The Message of the Sphinx AKA Keeper of Genesis Read online

  The Message of the Sphinx

  Also by Robert Bauval

  The Orion Mystery (with Adrian Gilbert)

  Also by Graham Hancock

  Journey Through Pakistan

  Ethiopia: The Challenge of Hunger

  AIDS: The Deadly Epidemic

  Lords of Poverty

  African Ark: Peoples of the Horn

  The Sign and the Seal: A Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant

  Fingerprints of the Gods: The Evidence of Earth’s Lost Civilization

  The Message of the Sphinx

  A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind

  Graham Hancock

  Robert Bauval

  Three Rivers

  Press New York

  Copyright © 1996 by Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced

  or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,

  including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and

  retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published by Three Rivers Press, 201 East 50th Street,

  New York, New York 10022. Member of the Crown Publishing Group.

  Originally published in Great Britain by William Heinemann Ltd.,

  and in the United States by Crown Publishers, Inc., in 1996.

  Random House, Inc.

  New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland

  http://www.randomhouse.com/

  THREE RIVERS PRESS and colophon are

  trademarks of Crown Publishers, Inc.

  Printed in the United States of America

  Diagrams by Robert G. Bauval and R. J. Cook

  Photographs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22,

  24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, and 32 by Santha Faiia.

  Photographs 11, 12, 15, and 16 courtesy of Rudolph Gantenbrink.

  Photograph 29 by Robert G. Bauval.

  Photograph 7 courtesy of Venture Inward magazine.

  Photograph 13 Spiegel TV.

  Photograph 14 Antoine Boutros.

  Photograph 1 The Lady Sophia Schilizzi.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication

  Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 0-517-88852-1

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  First Paperback Edition

  To the memory of my father Gaston Bauval,

  who rests in the land of Egypt.

  Robert G. Bauval

  To my friend, John Anthony West, for his twenty years of courageous work to prove the geological antiquity of the Sphinx, and for the vast implications of the evidence that he has put before the public. ‘The truth is great and mighty,’ as the ancient texts say. ‘It hath never been broken since the time of Osiris.’

