Orion Correlation Theory: Difference between revisions
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[[File:GizaPyramidsSunset.jpg|400px|thumb|The Pyramids of Giza at Sunset <ref>Samir, TEC (photographer), "Giza pyramids sunset," Ancient World Image Bank (New York: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, 2009-) <https://www.flickr.com/photos/122393652@N04/14034507650/>, used under terms of a Creative Commons Attribution license.</ref>]] | [[File:GizaPyramidsSunset.jpg|400px|thumb|The Pyramids of Giza at Sunset <ref>Samir, TEC (photographer), "Giza pyramids sunset," Ancient World Image Bank (New York: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, 2009-) <https://www.flickr.com/photos/122393652@N04/14034507650/>, used under terms of a Creative Commons Attribution license.</ref>]] | ||
The Orion Correlation Theory is the pseudoarchaeological idea that ''[[The Great Pyramid of Giza]]'' were intentionally connected to the three stars of the Orion's belt constellation. It makes the claim that the positioning of the pyramids from a bird's eye view matches the layout of the constellation, the relative heights of the pyramids match the relative apparent brightnesses of the stars they correlate with, and most importantly, these correlations prove a concerted effort by the Egyptians to match their pyramids to Orion for spiritual purposes. In order for the astronomical calculations to match, the theory also set the date of construction of the pyramids at around 10,500 BCE, nearly 8,000 years before the broadly accepted archaeological dating. Many proponents also posit that the Sphinx represents the constellation Leo and the Nile represents the Milky Way, making much of Giza an astronomical map. This idea was first opined by Robert Bauval in ''Discussions in Egyptology'' Volume Thirteen, but it gained more popular interest with the publishing of Bauval's book, ''The Orion Mystery'' in 1994. Despite the public appeal, The Orion Correlation Theory is not accepted by academia broadly due to flawed astronomy and archaeology on the part of the theory's claimants. | The Orion Correlation Theory is the pseudoarchaeological idea that ''[[The Great Pyramid of Giza]]'' were intentionally connected to the three stars of the Orion's belt constellation. It makes the claim that the positioning of the pyramids from a bird's eye view matches the layout of the constellation, the relative heights of the pyramids match the relative apparent brightnesses of the stars they correlate with, and most importantly, these correlations prove a concerted effort by the Egyptians to match their pyramids to Orion for spiritual purposes. In order for the astronomical calculations to match, the theory also set the date of construction of the pyramids at around 10,500 BCE, nearly 8,000 years before the broadly accepted archaeological dating. Many proponents also posit that the Sphinx represents the constellation Leo and the Nile represents the Milky Way, making much of Giza an astronomical map. This idea was first opined by Robert Bauval in ''Discussions in Egyptology'' Volume Thirteen, but it gained more popular interest with the publishing of Bauval's book, ''The Orion Mystery'' in 1994. Despite the public appeal, The Orion Correlation Theory is not accepted by academia broadly due to flawed astronomy and archaeology on the part of the theory's claimants. <ref name = "Bauval"> Hancock, Graham; Bauval, Robert (1996). The Message of the Sphinx: A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind. New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 9780614968170. OCLC 34887732 </ref> | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
| Line 21: | Line 21: | ||
===Robert Bauval=== | ===Robert Bauval=== | ||
Born March 5, 1948 in Alexandria, Egypt to Belgian parents, Bauval did not publish archaeological materials until the early 1990s. Before his publications, he worked as an engineer in Saudi Arabia for a petroleum company. He has never received a formal education in archaeology or astronomy.<ref name = "Collins" /> | |||
As the creator of the Orion Correlation Theory, Robert Bauval has had great control over the trajectory of the idea. His original book, ''The Orion Mystery'', published in 1994, sparked interest in the theory. This book established Bauval as an Egyptologist and spoke of his original evidence for the correlation and established a canon for the Orion Correlation Theory. This included most importantly the correlation of the Pyramids and the stars themselves, but also rectangular shafts that led from the tombs and pointed towards different constellations and the mentionings of ''Sah'', the Egyptian version of the Orion Constellation.<ref name = "Collins" /> | |||
Bauval continued to further his theory by continued writing, blogging, and consulting with film producers. Most notable among his later books is ''The Message of the Sphinx'' which was co-authored by Graham Hancock. <ref name = "Bauval" /> | |||
===Graham Hancock=== | ===Graham Hancock=== | ||
