As Published by Glen Dash
AERAGRAM, 2018
Despite all the research carried out at the Great Pyramid over the centuries, it is surprising to... more Despite all the research carried out at the Great Pyramid over the centuries, it is surprising to learn that until our recent survey, we did not have useful coordinates for its position. In this paper we describe our climb to the top of the Great Pyramid to establish its exact coordinates upon the Earth's surface using satellite data.
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In this paper, we discuss the discovery of four intact foundation deposits in the Western Valley ... more In this paper, we discuss the discovery of four intact foundation deposits in the Western Valley of the Valley of the Kings. Foundation deposits are votive offerings placed in, beneath, or around a tomb, temple, or other structure, usually at its commencement. These foundation deposits were discovered by a team headed by Dr. Zahi Hawass during his 2007-2011 excavation in the Valley of the Kings. They were found at the western most end of the Western Valley in proximity to WV 23 (Tomb of Ay), 24 and 25.
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In 2015, we completed a comprehensive survey of the base of the Great Pyramid. In this paper, we ... more In 2015, we completed a comprehensive survey of the base of the Great Pyramid. In this paper, we report on the survey’s findings. We began our survey by remapping four control monuments around the base. Here we provide new coordinates for these control monuments. Next, we identified 84 points around the periphery of the Great Pyramid where we found evidence of its original baseline. Using this data set, we then derive new estimates for the size and orientation of the Great Pyramid and compute associated error bounds.
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In this paper, we present the findings from a geophysical survey conducted in the Central Valley ... more In this paper, we present the findings from a geophysical survey conducted in the Central Valley of the Valley of the Kings, and discuss some of the findings from the concurrent excavations. The survey and excavations were conducted under the auspices of Dr. Zahi Hawass and ran from 2007 until 2011.
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Areagram, 2017
Flinders Petrie has been called “the Father of Egyptian
Archaeology." His 1880–'81 survey of the... more Flinders Petrie has been called “the Father of Egyptian
Archaeology." His 1880–'81 survey of the Giza Plateau
and its pyramids was a watershed. Without doubt, he left his
mark on archaeology. As it turns out, at Giza he left his marks
literally as well. These were his “stations,” the markers in his
survey network. They can still be found, if you know where to
look, and they are still important. In this paper I identify where they
are, and what they should look like.
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Volume 2 (2017), Jan 2017
The Great Pyramid of Khufu, its neighbor, the Pyramid of Khafre and Snefru’s Red Pyramid at Dahsh... more The Great Pyramid of Khufu, its neighbor, the Pyramid of Khafre and Snefru’s Red Pyramid at Dahshur are all aligned to cardinal points with about the same magnitude and direction of error . They are off by about one tenth of one degree, and they are rotated slightly counterclockwise from cardinal points. How the Egyptians managed to achieve such accuracy has long been debated and many methods have been suggested. Yet there is one straightforward method that scholars have largely ignored, perhaps because it was thought to be too simple. This is the ʽequinoctial solar gnomon methodʼ. It uses a vertical rod to track the movement of the sun on the equinox. In this paper we show that it is a practical method, and reproduces the magnitude and direction of error we see in the alignment of these, the largest pyramids of the Pyramid Age.
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AERAGRAM, 2015
What is the exact size and orientation of the Great Pyramid? In an effort to finally and definiti... more What is the exact size and orientation of the Great Pyramid? In an effort to finally and definitively answer this question, a comprehensive resurvey of the pyramid’s base was made in 2015. This paper reports the findings.
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AERAGRAM, 2015
How large a footprint did the Great Pyramid make on the Giza Plateau when it was completed? It is... more How large a footprint did the Great Pyramid make on the Giza Plateau when it was completed? It is not an easy question to answer, as most of the outer edge of the pyramid’s
base is long gone. Scholars have had to hunt for evidence of the ancient baseline and then extrapolate their findings to locate the original corners. Not surprisingly, the surveys
that have been conducted to date do not precisely agree. With the question of the Great Pyramid’s footprint still incompletely
resolved, another attempt seemed in order.