  Graham Hancock

  Contents

  Contents. 6

  Line Illustrations. 10

  Acknowledgements. 12

  Part I 14

  Chapter 1. 15

  Enduring memories. 16

  Stillness and silence. 17

  Chapter 2. 19

  Undatable, anonymous. 22

  One syllable. 23

  Context 25

  Water erosion. 26

  Not floodwaters. 27

  Rainfall 28

  A rude interruption. 29

  When did it rain? 30

  Jury still out 32

  Chapter 3. 34

  Impossible engineering. 36

  How, why, when? 39

  Memorials mighty. 42

  Not purely symbolic boats. 45

  The Pyramids. 46

  High precision. 48

  Chambers and passageways. 52

  Inner space. 55

  The stones of darkness and the shadow of death. 56

  Very interesting developments. 58

  Labyrinth. 60

  The mystery of the shafts. 61

  Chapter 4. 66

  Observatory. 67

  Targeting Stars. 69

  The Companions of Osiris. 73

  A perfect match. 74

  Rising stars. 77

  Lion on the ground, lion in the sky. 78

  Motive in the texts. 85

  Fundamental questions. 88

  Part II 90

  Chapter 5. 91

  Trancing the Hall of Records. 93

  The Scholar 95

  Proof under the paws. 96

  Anomalies. 97

  A falling out 98

  Granite structures. 99

  The mapping surveys. 100

  Pulling away. 101

  Lunch with Mr. Cayce. 104

  Correspondence. 106

  Chapter 6. 107

  Double standard. 108

  The iron plate affair 111

  Scientific analysis. 112

  The British Museum’s view.. 114

  Stargate. 115

  Unknown dark distance. 117

  Links. 119

  The British Museum and the missing cigar box. 121

  Chapter 7. 124

  Planning an adventure. 125

  Diversion and delay. 126

  Upuant II 128

  Problems with permits. 128

  Discovery. 129

  Much ado, then nothing. 131

  Political games. 132

  Breakfast with Gantenbrink. 133

  Select groups. 133

  Burial 134

  Part III 136

  Chapter 8. 137

  Cosmic environment 138

  Astronomical essence. 139

  Otherworld. 140

  Stars rising with the sun. 141

  Cosmic river 143

  Kingdom of Osiris in the sky. 144

  ‘First Time’ 145

  Golden Age and the entry of evil 147

  Shabaka texts. 149

  Treasure trail 150

  Sphinx god. 151

  Roads of Rostau. 155

  Chapter 9. 158

  Celestial reflections. 158

  Astronomer-priests. 159

  Living image of Atum.. 161

  Atum, Re and Horakhti 162

  Horus, Dweller-in-the-Horizon. 165

  The ‘Two Horizons’ of Heliopolis. 166

  Strange silence. 168

  Searching for Horakhti 169

  Geographical and cosmological context 170

  Chapter 10. 173

  Child of the Sun, son of Osiris. 174

  Seventy days from Horakhti 176

  The High Road and the Low Road. 181

  Subterranean world. 184

  Tunnel 186

  Stargate. 187

  The Splendid Place of the ‘First Time’ 188

  Part IV. 194

  Chapter 11. 195

  Three eras. 197

  High initiates. 198

  Following the Way of Horus. 199

  Chapter 12. 202

  Guardians of records. 203

  Memories of the dawn. 204

  Wisdom and knowledge. 206

  Heliopolitan origins. 207

  Cycle of the phoenix. 209

  Ancestor gods. 210

  Chapter 13. 213

  Shining ones. 213

  Legacy. 215

  Gods and heroes. 216

  Time bridge. 217

  Following the vernal point 218

  Chapter 14. 220

  Journey in time. 221

  Becoming equipped. 223

  Unification. 225

  High and far-off times. 227

  Chapter 15. 230

  Separation. 230

  Doubles. 231

  Link-up. 232

&nbs
p; Riding the vernal point 234

  Secret spell 235

  Special numbers. 237

  Seekers after truth. 241

  Chapter 16. 242

  Anti-cipher 242

  Durable vehicles. 244

  Hints and memories. 245

  The language of the stars. 247

  Thought-tools. 248

  Chapter 17. 251

  Fine-tuning Leo. 252

  Setting stars. 253

  Sirius. 255

  Cross-quarter causeways. 258

  Treasure map. 266

  Conclusion. 271

  Osiris breathes. 273

  Appendix 1. 276

  A state of perfect order 279

  Maat 281

  Juggling for balance. 283

  Three Wise Men. 285

  Appendix 2. 288

  Appendix 3. 294

  Appendix 4. 300

  Appendix 5. 304

  Further developments. 304

  The Great Pyramid. 304

  The Great Sphinx. 305

  The Edgar Cayce legacy. 308

  Mars and Giza: 311

  Selected Bibliography. 314

  Line Illustrations

  1. Profile of the Great Sphinx from the south.

  2. Overhead view of the principal monuments of the Giza necropolis.

  3. The Great Sphinx and the architectural complex that surrounds it.

  4. The artificial ‘Horizon of Giza’.

  5. Geodetic location of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

