by Brandon West, Project Global Awakening
In Robert Bauval’s 2008 book The Egypt Code, in his typical meticulously researched style has sets out to prove the theory that the ancient Egyptians built their pyramids on the Memphite Necropolis not in a random haphazard fashion, but to reflect the cosmos in order to unite Heaven and Earth.
Here I will present the core ideas and evidence from Robert Bauval’s book The Egypt Code that validate the existence of a high civilization that existed on this Earth around 12,000 years ago.
This is important because for one, it is essential that we understand the truth of our history and the truth of human origins.
If there indeed was a high civilization on this Earth 12,000 years ago capable of fantastic feats of architecture, engineering, and science, how would that change our perception of ourselves?
And secondly, there is a lot of ancient knowledge and wisdom that the ancient Egyptians possessed which we have forgotten. In the words of Robert Bauval:
“I hope that the new generation of Egyptologists will come to see, as I did, that ancient Egypt is not a defunct civilization to be studied in a dispassionate way, but rather a cultural model that is very much alive and needs to be understood, with, perhaps, some of its principles put again into practice for the benefit of mankind.” (The Egypt Code, p.187)
What we are concerned about in this article is, more or less, is the origin of the myth that Egypt was made in “the image of Heaven.” In his book, The Egypt Code, Robert Bauval equates this with the creation myth of Heliopolis where they give the genealogy of the pantheon of Gods and how their interactions created Heaven, the Earth, the Air and so on.
He concludes, “this is probably where the idea came from that the image of the sky had been imprinted on the land and made Egypt ‘the image of Heaven’.” (p.44)
But what if the origin of that myth was not actually a myth at all but architectural in origin, and what if it was actually much more ancient? What if it was a memory that had been passed on to future generations, and that it had been mythologized once the meaning of the memory had been forgotten by some, maybe even the majority?
This is what I believe to be the case. Let us begin with the pyramids.
The Mystery of The Pyramids
It is almost unanimously accepted by scholars that the Great pyramid of Giza was built around the date of c.2500 BCE. This is based on the assumption that Khufu built this great monument, which places it nicely during the peak of ‘pyramid age’ in Egypt when it is undeniable that the Egyptians undertook a massive pyramid building project.
Yet there are some idiosyncrasies.
No other pyramid in Egypt comes close to the Great Pyramid. Especially the ones which we know were built during the pyramid age, many of which have been reduced to a pile of rubble today.
There is also the unexplained fact that it appears as if the building skill of the ancient Egyptians declined over time, instead of improved. And yet the great pyramid still stands, even though its outer layer of white limestone was mined off to build the city of Cairo, it remains today virtually unaffected.
Not to mention the fact that the ancient Egyptians themselves never even claim to have built the Great Pyramid.
There is only one piece of evidence which Egyptologists use to date the pyramid to 2,500 BCE, and it is a cartouche of Khufu’s name that was written on the wall in red ocher paint in a isolated little space within the great pyramid that we had to use dynamite to blast our way into.
Nowhere else in the entire pyramid is there a single inscription, except in this space that was enclosed even before the pyramid was fully completed. This to me is suggestive of the fact that the ancient Egyptians never even got inside the Great Pyramid simply because, as we know, they put inscriptions on everything and about everything.
So basically the official story of the dating of the pyramid is that we allegedly know it was built around c.2500 BCE because of an alleged original cartouche painted on a wall – not even inscribed – in a room that the builders would have fully believed that no-one would have ever entered again?
That to me sounds as flaky as the official 9/11 story. Perhaps the same people were behind it.
The other piece of evidence that admittedly is much more convincingly dates the great pyramid to c.2500 BCE was uncovered by Robert Bauval. He discovered that the southern shaft in the Kings Chamber points to the stars of Orion’s belt as they were in c.2500 BCE (Graham Hancock’s Quest For The Lost Civilization: Heaven’s Mirror).
This is far more convincing evidence that it could have been built then, but yet it still does not resolve the fact that the Egyptians never claimed to have built the great pyramid, and that a star map is created on the ground by the Giza pyramids specifically indicating 11,541 BCE (as we shall see), as well as the simple fact that these pyramids were beyond Egypt’s level of technology at that time (as they are probably even beyond our level of technology today).
This should, if we are open-minded, lead us to at least consider that it was built in an earlier time.
An Older Date For The Pyramids?
“The fifth century BC historian Herodotus called Egypt ‘the gift of the Nile’. The Egyptians themselves went a lot further. They claimed that their sacred river had its source among the stars.” – Robert Bauval (The Egypt Code, p. 33)
In Robert Bauval’s book The Egypt Code, in his meticulously researched style he provides a lot of highly persuasive evidence that the Egyptians built their pyramids in the Memphite Necropolis to reflect the heavens.
