Chamber obsolete, but perhaps its passage  

walls were ahead of its time. The idea that if  you’re going to recite prayers for the King, it’s  

so much easier to have them written on the walls.  This way, unlike the Queen’s Chamber, nothing of  

importance could ever be truly forgotten. Thanks to everyone who watched this video to  

the end. Please subscribe to the channel to see  more of this content. Give a like or comment as  

you see fit, and above all, remember to ask your  friends if they take their History for Granite.