  6. Cross-section of the Great Pyramid of Egypt.

  7. Internal corridors and passageways of the three Pyramids of Giza.

  8. Principal internal features of the Great Pyramid.

  9. Detail of the corridors, chambers and shafts of the Great Pyramid

  10. The complex internal design of the Great Pyramid.

  11. The King’s and Queen’s Chambers and their four shafts.

  12. Details of the Queen’s Chamber and its shafts.

  13. Queen’s Chamber wall and shaft mouth.

  14. Construction details of the Great Pyramid shafts.

  15. The summer solstice as seen from Giza.

  16. The trajectory of the sun on the summer solstice.

  17. The trajectory of the sun on the equinox.

  18. The trajectory of the sun on the winter solstice.

  19. The horizon of Giza and the meridian of the Great Pyramid.

  20. Culmination (meridian-transit) of Orion’s belt circa 2500 bc.

  21. Orion and Osiris.

  22. The stellar alignments of the Great Pyramid’s four shafts.

  23. Orion’s belt crossing the meridian of the Great Pyramid in 2500 bc.

  24. The sky-ground image of Giza-Orion’s belt in 10,500 bc.

  25. The 10,500 bc ‘lock’ with Giza.

  26. Artist’s impression of Orion’s precessional cycle at meridian.

  27. The trajectory of Orion’s belt throughout the ages.

  28. Pre-dawn at the spring (vernal) equinox in 10,500 bc.

  29. Superimposed images of the rising of Leo in 2500 bc and 10,500 bc.

  30. Sunrise at the spring (vernal) equinox in 10,500 bc.

  31. Artist’s impression of the ‘First Time’ of Osiris-Orion.

  32. ‘Sah’ (Osiris-Orion), the ‘Far Strider’.

  33. Detail of Queen’s Chamber shaft.

  34. The Memphite necropolis.

  35. Sunrise at solstices and equinoxes as seen from Giza.

  36. The sky region of the Duat.

  37. Map of the apex region of the Nile Delta.

  38. The ‘Land of Sokar’ in the Fifth Division of the Duat.

  39. The Fifth Division of the Duat.

  40. The summer solstice as seen from Giza circa 2500 bc.

  41. The Denderah Zodiac.

  42. Horakhti, ‘Horus-of-the-Horizon’.

  43. Artist’s impression of ‘reconstructed’ Sphinx.

  44. The Duat sky-region at dawn throughout the year, circa 2500 bc.

  45. The ‘solar’ Horus crossing the Milky Way.

  46. The ‘solar’ Horus in the paws of Leo.

  47. The ‘astral’ Kingdom of Osiris in Rostau.

  48. The Horus-King being led into the Great Pyramid.

  49. The ‘astral’ Great Pyramid and its stargates.

  50. The rising of Leo at the summer solstice circa 2500 bc.

  51. The summer solstice circa 2500 bc.

  52. The Horus-King statue between the paws of the Sphinx.

  53. Osiris-Orion showing the way to his ‘Followers’, the Horus-Kings.

  54. Artist’s impression of the ‘Mansion of the Phoenix’.

  55. Osiris-Orion, Isis-Sirius and the Horus-Kings.

  56. Great conjunction of the ancient skies at the spring (vernal) equinox circa 10,500 bc

  57. The sky-Duat and the ground-Duat of Osiris.

  58. The ‘drift’ of Orion from 10,500 bc to 2500 bc.

  59. The setting of Orion’s belt and the ‘satellite’ pyramids of the ‘horizon’ of Giza in 10,500 bc.

  60. Artist’s impression of the ‘First Time’ of Sirius, in the epoch of 10,500 bc.

  61. The course of the sun throughout the year as viewed from the latitude of Giza.

  62. The 14 degree north of east alignment of the Khufu causeway at the north cross-quarter sunrise.

  63. The due east (equinox) alignment of the Menkaure causeway.

  64. The 14 degree south of east alignment of the Khafre causeway at the ‘south’ cross-quarter sunrise.

  65. The rising of Leo and the ‘south’ cross-quarter sunrise in 10,500 bc.

  66. Hor-em-akhet (Sphinx) gazing at Horakhti (Leo) at the ‘south’ cross-quarter sunrise in 10,500 bc.

  67. Profile of the Great Sphinx in the ‘ground-horizon’ of Giza.

  68. The place-time datum of 10,500 bc under ‘Leo’.

  69. Possible locations of an underground system of passageways and chambers beneath the Great Sphinx.

  70. The Djed pillar of Osiris, flanked by Isis and Nepthys.

  71. Sun-boat on the back of the double-lion hieroglyph for Aker; Great Pyramid looking west; Osirian Djed pillar looking west.

  72. The Scales of Maat.

  73. Cross-sections of the Great Pyramid showing the ‘balancing’ of the monument with the star-shafts.

  74. The ‘scales’ of Orion at the ‘nadir’ and ‘apex’ of the current Precessional Cycle and the ages of Leo (10,500 bc) and Aquarius (2450 ad).