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AERAgram Volume 15, No. 1-2, 2015
The Egyptians aligned pyramids of the fourth dynasty, including the Great Pyramid of Khufu and it... more The Egyptians aligned pyramids of the fourth dynasty, including the Great Pyramid of Khufu and its neighbor, Khafre, to cardinal points with amazing accuracy. For the most part, scholars who have studied the issue have concluded that the Egyptians must have used the nighttime stars to achieve such accuracy. In this article, I put the solar method to the test. I find that the method works, and is capable of yielding results sufficiently accurate to account for the alignment of the pyramids’ casings.
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AERAGRAM, 2013
The builders of the Great Pyramid of Khufu aligned the huge monument to true north to within six ... more The builders of the Great Pyramid of Khufu aligned the huge monument to true north to within six minutes of arc, or one tenth of a degree. How they managed to do that has long been debated. In this article we will examine four prominent theories, test one, and compare and contrast the others.
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AERAGRAM, 2012
In this article, we derive new estimates for the size and orientation of the Great Pyramid using ... more In this article, we derive new estimates for the size and orientation of the Great Pyramid using data compiled by Mark Lehner and David Goodman in 1984. We can fix the locations of the casing corners to within ten centimeters. The Lehner/Goodman estimates for the location of the casing’s corners proved to be remarkably close to Flinders Petrie’s estimates.
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AERAGRAM, 2011
In this paper, we identify those places on the Giza plateau where the Egyptians might have observ... more In this paper, we identify those places on the Giza plateau where the Egyptians might have observed the solstices. Our goal was to test the hypothesis that Giza might have functioned not only as a funerary complex to serve the dead king, but also to serve the living Egyptians as a platform for observing the solstices.
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AERAGRAM, 2004
Remote sensing can be a helpful
adjunct with its indirect look below the
surface based on geoph... more Remote sensing can be a helpful
adjunct with its indirect look below the
surface based on geophysics. In the fall of fall
2003 we put some remote sensing techniques to
the test in a pilot season of the Giza geophysical
survey, sponsored by the National
Geographical Society.
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1. Excavations
The Khentkawes Town (KKT)
North of the Wall of the Crow (WCN)
Wall of the Crow ... more 1. Excavations
The Khentkawes Town (KKT)
North of the Wall of the Crow (WCN)
Wall of the Crow Northeast (WCNE)
WCES Burial Excavations
The Backhoe Trenches (BHT, BBHT1, BBHT2)
BBHT1 (Biggest Backhoe Trench)
Main Street East (MSE): Clues to the Pedestal Mystery
The Northwestern Bakeries of EOG
EOG/BHT
BB: The Royal Administrative Building (RAB)
Summary of BB Excavations, 2006 and 2007 by Freya Sadarangani
Area AA and The Pedestal Building
Area AA Preliminary Phasing by James Taylor
House Unit 1 by Yukinori Kawae
2. Capital Zone Walk-About 2006: Spot Heights on the Third Millennium Landscape by Mark Lehner
3. 2006 Geophysical Season at Giza: A Ground-Penetrating Radar Study by Glen Dash
4. Giza Geomorphological Report by Judith Bunbury, Catherine Lutley, and Angus Graham
5. Giza Laser Scanning Project by Yukinori Kawae
A PDF of this publication is available at: http://www.aeraweb.org/publications/gop/
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AERAGRAM, 2000
This paper presents the results from a magnetometer survey of the Workers City south of the Giza ... more This paper presents the results from a magnetometer survey of the Workers City south of the Giza Pyramids.
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Working Papers by Glen Dash
Look at the Great Pyramid today and you will see something less than the ancient Egyptians saw 4,... more Look at the Great Pyramid today and you will see something less than the ancient Egyptians saw 4,500 years ago. For one, the original white, gleaming limestone casing stones, more than 21 acres in all, are all but gone. However, there is one thing that has been added, a mast on top. The man behind the mast was David Gill and this is his story.
