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Science Frontiers ONLINE No. 55: Jan-Feb 1988 |
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Curious sand-filled cavities in the great pyramid
"Japanese and French experts are investigating a new mystery at the 4,000-year-old pyramids -- why the pharaohs built geometrical cavities inside the Great Pyramid of Cheops and filled them with mineral-enriched sifted sand...... "From the outside, the pyramid appears to be built of solid blocks of limestone. But two French architects, Gilles Dormion and Jean Patrice Goidin, discovered cavities which could total 15 to 20 per cent of the structure.
..... "The French team used an instrument which measures differences in gravity to find the internal spaces. They then drilled small holes through the 1.0-metre blocks and found sand -- but not ordinary sand from the nearby desert.
"Laboratory tests showed it came from another part of Egypt and was sifted and enriched with minerals before being placed inside the pyramid by the ancient architects."
(Fouad, Ashraf; Vancouver Sun, March 7, 1987. Cr. G. Conway via L. Farish.)
The French results were subsequently confirmed by a Japanese team.
(Buccianti, Alexandre; "Des Scientifiques Japonais Confirment les Traveaux de la Mission Francaise,: Le Monde, p. 18, February 4, 1987. Cr. C. Mauge.)