  Acknowledgements

  Robert G. Bauval:

  Foremost, a special thanks to the readers. In the last two years I have received hundreds of letters of encouragement and good-will and it’s sure nice to know you’re all out there sharing in this common quest for truth.

  I am immensely grateful for the patience and understanding of my wife Michele, and my two children, Candice and Jonathan.

  Particular gratitude goes to the following relatives, friends and colleagues for their support: John Anthony West, Chris Dunn, Bill Cote, Roel Oostra, Joseph and Sherry Jahoda, Joseph and Laura Schor, Niven Sinclair, Marion Krause-Jach, Princess Madeleine of Bentheim, James Macaulay, Robert Makenty, Linda and Max Bauval, Jean Paul and Pauline Bauval, my mother Yvonne Bauval, Geoffrey and Thérèse Gauci, Patrick and Judy Gauci, Denis and Verena Seisun, Colin Wilson, Mohamed and Amin El Walili, Julia Simpson, Sahar Talaat, Professor Karl-Klaus Dittel and his wife Renate, Hani Monsef, Mark Ford, Peter Zuuring, Richard Thompson, Adrian Ashford, Dave Goode, Okasha El Daly, Mohamad Razek, Heike Nahsen, Ilga Korte, Gundula Schulz El Dowy, Antoine Boutros, Professor Jean Kerisel, Roy Baker, Murry Hope, William Horsman and Charlotte Ames.

  I would like to convey my warm thanks to Bill Hamilton and Sara Fisher of A.M. Heath & Co., Ltd., for putting up with my pleonastic ways, Tom Weldon and all the staff at William Heinemann Ltd., Peter St. Ginna and Brian Belfiglio at Crown Publishing Inc., Melanie Walz and Doris Janhsen at Paul List Verlag, Udo Rennert of Wiesbaden, and Mohe
b Goneid and all the staff at the Movenpick-Jolie Ville at Giza.

  Finally, I want to pay tribute to the engineer and my friend Rudolf Gantenbrink for opening the way for all of us with his bold and daring exploration in the Great Pyramid.

  Robert G. Bauval,

  Buckinghamshire, February 1996

  Graham Hancock:

  Special thanks and love to Santha, my wife and partner, my best and dearest friend. Love and appreciation to our children: Gabrielle, Leila, Luke, Ravi, Sean and Shanti. Special thanks also to my parents, Donald and Muriel Hancock, who have given me so much, and for the help, advice and adventurous spirit of my uncle, James Macaulay. Many of the individuals named in Robert’s acknowledgements likewise deserve my thanks: they know who they are. In addition I take this opportunity to send my personal good wishes to Richard Hoagland, Lew Jenkins, Peter Marshall, and Ed Ponist.

  Graham Hancock,

  Devon, February 1996

  Part I

  Enigmas

  Chapter 1

  Horizon Dweller

  ‘There is scarcely a person in the civilized world who is unfamiliar with the form and features of the great man-headed lion that guards the eastern approach to the Giza pyramids.’

  Ahmed Fakhry, The Pyramids, 1961

  A gigantic statue, with lion body and the head of a man, gazes east from Egypt along the thirtieth parallel. It is a monolith, carved out of the limestone bedrock of the Giza plateau, two hundred and forty feet long, thirty-eight feet wide across the shoulders, and sixty-six feet high. It is worn down and eroded, battered, fissured and collapsing. Yet nothing else that has reached us from antiquity even remotely matches its power and grandeur, its majesty and its mystery, or its sombre and hypnotic watchfulness.

  It is the Great Sphinx.

  Once it was believed to be an eternal God.

  Then amnesia ensnared it and it fell into an enchanted sleep.

  Ages passed: thousands of years. Climates changed. Cultures changed. Religions changed. Languages changed. Even the positions of the stars in the skies changed. But still the statue endured, brooding and numinous, wrapped in silence.