He realized that when observing the Memphite Necropolis from a northerly perspective, specifically from an ancient site known as Letopolis, he found that while looking south along the Nile, some of the major ancient sites would have created a start map with the Nile symbolically representing the Milky Way (The Egypt Code, p.106).
The city of Heliopolis would have been closest to this vantage point, south and to the left of the Nile, which as he shows in his book was an ancient cult center that revolved around stars, but also later around the Sun God, Ra. He further provides convincing evidence (The Egypt Code, pages 79-95) that Ra was later coalesced with the stellar god Horakhti (Horus-of-the-Horizon), who was often symbolized as a ‘recumbent lion’, merging to create the deity Ra-Horakhti (Ra-Horus of the Horizon).
In Robert Bauval’s own words:
“Being such attentive observers of the constellations to the point of obsession… it would be very odd indeed if the priests of Heliopolis did not take particular notice of the lion-shaped constellation that housed the sun at this time of year, and which was the perfect metaphor for Ra-Horakhti, the merger of Ra with the cosmic lion.” (The Egypt Code, p.85)
Therefore Heliopolis would have represented the constellation Leo in the sky.
Then further south and to the right (west) of the Nile this time we have the great pyramids of Giza which clearly are aligned to represent Orion in the sky. Curiously they are in the right alignment in accordance with the Nile as well to reflect the relationship between the Milky Way and the Orion constellation in the sky.
Then further south again on the right (west) side of the Nile we have the small cluster of Abusir pyramids which would represent the Pleiades constellation creating a sky map on the ground with the triangular relationship of Leo-Orion-Pleiades all accounted for on the ground and all located in sync with the Nile to represent the Milky Way.
The only thing is that at c. 2500 BCE the Nile, which runs south-north, would have been perpendicular to Milky Way in the sky which would have been parallel with the horizon at that time (The Egypt Code, p.107). This is where things get interesting, and where Robert Bauval courageously and admirably follows the evidence even though it breaks away from convention.
Was there a time when the Milky Way would have been running in a “north-south” direction in the sky so that it was in alignment with the Nile, and so that this star map was a mirror image of the heavens, instead of an image that had to be rotated 90 degrees for it to be a match? Robert Bauval believed so.
Star Map of the Memphite Necropolis
Based off of the Sothic cycles (which relate to the ancient Egyptians calendar which played an important role in The Egypt Code but which is unfortunately beyond the scope of this article) Robert Bauval decided turn back the heavens which change over time due to the phenomenon called precession of the equnoxes, to arrive at the date of 11,541 BCE (The Egypt Code p.110-111).
The amazing thing is that on the date of 11,541 BCE the Milky Way would have actually been turned 90 degrees compared to how it appeared in c.2500 BCE, and this time instead of running perpendicular with the Nile, it runs parallel with the Nile and perpendicular to the horizon actually giving the appearance that the Milky Way, the cosmic river, is flowing directly into the Nile river!
Thus when the Egyptians claimed that their Nile was sourced in the stars this was not merely myth, this was a direct reference to a much older date when it actually looked as if this was the case, albeit from an imaginative and poetic perspective.
Amazingly when we observe the stars and the alignments of the pyramids from this vantage point, the two brightest stars of Orion make an angle of 43° 20′ with the north-south meridian, and the two largest pyramids at Giza (Khufu’s and Khafre’s) also make an angle of 43° 20′ with the north south meridian. And they are both positioned to the left of the Nile-Milky Way. A perfect star map on the ground.
Copyright Robert Bauval, The Egypt Code, p. 110
Moreover, as the [above] image shows, Heliopolis which as we have seen was dedicated to Ra (which was sometimes symbolized as a lion) would have mirrored on the ground the location of the constellation of Leo, and the pyramids of Abusir were in the correct location (although not perfect) to represent the Pleiades star cluster.
In the words of Robert Bauval,
“Controversial as this may at first seem, we have also seen how, when the sky is precessed to 11,451 BC and the three stars of Orion are aligned along the meridian with the three pyramids of Giza, the image of Zep Tepi in the sky (the triangular region of Orion-Pleiades-Leo) bears an uncanny resemblance to the image of zep tepi on the ground (the triangular region of Giza-Memphis-Heliopolis).” (The Egypt Code, p.184)
Now in the Egypt Code, Robert Bauval provides this as solid evidence that the ancient Egyptians built their pyramids on the Memphite Necropolis according to a master plan: to reflect the image of heaven in Egypt thus fulfilling the belief that Egypt was made in “the image of heaven” as we discussed at the beginning of this article.