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For decades, archaeologists have speculated that the southeast corners of the Great Pyramid of Kh... more For decades, archaeologists have speculated that the southeast corners of the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the second pyramid at Giza, Khafre, are aligned with the sacred city of Heliopolis. In a recent paper, we published new coordinates for the corners of these two pyramids. Now we can use that new data to test the hypothesis.
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In recent years various teams have field tested at least three methods the ancient Egyptians may ... more In recent years various teams have field tested at least three methods the ancient Egyptians may have used to find true north, the “simultaneous transit method”, the “pole star method” and the “solar gnomon method”. Using any of these methods, the Egyptians could have located the meridian, the line that connects the observer to the North Pole, to within a few minutes of arc. However, all three methods are, by themselves, incomplete. They do yield two points on the ground in a cardinal direction, but the points are only a few meters apart. How could the Egyptians have extended the line a hundred of meters or more, the distance needed to build a pyramid, while preserving its accuracy?
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This limestone cliff face may be the one of the most important places at Giza that no tourist eve... more This limestone cliff face may be the one of the most important places at Giza that no tourist ever visits. Not even many archaeologists know it is there. But as Mark Lehner has pointed out, it is important, as it is one of the few places to the south and east of the pyramids where the original surface of the plateau is preserved. It lies directly south of the eastern edge of the Great Pyramid and may have served as a distant marker to aid the ancient surveyors. It could have had a ceremonial purpose as well, since the sun set behind it on the winter solstice when viewed from the junction of the Khafre causeway and the Khafre Valley Temple. Finally, it is geologically linked with the Sphinx and may offer clues as to the original purpose of the great mound of rock from which the Sphinx’s head was eventually carved. It has no official name; we refer it as GCF1 for the modern survey control monument on its top
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The north facing entrance passageway of the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur, also known as the north desc... more The north facing entrance passageway of the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur, also known as the north descending passageway, is aligned to due north with an accuracy of 30 seconds of arc, or 1/120 of one degree. That's about the width of a finger viewed from across a football field, and represents an achievement in surveying that would not be equaled for another four thousand years. How the Egyptians did it, and why, is one important question Egyptologists have sought to answer. Beyond that though, there is another mystery here: Why does it seem as if the rest of the Bent Pyramid was deliberately misaligned with its entrance passageway?
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Uploads
As Published by Glen Dash
Archaeology." His 1880–'81 survey of the Giza Plateau
and its pyramids was a watershed. Without doubt, he left his
mark on archaeology. As it turns out, at Giza he left his marks
literally as well. These were his “stations,” the markers in his
survey network. They can still be found, if you know where to
look, and they are still important. In this paper I identify where they
are, and what they should look like.
base is long gone. Scholars have had to hunt for evidence of the ancient baseline and then extrapolate their findings to locate the original corners. Not surprisingly, the surveys
that have been conducted to date do not precisely agree. With the question of the Great Pyramid’s footprint still incompletely
resolved, another attempt seemed in order.
adjunct with its indirect look below the
surface based on geophysics. In the fall of fall
2003 we put some remote sensing techniques to
the test in a pilot season of the Giza geophysical
survey, sponsored by the National
Geographical Society.
