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THE
GREAT PYRAMID -
ASCENDING PASSAGE
 Orthodox
Theory
According
to Egyptologists, the Ascending Passage was a secret passage
that provided access to the upper chambers for the funeral
of the king. The passage was originally concealed by the prismatic
stone which formed part of the ceiling of the Descending Passage.
However, as an additional barrier against tomb robbers, three
granite plugs were lowered into the passage mouth after the
funeral. It is not known why the builders used granite plugs
(in a passage
made of limestone), nor why there were three of them.
Alford
Theory
The
Ascending Passage was a secret passage that provided access to
the sealed chambers of a repository and time capsule.
The granite plugs were slipped down the passage during the
construction
of the Pyramid, when the roof of the Grand Gallery was
still open. Strictly speaking, the use of the plugs was unnecessary,
given the fact that the mouth of the passage was camouflaged
by the prismatic stone. Therefore, the inclusion of the
plugs
bears the hallmarks of a ritual, both as regards the sealing
and the envisaged future unsealing of the passage. The
use of three plugs, made of granite, probably had a religious
significance. |
