PYRAMIDES CONSTRUCTED BY HELP OF PAPYRUS?
This new theory to the ancient mystery; how several tons of heavy stone blocks could be carried up the ramps at the pyramid building, is here explained by the senior doctor Ulla-Maria Larsson.
She explains her theory by using a metaphor of her recent awakening from anesthesia at the hospital. “At the awakening, the staff first put some strange objects under my back. Then by a gentle push from the staff I slipped in the hospital bed as a ”slippery soap”.Just as the modern hospital environment, uses ”slides” to move – the pyramid builders might have used slides to move large blocks of stone.”
This fascinating insight first stroke Dr Larsson at a trip in Egypt and her later findings supports the theory.
At the Keop’s pyramid, Dr Larsson was, like others, impressed by how, with primitive tools, the Egyptians were able to construct such a gigantic construction out of millions of stone blocks. However one of the questions appearing to her was if the Egyptians used any substance to reduce the friction to be able to carry the stone blocks?
Looking back, the other day during the trip as Dr Larsson was studying the papyrus production, she noticed the soaked papyrus looked like a white packet of gel and had the overall characteristic to be very slippery. Then the idea stroke Dr Larsson – the constructers of the pyramid might have used the well known gel feature of papyrus in order to reduce friction.
Following evidence is supporting the theory.
The historian Mohammad Al Makrizi quotes in the book [1] by Falk / Rönne concerning “the philosopher’s stone”:
”When the stone was cut out, the scholars put a leaf on it and gave it a push and immediately the stone moved six hundred cubits, and then continued until the stone reached the pyramid.” (Free translation)
The quote implies the Egyptians put a leaf on the stone in order to use it as a slide to reduce friction.
In a famous painting by papyrus, [2] at the British Museum shows where the God Osiris sits, there is a plant of papyrus growing next to his chair.
The chair is on a mat, which is fish-bone-patterned, i.e. braided.
Consequently the mat must have been made of a powerful material most likely papyrus since it is a common plant in the area as well as implied in the painting.
In a film by Thor Heyerdal about boat construction, he illustrates that one of the workers with a single chop by his ax was able to cleave a long-standing papyrus trunk that could give 3-4 meter poles. If you wrap these poles together, you will get a mat with a fish-bone pattern.
The question arises if the Egyptians perhaps used these fish-bone patterned mats as slides in the construction of the pyramids?
Nils Billing’s thesis [3] on Egypt’s pyramids describes that during a very old temple, traces of a column with the impression of 12 interlaced papyrus strains were found. It is therefore possible to conclude that when transporting very heavy stone blocks, whole interlaced papyrus strains were used.
In conclusion, the theory “Pyramids by papyrus” by Dr Larsson is questioning if carpets of long-cut braided papyrus (made of whole interlaced papyrus) was used as slides to help to pull the largest stone blocks in the transport for the construction of the pyramids.
The next attempt to confirm this new theory would be an investigation with the C14 method to clarify whether there are residues of organic material between the stone blocks.
Science journalists who already got insight in this new thesis have encouraged Dr Larsson to continue to get her theory reviewed by researchers.
Dr Ulla-Maria Larsson , Danderyd, Sweden
info@pyramidsbypapyrus.se
[1] Falk-Rönne Travel in the Pharaohs Kingdom
[2] Excerpt from a painting in the British Museum.
[3] Nils Billing: Egyptian Pyramids 2009