Had heard about, but not seen, the show about this, until a couple weeks ago, and have watched it five or six times since. I’ve got a few suggestions for additions to the model, but basically, it appears that Houdin hit it out of the park with his ramp discovery.
There’s no reason to believe that the Great Pyramid was built significantly earlier (as claimed by Bauval, West, Hancock, et al) or were built with power tools (I forget which tools came up with that one). The Pharaohs’ constructions went from mastabas, to step pyramids, to pyramids, over a period of a few hundred years.
The exterior limestone facing blocks the Muzzies carted off to build Cairo were carved with texts, described but alas not recorded by at least one ancient writer. The Great Pyramid was opened to tourists in Roman (and perhaps Greek) times, then closed back up by Byzantine times. During the Middle Ages one of the caliphs had it opened again. Between the ancient Egyptians themselves (who did 99+ per cent of the tomb robbing in Egypt), and various invaders and foreign rulers going back to pharaonic times, it’s a wonder there isn’t more damage.
The only writing visible inside the pyramid today is graffiti, including a text on the wall of one of the relieving chambers, which reads (per Lehner) “how mighty is the ‘Great White Crown of Khufu’ (work) gang”. Most of the rest of the graffiti is modern, or made during or since the Ptolemies, with the exception of a four-character graffito (possibly the name of the graffitist) carved over the doorway.
However, one of the early Egyptologists (possibly Petrie, but I can’t find it on the drive) recorded the last trace of official Fourth Dynasty text on one of the walls, I believe in the Grand Gallery, a reference to “Year of the Cattle Drive” during the reign of Khufu. That has since flaked away.
One of the things I found interesting, was the idea that previous researchers were ascribing religious significance to things they didn’t understand, instead of considering the practical. It just maybe that unlocking the pyramid mysteries takes an architect instead of an Egyptolgist...
Ah yes evolution at work in building - gotta love it. Problem is that the space of time between these building is too great.
The builders from one time would be long dead, before the next ediface gets built. They would have needed constant practice to continue the skills and knowledge across multiple generations - but no evidence that happened. They would have to relearn the entire skill set all over again.
Like closing the F22 line. Once those workers are gone, the line is gone, the skills are gone. New workers have to be trained for the next new fighter to be built. Time between is short for this and can be done, but if it were centuries, not so much.
But you aviod answering the central question: Can one tell the difference between original building and a major later reconstruction?
“There’s no reason to believe that the Great Pyramid was built significantly earlier...”
True, if you discount all the reasons that do not fit “modern” linear, peer-reviewd thought. Truth is Eqyptologishs and others dealing in antiquity are scared to death to look at any explaination for anything other that their preconcieved notions because they will have no answers, and look stupid, so they stick to their current screed.
And everyone in the scientific community knows what happens when someone proposes an idea which goes against the prevailing theories when it is time for peer review.
If it threatens the “authority”, the theory under which all labor, which provides the grants, then that new idea, that new scientist is shunned, gets no money, is quickly discounted and like Wagner, dies poor in obscurity.