Examining the Grand Gallery in the Pyramid of Khufu and Its Features

Miatello, Khufu’s Grand Gallery PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 7(6) (2010)

Examining the Grand Gallery in the Pyramid of Khufu and its Features

Luca Miatello*

*Via Garibaldi 18 22070 Albiolo, CO, Italy [email protected]

Miatello, Luca. 2010. Examining the Grand Gallery in the Pyramid of Khufu and its Features. – Palarch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 7(6) (2010), 1-36. ISSN 1567-214X. 36 pages + 14 figures, 3 tables (incl.A ppendix).

Keywords: Old Kingdom architecture, royal funerary complexes, pyramid of Khufu, grand gallery, architecture and decoration programme

Abstract The explanation of the symmetrical features on the west and east sides of the grand gallery in the pyramid of Khufu has always been an intricate puzzle for researchers. The existence of such peculiar features is generally related to the function of parking the granite plugs, but only three or four granite blocks were presumably used to plug the ascending corridor, while a much larger number of slots and niches are found in the gallery. Previous interpretations of niches, slots, cuttings and grooves are unsatisfactory, and the present investigation focuses on important, formerly neglected aspects. The analysis of numerical patterns in the design of the grand gallery provides crucial evidence, and a new interpretation of the features in the gallery is, therefore, proposed, by considering the numerous variables implied in the problem.

The grand gallery in the pyramid of Khufu, still today block the ascending corridor. How- with its astonishing corbelled ceiling made of ever, previous interpretations of the functions huge limestone blocks, has no parallel in in- of the peculiar features on the west and east ternal passages of pyramid tombs. Its smaller sides of the monument are unsatisfactory. The scale prototype, though, can be identified, as present paper proposes a new explanation. As indicated by Lehner (1997: 104), in the as- will be argued, the grand gallery was not cre- cending corridor of the Bent Pyramid’s satel- ated simply as a ‘parking garage’ for the gran- lite (cenotaph). The purpose of the gallery is ite plugs: it fulfilled also a primary symbolic generally related to the parking, before their purpose that can also be identified in other release, of the three blocks in red granite that monuments at Giza.

Figure 1. Plan of the grand gallery and its features. Diagram by the author.

Slots, niches and trapezoidal cuttings along the two ramp benches and side walls of the gallery are marked in figure 1 with numbers from 1 to 28. These numbers will be used to identify the symmetric features in the gallery. For ex- ample, the notation ‘Nos. 1-2’ identifies the two northernmost pairs of elements. The features are here described in the order of creation sug- gested by Lehner (1998):1 • the side walls of the gallery were built after the ramp benches, since the blocks of the first course rest upon the ramp benches; • 27 slots (Nos. 1-27), or rectangular holes, were cut at regular intervals on the up- per surface of each ramp bench; another pair of slots is carved against the south wall, on the great step (No. 28), for a total of 28 pairs of slots. The holes are 14 cm wide, 18 cm deep, and their mean length alternates regularly between 52.1 cm (one cubit) and 59.2 cm (Petrie, 1883: 72).2 As illustrated by Maragioglio & Rinaldi (1965: pl. 6, fig. 5), the northern face of the notches is sloping, making a right angle with the bottom, which is crudely chiseled; • 25 niches (Nos. 3-27), 32 cm wide and 60 cm high (mean measures), were cut above the slots on each side wall, with the exception Figure 2. Slot and niche (top); niche closed with patch, and of the two northernmost slots (Nos. 1-2) and the trapezoidal cutting (bottom). Diagram by the author.