h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Did you see the excellent Pyramid on BBC1 on 28/10/02 aat 2100. Not an or future technology in sight!

turvy

No I didn't - what was it like?

It was a well presented Docu-drama showing how the Great Pyramid at Giza was built from the point of view of two brothers (I think).

It began with them being chosen from all the eligible men in their village (like their farthers and grandfathers before them) and it was seen as an honour. The King was seen as a God who provided everything for them so that the work they willingly went away to do was in return for this. Slaves were never used.

The programme used some very good graphics to give the feel of what it would have been like and presented plausable explanations for all the features of the Pyramid and its construction

Sorry you didn't see it. There will probably be a book and video(?)

turvy

It was a very good documentary. It glossed over some details but presented the standard archaeologist's view of the pyramid very well.

What did they not mention?

The idea that the "ventilation shafts" pointed at specific circumpolar stars at the time the pyramid was built is debatable. To get this to fit the facts, they had to move the date the pyramid was built by a few hundred years from the normally accepted date.

The sides of the pyramid were not flat but were indented slightly, so that the whole thing had eight triangular sides rather than four.

Since the lowest of the three chambers has a crude unfinished appearance, it is unlikely that it was used as part of the funeral service as suggested in the program. It is more likely that it was part of an earlier design which was abandoned.