Great Pyramid was on the verge of collapse during construction
Bob Brier, also known as Doctor Mummy, along with an architect and a team of software specialists, has determined that huge support beams inside the Great Pyramid at Giza cracked as final construction was under way 4,500 years ago.
The team used 3-D modeling software that measures stresses in buildings, cars and airliners and found that the pyramid cracked up when three things happened: One wall of King Khufu’s burial chamber settled, stone rafters in a room above the chamber slipped, and the height of the pyramid reached 392 feet.
The team found that the pyramid’s architect, Hemienu, cut a tunnel into a sealed space above the burial chamber to assess the damage and filled the cracks with plaster that would indicate if the cracks were widening. The ancient fix-it job worked, the beams held and the pyramid was complete.
Brier will present his findings at the Microsoft Innovation Management Forum in Redmond, Wash., on Tuesday.
