| _version_ | 1866901066611687424 |
|---|---|
| author | Reynolds, Ian D. |
| author_facet | Reynolds, Ian D. |
| contents | <p>Abstract<br>The Great Pyramid of Giza is widely characterised as a monument of precision masonry. While the outer casing and internal chambers demonstrate extraordinary craftsmanship, the core—comprising the great majority of the structure’s volume—is documented as rough, irregular, and interstitially packed. Archaeological evidence accumulated since the 1830s consistently describes core blocks that are only approximately shaped, separated by gaps measured in decimetres and filled with rubble, stone chips, and gypsum mortar. The present paper proposes that this heterogeneous core is more productively understood as an interstitially packed masonry mass whose structural behaviour can be analysed using concepts from composite and multi-leaf masonry engineering. A mass-balance analysis, drawing on the 1986 French microgravimetric bulk density estimate and Giza-specific limestone characterisation data, suggests a non-trivial interstitial fraction, conservatively on the order of the low-to-mid teens of percent of the constructed volume, with higher values plausible but not yet securely demonstrated. The construction method is placed on an evolutionary spectrum from the accretion-layer pyramids of the 3rd Dynasty through the 4th Dynasty Giza monuments to the degraded rubble-core pyramids of the 5th and 6th Dynasties. The model generates testable predictions for density patterns that upcoming muon tomography missions should detect, and identifies conditions under which the interpretation would not be supported.<br>© 2026 Ian D. Reynolds. All rights reserved.<br>1</p> |
| format | Recurso digital |
| id | zenodo_https___doi_org_10_5281_zenodo_18990874 |
| institution | Zenodo |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publisher | Zenodo |
| record_format | zenodo |
| spellingShingle | Between Precision and Pragmatism A Composite Material Model for Pyramid Construction Reynolds, Ian D. Great Pyramid of Giza composite masonry interstitial fill pyramid construction Old Kingdom gypsum mortar muon tomography Meidum pyramid nummulitic limestone multi-leaf masonry microgravimetry ScanPyramids rubble core structural engineering <p>Abstract<br>The Great Pyramid of Giza is widely characterised as a monument of precision masonry. While the outer casing and internal chambers demonstrate extraordinary craftsmanship, the core—comprising the great majority of the structure’s volume—is documented as rough, irregular, and interstitially packed. Archaeological evidence accumulated since the 1830s consistently describes core blocks that are only approximately shaped, separated by gaps measured in decimetres and filled with rubble, stone chips, and gypsum mortar. The present paper proposes that this heterogeneous core is more productively understood as an interstitially packed masonry mass whose structural behaviour can be analysed using concepts from composite and multi-leaf masonry engineering. A mass-balance analysis, drawing on the 1986 French microgravimetric bulk density estimate and Giza-specific limestone characterisation data, suggests a non-trivial interstitial fraction, conservatively on the order of the low-to-mid teens of percent of the constructed volume, with higher values plausible but not yet securely demonstrated. The construction method is placed on an evolutionary spectrum from the accretion-layer pyramids of the 3rd Dynasty through the 4th Dynasty Giza monuments to the degraded rubble-core pyramids of the 5th and 6th Dynasties. The model generates testable predictions for density patterns that upcoming muon tomography missions should detect, and identifies conditions under which the interpretation would not be supported.<br>© 2026 Ian D. Reynolds. All rights reserved.<br>1</p> |
| title | Between Precision and Pragmatism A Composite Material Model for Pyramid Construction |
| topic | Great Pyramid of Giza composite masonry interstitial fill pyramid construction Old Kingdom gypsum mortar muon tomography Meidum pyramid nummulitic limestone multi-leaf masonry microgravimetry ScanPyramids rubble core structural engineering |
| url | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18990874 |