Why would Khafre position his pyramid so that it becomes invisible from the city sacred to the sun god? According to Magli, the illusion might indicate a sign of respect for the sun god, and it might also have also launched a "symbolic invisibility" model which governed the planning of the pyramids up to the end of the Fifth Dynasty. "Under this model, the funerary monuments of the pharaohs stand one after another, marking the dynastic link with the preceding pharaoh," Magli said. "They are linked by a diagonal which points to Heliopolis." Attaching new pyramids to the "Giza diagonal" became increasingly difficult as the line extended far into the desert. "It wasn't by chance that a new pyramid field rose in Abu Sir. This is the first available location in the south from which Heliopolis is not visible, although a diagonal can be drawn to link it to the city of the sun," Magli said. The northwest corners of three chronologically successive pyramids in Abu Sir -- those identified with the tombs of Sahure, Neferirkare and Neferefre -- align on a diagonal similar to that of Giza, said Magli. Again, the line points to Heliopolis, though the view is blocked by the rock outcrop which today is occupied by the Cairo citadel. "Although of topographical-dynastical origin, these diagonals probably also included a deep astronomical meaning," Magli added. He found that the Abu Rawash, Giza, and Abu Sir diagonals point to three stars -- Sirius, Crux-Centaurus, and Canopus, respectively. These stars sat in alignment over the pyramids when viewed from Heliopolis. "This is an interesting and thought-provoking study," said David Jeffreys, senior lecturer in Egyptian archaeology at the University College London and an expert on the topography of Heliopolis. "I am not necessarily convinced that celestial observations were of paramount importance, but Giulio Magli may have a point," Jeffreys told Discovery News. Related Links: |
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