Graham Hancock is a widespread purveyor of alternative archaeology and best-selling author. Although he makes pseudoarchaeological claims on many subjects, his most notable claims are of an "advanced" continent-spanning super civilization that developed from shamanism, and many of his more minor claims, including those about the Pyramids, are used to support this lost civilization hypothesis. Some of the topics that he covers are Atlantis, The Pyramids, The Olmecs, and Ghobekli Tepe As a best-selling author, Hancock is known for his books, but he also engages in debates, interviews, and podcasts. As a propagator of fake archaeology, he is often concerned with discrediting claims made by archaeologists especially when it concerns his lost civilization hypothesis. More recently, Hancock has been featured on ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' podcast where he further spread his alternative archaeological ideas. His contribution to the Orion Correlation Theory in the form of ''The Message of the Sphinx'' broadened the audience of the hypothesis greatly due to his public image. | |||
==Pseudoarchaeological Narrative and Evidence== | ==Pseudoarchaeological Narrative and Evidence== | ||
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===The Sphinx and The Nile=== | ===The Sphinx and The Nile=== | ||
The idea that the Sphinx represents the constellation Leo while the Nile represents the Milky Way is assuredly incorrect for a | The idea that the Sphinx represents the constellation Leo while the Nile represents the Milky Way is assuredly incorrect for a few reasons. Firstly, if they both represent those astral bodies, then the Sphinx should be on the opposite side of the Nile. Put very simply, Leo is separated from Orion's belt by the Milky Way, but in Giza the Sphinx lies between the Pyramids and the Nile. Some could claim that this is an artistic interpretation on the part of the Ancient Egyptians, but since the Orion Correlation Theory relies on its precision to make claims about the necessity of design, the appeal to artistic license devalues the argument greatly <ref name = "Krump"> Krump, E. C. (2001, October 16). Astronomical Integrity at Giza. HallofMaat. https://www.hallofmaat.com/orioncorrelation/astronomical-integrity-at-giza/ </ref>. | ||
An additional point is that although proponents of correlation claim that the year 10,500 BCE was the "Age of the Lion" due to Leo's position during the vernal equinox, the vernal equinox of that year lies in what we today call Virgo. The positioning of Leo is close to vernal, but again the measurement is imperfect. <ref name = "Fairall"> Fairall, A. (1999). "Precession and the layout of the ancient Egyptian pyramids". Astronomy & Geophysics. 40 (3): 3.4. doi:10.1093/astrog/40.3.3.4 </ref> | |||
The most damning piece of evidence is that the Ancient Egyptians did not recognize the constellation Leo. The zodiac, with Mesopotamia origins, had not been transferred into Ancient Egyptian culture by the time of the Pyramids' construction. The Egyptians did have a constellation based on the lion, but this constellation was decidedly not the one we recognize today. This along with the idea that the Pyramids were built 8,000 years prior to 2,500 BCE make it nigh impossible to claim that the Sphinx was based on a constellation that Egyptians did not recognize <ref name = "Krump" /> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references /> | <references /> | ||
Revision as of 08:18, 9 December 2021
WIP
By Brian Kufel
The Orion Correlation Theory is the pseudoarchaeological idea that The Great Pyramid of Giza were intentionally connected to the three stars of the Orion's belt constellation. It makes the claim that the positioning of the pyramids from a bird's eye view matches the layout of the constellation, the relative heights of the pyramids match the relative apparent brightnesses of the stars they correlate with, and most importantly, these correlations prove a concerted effort by the Egyptians to match their pyramids to Orion for spiritual purposes. In order for the astronomical calculations to match, the theory also set the date of construction of the pyramids at around 10,500 BCE, nearly 8,000 years before the broadly accepted archaeological dating. Many proponents also posit that the Sphinx represents the constellation Leo and the Nile represents the Milky Way, making much of Giza an astronomical map. This idea was first opined by Robert Bauval in Discussions in Egyptology Volume Thirteen, but it gained more popular interest with the publishing of Bauval's book, The Orion Mystery in 1994. Despite the public appeal, The Orion Correlation Theory is not accepted by academia broadly due to flawed astronomy and archaeology on the part of the theory's claimants. [2]
History
The Orion Correlation Theory draws its origins from the thoughts and writings of Robert Bauval. It has been said that he came up with this idea while working in Saudi Arabia with a petroleum company. A friend pointed out that Orion's belt is slightly offset from a straight line. Bauval then connected this observation to the layout of the three major Giza pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure.[3]
From the connection that he had made, Bauval published an article in volume thirteen of Discussions in Egyptology detailing his evidence for an inexplicable connection between the pyramids of Giza and the Orion constellation. Bauval's claims did not reach large audiences until his co-authoring of The Orion Mystery with Adrian Gilbert. Although this book inspired many new pseudoscientific writers to create their own books detailing many different perspectives on the correlation, it is still accepted as a powerful work to this day and is responsible for the popular appeal of the concept.