I agree with Robert Bauval wholeheartedly … in part. It is clear that during the pyramid age, which comprised the third to sixth dynasties between c. 2686 – 2181 BCE (The Orion Mystery, p. 13) the ancient Egyptians did embark on a zealous pyramid building project and the evidence strongly suggests that they built according to a master plan to mirror the heavens in Egypt, after all, how could all of those alignments be chalked up to pure coincidence?
But is there not another explanation?
An Ancient Legacy From Zep Tepi
As I have explained previously, and not in very much detail as I could have (and will soon) write a whole article just based off of the scientifically advanced and mysterious nature of the great pyramid, I do not believe that it was built around 2500 BCE, and I believe the evidence supports this.
Even if we look at this truly groundbreaking and ingenious theory that Robert Bauval has proposed, there are a couple of things that don’t sit right with me.
Namely the fact that the Giza pyramids are aligned to a single arc minute to perfectly reflect the constellation of Orion as it appeared in 11,451 BCE, whereas Heliopolis and the Abusir pyramids are much less exact, and are merely built in the right places so that they resemble the location of the stars, but not the exact alignments as with the Giza pyramids.
Robert Bauval said himself of the Heliopolis site and the Abusir pyramids:
“Admittedly the match is not mathematically perfect due to bedrock realities of geography and topography.” (The Egypt Code, p.106)
The issue is, wheras the other sites are not mathematically perfect, it is clear that everything about the great pyramid, and the other Giza pyramids for that matter, are mathematically perfect.
And it seems to me that if it was the true pyramid builders intention to build more pyramids from the start, I believe the builders would have moved mountains not only to make it a reality, but to make it perfect.
For they clearly shown us that it was within their capabilities given the fact that they quite literally built a mountain, and that meticulous planning and surveying certainly went into the engineering and construction of these monuments. From everything to do with its architecture, all the way to the greater cosmic alignments it represents, the great pyramid is nearly perfect, and maybe it once was …
This suggests to me that it was the work of an entirely different civilization, and a more advanced civilization at that.
I think that the reason why the ancient Egyptian pyramid builders built their pyramids according to this master plan, and the origin of the myth that Egypt was made in “the image of Heaven” have a common source.
The evidence suggests, however unlikely or against our preconceptions it may be, that the Giza pyramids where built in or around 11,541 BCE in the specific alignment to commemorate the stars at that time, which is most probably the origin of the myth that Egypt was made “in the image of Heaven”.
I believe the ancient myth that Egypt was built in the image of Heaven was referring to these pyramids of great antiquity, and that this tradition was transmitted orally through each generation and that the pyramid age of centering roughly around c.2500 BCE was an attempt to continue to the work that was started much earlier by a race of Gods (to the Egyptian mind anyways), in the legendary first time, which as Robert Bauval has shown us has been fixed in time by these massive stone monuments no matter which way we look at it.
The question is, is there any proof? I would say yes.
Hereditary Knowledge
The ancient astronomer-priest did hold advanced and to their minds truly sacred knowledge of the movements of the stars, and the heavenly cycles, as is commonly accepted. But what if they held another type of knowledge as well, ancient knowledge? Ancient knowledge the likes of which the Egyptian priest who Solon, Plato’s ancestor, refers to when he says to Solon:
Egyptian priest: Oh Solon, Solon, you Greeks are all children, and there’s no such thing as an old Greek.
Solon: What do you mean by that?
Egyptian priest: You are all young in mind, you have no belief rooted in old tradition, and no knowledge hoary with age. And the reason is this … With you, and others, writing and the other necessities of civilization have only just been developed when the periodic scourge of the deluge descends and spares none but the unlettered and the uncultured – so that you have to begin again like children, in complete ignorance of what happened in early times … You remember only one deluge, though there have been many … (Timaeus and Critias, p.35-36)
Now the veracity of Plato’s claims have been called into question, and rightly so. We should never believe anything completely just because it was claimed by someone, or written somewhere… even if it was Plato who said it.
But the interesting thing is that there is supporting scientific evidence and mythical evidence from another ancient culture both of which identify the same dates for the global flood, and the claim that “there have been many” floods.
The more ancient flood myth is from India, and it is the Kumari Kandum myths which are the myths about an ancient advanced civilization that existed more than 10,000 years ago in India who built great centers for learning and in general is very reminiscent of the Atlantis myth.
Graham Hancock explores this in detail in his phenomenal book Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization.
