The thickness of each course of stones in the Great Pyramid shows an overall trend for the courses to get thinner the higher up they are. This makes sense since it is harder to lift heavier stones. However there is also a periodic pattern where the thickness decreases for some number or courses and then abruptly increases.
Here is a diagram:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The horizontal axis is the course, with the bottom course on the left and the top course on the right. The vertical axis is how thick each course is.
This paper analyzes the the course thicknesses and they appear not to be random, but to be integer multiples of the cubit, the palm and the finger. The paper has a mathematical model for the variation in thickness, but I think there is a simpler explanation. I propose that each periodic pattern of course thickness represents 1 year of construction. When the workers started working, the weather was cool and the workers were well rested so they could lift heavier stones. As the weather got hotter and the workers became tired, the thickness of the stones was decreased. This pattern would repeat every year.
The pyramid is estimated to have been built in about 20 years and there are slightly fewer than 20 periodic patterns in the course thickness, so some time might have been spent building the core at the beginning.
Here is a diagram:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The horizontal axis is the course, with the bottom course on the left and the top course on the right. The vertical axis is how thick each course is.
This paper analyzes the the course thicknesses and they appear not to be random, but to be integer multiples of the cubit, the palm and the finger. The paper has a mathematical model for the variation in thickness, but I think there is a simpler explanation. I propose that each periodic pattern of course thickness represents 1 year of construction. When the workers started working, the weather was cool and the workers were well rested so they could lift heavier stones. As the weather got hotter and the workers became tired, the thickness of the stones was decreased. This pattern would repeat every year.
The pyramid is estimated to have been built in about 20 years and there are slightly fewer than 20 periodic patterns in the course thickness, so some time might have been spent building the core at the beginning.
