Hall of Records

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Hall of Records is reportedly a library buried under the Great Sphinx of Giza, which is in the Giza pyramid complex.[1] It is rumoured to house the knowledge of the Egyptians by papyrus scrolls , much as the Great Library of Alexandria housed Grecian knowedge.[citation needed] There is debate as to whether the Hall actually exists or not, but all excavation in the area has so far yielded little or no results.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Description

Though repeatedly denied by mainstream Egyptologists, the mythology of the Hall of Records is a popular one among those who hold alternative theories of Ancient Egypt while conducting scientific inquiry in the mysteries of that time. The sources on which this topic is based are not robust. The origins of the story about the "Hall of Records" are unknown, though the idea that there is a cavity around the sphinx dates back to Pliny the Elder. In Pliny's Natural History, he states that "[the Egyptians] are of the opinion that a King Harmais is buried inside it." [2] The psychic Edgar Cayce had several psychic readings of the Hall of Records.[3] He claimed that in 1998 the Hall would be discovered and opened and humanity would move into a new era of prosperity. Cayce also suggested that the opening would coincide with the Second Coming of Christ.

Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval, in "Message of the Sphinx" stated that American archeologists and the Egyptian government had in the past blocked investigations around the Sphinx, including attempts to locate any underground cavities. [4] Bauval later wrote Secret Chamber in 1999. According to Bauval's research, Egyptian Antiquities granted an American team a license to search for the Hall of Records under the Sphinx. It is known that there are three passages around the Sphinx, two have unknown origin. One is a small dead-end nineteenth century shaft behind the head. [5] Also, little holes in the body of the Sphinx may be related to its construction, but this is unknown.

According to some, the Hall was not the work of Ancient Egyptians at all but another society (this has ranged from advanced prehistoric societies to a superior race of intelligent beings). Accordingly, this society sealed the Hall away with scrolls of their accumulated knowledge at about 10,500 BC—the last period of time when the constellation of Leo was located between the Sphinx's paws when it rose in the night sky. Skeptics have relegated such notions to be much like the supposed inhabitants of Atlantis in Hellenic Myth. The study of and the search for the Hall may fall under the category of pseudoarchaeology if such activity does not use methodology that is part of the established scientific method. Also of note, there are two other Halls of records rumored; one in or around Bimini, and another in the Yucatan jungle, most likely the ruins of Piedras Negras.

[edit] Fiction

The myth of the Hall of Records is featured in many creative works.

[edit] See also

General
Great Sphinx of Giza, Giza, Ancient Egyptians, Predynastic Egypt
Other
Greeks, Edgar Cayce, Leo, Atlantis

[edit] External articles

References
  1. ^ Is There a Chamber Beneath the Sphinx? catchpenny.org.
  2. ^ Pliny, Henry T. Riley, John Bostock, "The Natural History of Pliny; Book 36 XVII". H. G. Bohn, 1855. page 336.
  3. ^ Cayce, E. E. (1997) Mysteries of Atlantis Revisited. New York: St Martin's Paperbacks. Pages 121, 129, 130, 133
  4. ^ Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval, The Message of the Sphinx. Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (May 27, 1997). page 59, 71. ISBN-10: 0517888521
  5. ^ The Great Sphinx of Giza An Introduction by Allen Winston
Websites
Books
  • Zahi Hawass, H E Farouk Hosni, and Gaballa Ali Gaballa, "The Secrets of the Sphinx: الترميم بين الماضى والحاضر". American Univ in Cairo Press, 1998. ISBN 9774248929
  • Robert Bauval, Secret Chamber: The Quest for the Hall of Records. Arrow; New Ed edition (7 Sep 2000). 572 pages. ISBN 0099405288
  • H. Spencer Lewis, "Symbolic Prophecy of the Great Pyramid", The Rosicrucian Press, San Jose, 1936. ISBN 0-912057-55-6
  • Garrett G. Fagan, "Archaeological Fantasies: How Pseudoarchaeology Misrepresents the Past and Misleads the Public". Routledge (UK), 2006. 417 pages. ISBN 0415305926