The Khentkawes Town (KKT)
North of the Wall of the Crow (WCN)
Wall of the Crow Northeast (WCNE)
WCES Burial Excavations
The Backhoe Trenches (BHT, BBHT1, BBHT2)
BBHT1 (Biggest Backhoe Trench)
Main Street East (MSE): Clues to the Pedestal Mystery
The Northwestern Bakeries of EOG
EOG/BHT
BB: The Royal Administrative Building (RAB)
Summary of BB Excavations, 2006 and 2007 by Freya Sadarangani
Area AA and The Pedestal Building
Area AA Preliminary Phasing by James Taylor
House Unit 1 by Yukinori Kawae
2. Capital Zone Walk-About 2006: Spot Heights on the Third Millennium Landscape by Mark Lehner
3. 2006 Geophysical Season at Giza: A Ground-Penetrating Radar Study by Glen Dash
4. Giza Geomorphological Report by Judith Bunbury, Catherine Lutley, and Angus Graham
5. Giza Laser Scanning Project by Yukinori Kawae
A PDF of this publication is available at: http://www.aeraweb.org/publications/gop/
Working Papers by Glen Dash
Archaeology." His 1880–'81 survey of the Giza Plateau
and its pyramids was a watershed. Without doubt, he left his
mark on archaeology. As it turns out, at Giza he left his marks
literally as well. These were his “stations,” the markers in his
survey network. They can still be found, if you know where to
look, and they are still important. In this paper I identify where they
are, and what they should look like.
base is long gone. Scholars have had to hunt for evidence of the ancient baseline and then extrapolate their findings to locate the original corners. Not surprisingly, the surveys
that have been conducted to date do not precisely agree. With the question of the Great Pyramid’s footprint still incompletely
resolved, another attempt seemed in order.
adjunct with its indirect look below the
surface based on geophysics. In the fall of fall
2003 we put some remote sensing techniques to
the test in a pilot season of the Giza geophysical
survey, sponsored by the National
Geographical Society.
The Khentkawes Town (KKT)
North of the Wall of the Crow (WCN)
Wall of the Crow Northeast (WCNE)
WCES Burial Excavations
The Backhoe Trenches (BHT, BBHT1, BBHT2)
BBHT1 (Biggest Backhoe Trench)
Main Street East (MSE): Clues to the Pedestal Mystery
The Northwestern Bakeries of EOG
EOG/BHT
BB: The Royal Administrative Building (RAB)
Summary of BB Excavations, 2006 and 2007 by Freya Sadarangani
Area AA and The Pedestal Building
Area AA Preliminary Phasing by James Taylor
House Unit 1 by Yukinori Kawae
2. Capital Zone Walk-About 2006: Spot Heights on the Third Millennium Landscape by Mark Lehner
3. 2006 Geophysical Season at Giza: A Ground-Penetrating Radar Study by Glen Dash
4. Giza Geomorphological Report by Judith Bunbury, Catherine Lutley, and Angus Graham
5. Giza Laser Scanning Project by Yukinori Kawae
A PDF of this publication is available at: http://www.aeraweb.org/publications/gop/
• How the Pyramid Builders May Have Found Their True North
• First Photos from the Great Pyramid Summit
• Weeds and Seeds: On the Trail of Ancient Egyptian Agriculture
• Egypt's Earliest Olive Pit Reconsidered: A Case of Mistaken Identity?
• Memphis: The Once Great Capital City Lost and Rediscovered
• The Great Pyramid's Footprint: Results from our 2015 Survey
• Catching Up with Yukinori Kawae: Author, National Geographic Explorer
• From Dig to Data: AERA-ARCE Field School Students Publish their First Book of Research Papers
• A Second Official’s House Discovered
• The Pedestal Puzzle
• Remembering Kamal el-Deen Waheed
• US Ambassador to Egypt Tours the Lost City Site
• Did Egyptians Use the Sun to Align the Pyramids?
• Construction Hub to Cult Center: Re-purposing, Old Kingdom Style
• A Return to Area AA: Informal Seals and Sealings of the Heit el-Ghurab
• A Change of Address: Funerary Workshop Priests Move to New Quarters
• Return to Memphis: MRFS 2014
• Season 2015: Doing Science at Giza
• Prickly Protection: Sailing in a Hedgehog Boat
• Lost City Site and AERA in "Secrets: Great Pyramid"
• Finding Petrie’s Marks on the Giza Plateau
• Season 2018: In Search of Khufu and the Heit el-Ghurab Lower Level
• A Roof Over Their Heads
• How Egyptians Quarried Their Building Blocks
• Memphis Site and Community Development Project Update