“The first great deluge took place in 16,000 BC … The second one occurred in 14,058 BC when parts of Kumari Kandam went under the sea. The third one happened in 9564 BC when a large part of Kumari Kandum was submerged.” (Underworld, p. 245)
Coincidentally the dates given in the Kumari Kandum myth for the last deluge closely match the date that Plato (and thus the Egyptian priest gives Solon) for the inundation of the civilization of Atlantis. According to the Egyptian priest Atlantis was inundanted around 9600 BCE.
The fact that these ancient cultures have myths which identify that specific date is highly intriguing and at least increases their credibly.
But astonishingly, not only does modern science identify a very similar time frame for a global superflood that occurred right around that date, science also predicts that there were in fact three global superfloods just like the Kumari Kandum myth states occurring roughly between the approximate time bands: 15,000-14,000 years ago, 12,000-11,000 years ago, and 8000-7000 years ago. These dates are given to us by the work of Professor John Shaw from the University of Alberta (Underworld, p.65).
As it it can be clearly seen, the Egyptian priests date of 9500 BCE lies right in the middle of the period for the global superflood which is given to us by science.
Now the point of all of this in relationship to the age of the pyramids is merely to prove the validity of the statements made by the Egyptian priest, and thus how he specifically says that the Egyptian culture is many thousands of years old with written records extending back 8000 years, and “knowledge hoary with age”.
Now that we have seen that the priests date of the global flood was true, and the occurrence of multiple floods, we must accept that the rest of his claims also have at least some truth to them, if their are not entirely truthful.
Thus as an ancient Egyptian priest states clearly, there was much ancient knowledge passed on within the Egyptian priesthood. And then at such a time that they were either instructed to act on the knowledge, or that they decided that it was time to, the could have, in their position as adviser to the Kings and Pharaohs, enlightened them of this knowledge and the cosmic alignment within Egypt and urged him to act on it.
It would not have taken much convincing considering the glory in the eyes of man and the Gods that the Pharaohs would have gained to participate in this work.
Therefore, based on the evidence at hand (that which I have provided here and that which is beyond the scope of this specific article) we should at least consider the possibility that the pyramids of Giza where built around the date of 11,451 BCE by an ancient and as yet lost civilization.
And it was these specific pyramids and their alignment with the Nile and thus the cosmos, which gave birth to the idea that Egypt was made in “the image of heaven”.
It may have even been this knowledge and the pyramids themselves which spurred the ancient Egyptians into the massive pyramid building project that was the pyramid age.
Not necessarily in an effort to mirror heaven on earth, although that was definitely a motivation, but more to bring themselves closer to the Gods who had already begun this work, and thus become Gods themselves by continuing on with the work that had already begun in the Memphite Necropolis.
The Sphinx
The Sphinx itself acts as another key to this cosmic mystery on earth. As Graham Hancock has shown in his Quest For The Lost Civilization: Heaven’s Mirror (which can be found on youtube), exactly due East in alignment with the sphinx gaze, the sphinx will be looking at a very specific constellation rising just before the sun on the vernal equinox every year, the first day of spring.
But due to the phenomenon known as precession of the equinoxes that constellation changes over time. The precession of the equinoxes is generally explained as a slow axial wobble of the Earth with a period of approximately 26,000 years, but the period is not fixed.
So if the Sphinx was built in 2500 BCE as is proposed by the Egyptology community, then the sphinx would be facing the constellation Taurus just before the sun rises on the spring equinox. Therefore you would expect the sphinx not to be in the shape of a lion, but in the shape of a bull to represent that constellation.
But, if you rewind the stars you will find that there is a time in history when the sphinx would be facing its own ‘celestial counterpart’ in the sky: 10,500 BCE.
As the work of John Anthony West and Robert M. Schoch also suggests, the sphinx itself is almost certainly much more ancient due to the fact of the weathering patterns on the side of the sphinx that could have only been caused by thousands of years of torrential rainfall which at the very least bring its date of construction out of the grips of c.2500 BCE period which the Egyptologists have stubbornly fixed it in.
But in spite of the inflexibility of the egyptologists, the ancient Egyptians themselves are speaking to us clearly. Almost as if to tell us that we have unraveled this mystery correctly, there is a block inbetween the paws of the sphinx covered with inscriptions, and one of the lines mysteriously reads:
“This is the Splendid Place of the First Time.” – (The Egypt Code, p.66)
It is almost as if the sphinx is gazing not in space, but in time, silently imploring to us to make this connection and to remember the events of that pivotal period in our pre-history.
What could have happened in between 11,500 BCE and 10,500 BCE?