The great pyramid passages and chambers

traversing six-sevenths of the distance we came to a place where the floor suddenly drops to a lower level—Plate XIV.

(4) Above the low entrance of the Horizontal Passage, sixteen and a half feet in front of us, we beheld the commencement of the Grand Gallery floor. Strictly speaking, however, the commencement is at the north end-wall. At this place the floor of the First Ascending Passage appears to project about two feet into the Grand Gallery ; but this little inclined portion, though continuous with the floor of the First Ascending Passage, is really the commencement of the Grand Gallery floor. Between this portion and the portion further south above the Horizontal Passage, there is a large gap—for the purpose of affording entrance along the Horizontal Passage to the Queen’s Chamber. Some think that originally there was no break in the continuity of the Grand Gallery floor, and that thus the entrance into the Queen’s Chamber was concealed, but it is more probable that the gap was constructed in order to give the appearance of having been forced. There are certain features which seem to indicate this.

103 The Grand Gallery is narrow, being only seven feet in width ; but with the aid of a good light its lofty vaulted roof, twenty-eight feet in vertical height, is seen sloping upwards into deep obscurity, a most impressive sight! Even more impressive is this wonderful passage when it is illuminated with magnesium wire burnt behind the spectator as he is standing at the north end. On several occasions we got our Arab attendant to burn magnesium away up at the south end of the Gallery, and then every part of it became visible :—the two side-walls approaching each other from their base upwards by seven overlappings till at the roof they are only three and a half feet apart ; the narrow roof itself with its thirty-six overlappings sloping steeply upwards; and about 160 feet away at a level of 70 feet above us as we stood at the lower or north end of the Grand Gallery, the high tapering south wall with, in the centre of its base, the dark square opening of still another low passage. This low passage, which is only three and a half feet square in bore, leads horizontally southwards to a small peculiarly marked apartment called the Ante-Chamber, from the south wall of which a similar low passage leads to a large rectangular hall known as the King’s Chamber.

104 When we looked along the floor of the Grand Gallery, we saw that the walkingspace is narrowed to three and a half feet by a pair of low square stone benches or Ramps, extending the whole length of the Gallery at the base of the two side walls. The floor of the Grand Gallery is, therefore, of the same width as the Descending and First Ascending Passages, the Horizontal Passage, and the two small horizontal passages which communicate with the Ante-Chamber and King’s Chamber from the south or upper end of the Grand Gallery.

105 As the apparent commencement of the floor of the Grand Gallery is over seven feet above the floor of the Horizontal Passage, it would be extremely difficult to ascend the Grand Gallery were it not that the East Ramp extends right down to the north wall, and is sufficiently broad to permit one to walk upwards along it till the sloping floor of the Gallery is reached. The East Ramp is always the one chosen by visitors desiring to ascend the Gallery, because, although the West Ramp also extends right down to the north wall of the Gallery, the Well-mouth breaks its continuity. Along the top of the East Ramp, footholds have been cut, which we found of great assistance, and without which it would be practically impossible to ascend this narrow slippery ledge.