Chris

I have no disagreement with your assertion that the engineering context is important when examining the pyramids, and that it has perhaps received less attention than it should from the orthodox school. However I cannot agree with you that it should take precedence over the cultural context.

I still maintain that you are unable to explain the obvious and significant differences between the GP and its counterparts at Giza within the context of your Power Plant theory, as demonstrated most particularly, for example, in the complete absence of "star/air" shafts in all the others when they are intrinsic to your description of how the GP operated as a power source. Furthermore, all of the major pyramids of the third and fourth dynasties were part of complexes that included, in various combinations, other structures such as mortuary and valley temples and satellite pyramids. How do these fit with your engineering-based reappraisal? And what about the pyramid texts, as found for example in the fifth dynasty pyramid of Unas, which clearly describe highly esoteric rituals conducted within these edifices that are incontrovertibly related to initiations into the nature of the afterlife?

You rightly raise some interesting points about certain engineering enigmas which, I agree, remain a puzzle. I applaud your attempts to investigate and raise the profile of the technology used by the ancient Egyptians. However when trying to examine the broader context, you take the orthodoxy to task for ignoring the engineering context, and then completely ignore the cultural context yourself. No one discipline will solve the enigmas of the ancient world on its own, and experts in any one discipline who ignore the testimony of those in other relevant fields will not help to move our collective understanding forward.

As for my previous closing remarks, our senses of humour are clearly somewhat different, but I hope that will not affect our ability to focus on the issues at hand. I am in no great hurry with any of this - all any of us can do is to try to improve on the collective understanding for our successors to pick up on. And I am at a loss to understand quite where you get the idea that I am not confident in my current conclusions, at least as far as your power plant theory is concerned. Now if you asked me about exactly what kind of rituals the AE's were conducting in their pyramids and temples, what psychoactive substances they were using in their initiations, and whether it is possible for us to recreate this experience and understanding with a western 21st century mindset, then I would be much less sure but far more interested...

Best, Ian

PS Please rest assured that I am not averse to having a beer and chilling out - in fact I do it quite regularly ;-)