The next book that majorly boosted the popularity of the Orion Correlation Theory was again written by Bauval, but co-authored by Graham Hancock, a best-selling author, and purveyor of fake archaeological claims. The book Keeper of Genesis made new claims about the Sphinx and its connection to the constellation Leo. Having a relatively famous co-author helped boost the spread of the Orion Correlation Theory to more readers and Hancock has since spoken favorably on the theory in other interviews.[3]
Major Proponents
Although many esoteric writers have written on The Orion Correlation Theory with many different viewpoints, these two authors have been most influential in shaping the overall narrative of the idea through popularization and the addition of new elements to the theory.
Robert Bauval
Born March 5, 1948 in Alexandria, Egypt to Belgian parents, Bauval did not publish archaeological materials until the early 1990s. Before his publications, he worked as an engineer in Saudi Arabia for a petroleum company. He has never received a formal education in archaeology or astronomy.[3]
As the creator of the Orion Correlation Theory, Robert Bauval has had great control over the trajectory of the idea. His original book, The Orion Mystery, published in 1994, sparked interest in the theory. This book established Bauval as an Egyptologist and spoke of his original evidence for the correlation and established a canon for the Orion Correlation Theory. This included most importantly the correlation of the Pyramids and the stars themselves, but also rectangular shafts that led from the tombs and pointed towards different constellations and the mentionings of Sah, the Egyptian version of the Orion Constellation.[3]
Bauval continued to further his theory by continued writing, blogging, and consulting with film producers. Most notable among his later books is The Message of the Sphinx which was co-authored by Graham Hancock. [2]
Graham Hancock
Graham Hancock is a widespread purveyor of alternative archaeology and best-selling author. Although he makes pseudoarchaeological claims on many subjects, his most notable claims are of an "advanced" continent-spanning super civilization that developed from shamanism, and many of his more minor claims, including those about the Pyramids, are used to support this lost civilization hypothesis. Some of the topics that he covers are Atlantis, The Pyramids, The Olmecs, and Ghobekli Tepe As a best-selling author, Hancock is known for his books, but he also engages in debates, interviews, and podcasts. As a propagator of fake archaeology, he is often concerned with discrediting claims made by archaeologists especially when it concerns his lost civilization hypothesis. More recently, Hancock has been featured on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast where he further spread his alternative archaeological ideas. His contribution to the Orion Correlation Theory in the form of The Message of the Sphinx broadened the audience of the hypothesis greatly due to his public image.
Pseudoarchaeological Narrative and Evidence
Pyramid Correlation
Ancient Egyptian Astronomy
The Sphinx and The Nile
Archaeological Explanations
Pyramid Correlation
Ancient Egyptian Astronomy
The Sphinx and The Nile
The idea that the Sphinx represents the constellation Leo while the Nile represents the Milky Way is assuredly incorrect for a few reasons. Firstly, if they both represent those astral bodies, then the Sphinx should be on the opposite side of the Nile. Put very simply, Leo is separated from Orion's belt by the Milky Way, but in Giza the Sphinx lies between the Pyramids and the Nile. Some could claim that this is an artistic interpretation on the part of the Ancient Egyptians, but since the Orion Correlation Theory relies on its precision to make claims about the necessity of design, the appeal to artistic license devalues the argument greatly [4].
An additional point is that although proponents of correlation claim that the year 10,500 BCE was the "Age of the Lion" due to Leo's position during the vernal equinox, the vernal equinox of that year lies in what we today call Virgo. The positioning of Leo is close to vernal, but again the measurement is imperfect. [5]
The most damning piece of evidence is that the Ancient Egyptians did not recognize the constellation Leo. The zodiac, with Mesopotamia origins, had not been transferred into Ancient Egyptian culture by the time of the Pyramids' construction. The Egyptians did have a constellation based on the lion, but this constellation was decidedly not the one we recognize today. This along with the idea that the Pyramids were built 8,000 years prior to 2,500 BCE make it nigh impossible to claim that the Sphinx was based on a constellation that Egyptians did not recognize [4]
References
- ↑ Samir, TEC (photographer), "Giza pyramids sunset," Ancient World Image Bank (New York: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, 2009-) <https://www.flickr.com/photos/122393652@N04/14034507650/>, used under terms of a Creative Commons Attribution license.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hancock, Graham; Bauval, Robert (1996). The Message of the Sphinx: A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind. New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 9780614968170. OCLC 34887732
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Collins, A. (n.d.). O R I O N: THE ETERNAL RISE OF THE SKY HUNTER. Academia. https://www.academia.edu/8436197/Orion_Eternal_Rise_of_the_Sky_Hunter
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Krump, E. C. (2001, October 16). Astronomical Integrity at Giza. HallofMaat. https://www.hallofmaat.com/orioncorrelation/astronomical-integrity-at-giza/
- ↑ Fairall, A. (1999). "Precession and the layout of the ancient Egyptian pyramids". Astronomy & Geophysics. 40 (3): 3.4. doi:10.1093/astrog/40.3.3.4