Before The Pyramids | The Ancient Road into Giza
The causeway to the Khafre Pyramid, the second major pyramid to be built on Giza Plateau, was constructed on a ridge of limestone, a narrow band of bedrock that, surprisingly, is one of most interesting, most important and also most dividing subjects to research when it comes to the history and development of the Giza plateau.
2023-05-10 20:00:00 - Ancient Architects
It runs for approximately 495 metres, from the northwestern corner of the Khafre Valley Temple, past the Great Sphinx and ends at the Khafre Mortuary Temple in the west.
It has quarries on both its northern and southern sides, meaning this strip of bedrock was left intentionally, and although Egyptologists will state it was all part of Khafre’s pyramid plan, the truth may not be quite so straightforward.
In fact, this ancient roadway could well be the oldest feature used by people on the Giza plateau, older than the pyramids AND even the Great Sphinx.
It looks like the Giza Plateau developed around this narrow strip of bedrock, that it was always a central feature, with origins going back to either Pre-Dynastic or Early Dynastic times, and in this video I’ll be going through the evidence in a logical and step by step manner for you to evaluate.
I'll be taking a close look at the Giza quarries, at the Sphinx Enclosure weathering and erosion, as well as the causeway itself, as we look at yet more evidence that shows that the Giza plateau has a history going much further back than the 4th dynasty of Ancient Egypt.
All images are taken from the below sources and Google Images for educational purposes only.
00:00 | Introduction
01:41 | The Giza Quarries
05:15 | Khufu Construction Ramp
07:11 | Akhet Khufu
09:15 | Khafre's Causeway
10:21 | Sphinx Enclosure Erosion
15:24 | The Sphinx Enclosure Asymmetry
16:59 | Rainwater Run-Off Erosion
23:08 | Connecting the Dots
26:32 | Re-Cut Pyramid Causeway
28:29 | Causeway Orientation
30:23 | Conclusion