The Giza Power Plant : Technologies of Ancient Egypt (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Suspicion naturally arises when you read a promo line on a back cover that says, "This is the most important book concerning the Great Pyramid written in the last 20 years." In this case, however, it may be fact. In writing The Giza Power Plant, mechanical engineer Christopher Dunn reverse-engineered the Great Pyramid at Giza to discover its use. His startling conclusions blow the heck out of traditional Egyptology's rather silly notions that it was built with copper tools by a society that lacked the wheel. While revisionist pyramid studies are rife with ridiculous theories that give the topic a bad name, The Giza Power Plant takes into account existing fact and artifact without having to rely on unprovable assertions. A must-read for truth seekers who aren't afraid to consider the idea that Western culture of the 21st century may not be the pinnacle of human evolution and achievement. --P. Randall Cohan

Review

"Chris Dunn ranks among the top researchers on this subject. His book is extremely well-researched and presented and, although very controversial in content and conclusions, will no doubt become a landmark and classic in the field of pyramid studies."
(

Robert G. Bauval, coauthor of The Orion Mystery

)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bear & Company (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879181509
• ISBN-13: 978-1879181502
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,078 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #14 in	Books > History > Ancient > Africa
  #50 in	Books > History > Ancient > Egypt
  #70 in	Books > History > Middle East > Egypt

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, Some Answers to the Puzzle of Giza, August 18, 2003

By	Theresa Welsh "The Seeker" (Ferndale, Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Chris Dunn has given us a powerful new vision of the Great Pyramid at Giza, by using his technical expertise to "reverse engineer" the pyramid. What he finds is a magnificent machine that produced power using the earth itself as the source and incorporating the science of vibration and sound. Dunn works backwards from the artifacts produced by the ancient Egyptians, showing that only sophisticated machine tools could have produced the hollowed out diorite bowls and other works created by this civilization.

He fashions his theory on the evidence found inside the Great Pyramid, explaining the purpose of all the passages and "rooms" inside. He draws on some of the observations of researchers who went before him, who have noted the unusual acoustic characteristics inside the pyramid. He uses the detailed notes left to us by W. Flinders Petrie more than a century ago. Petrie made extensive measurements and examinations of the pyramid long before the "tomb" theory became gospel. Dunn points out that not a single original burial has been found in any Egyptian pyramid! There is actually no credible evidence that pyramids were built to be tombs.

Another compelling argument against the tomb idea is the tremendous amount of resources that went into building the Great Pyramid. Would a civilization devote such resources to something that returned nothing? Dunn argues that a power plant would provide a large return, potentially of benefit to the whole society, and with the incredible precision and durability of the pyramid, it would provide power for a long, long time. At least, until a disaster struck... Dunn sees evidence that a destructive force did strike the King's Chamber, pushing the walls back. Was it an accident inside the power plant?

I found especially compelling Dunn's discussion of the supposed fact that the Egyptians did not use the wheel. Perhaps they did not need it for the uses we employed it for, because they had hovercraft (much better suited to going over sand), for instance. We must also remember that the Nile River was the primary "road" in their country. Dunn says that Germany under the Nazis developed technology along different lines from the US after only 12 years of isolation. It would hardly be strange if the Egyptian civilization, separated from us by thousands of years, might have developed along different technological lines from us.

I was also excited to see Dunn discuss the Choral Castle in Florida, produced by Ed Leedskalnin back in the 1950s. Somehow, one small frail man was able to move huge blocks of rock by himself. Leedskalnin claimed to have discovered how the Egyptians moved the huge blocks that made up the pyramids but he died without revealing the secret. Dunn theorizes that it involves magnetism and would mean discarding some of the current scientific beliefs about gravity.

Dunn treads gingerly around the Edgar Cayce material, almost apologizing for including it, but I am glad he did. Many of us who seek the truth about our own past find Cayce's words compelling, with their great internal consistency. What Cayce said about the Atlanteans destroying themselves through the misuse of a powerful energy source fits with Dunn's findings about the ancients knowing how to produce electrical power. Maybe they had a more efficient and potentially destructive power than even our own civilization has discovered.

One criticism of Dunn's ideas is that there is little representation in Egyptian art of the uses of this power. There is the famous "light bulb" picture in the Temple of Dendera which seems to show Crookes tubes in use, complete with power cables. There are also in other places depictions of what could be flying machines, so the evidence of advanced technology is not completely absent in Egyptian art, but there are also pictures of people plowing fields using animals and other seemingly primitive ways of working. But as Dunn rightly points out, different societies would use a power source for different purposes. Because they didn't have toaster ovens and cars doesn't prove they had no source of electrical power. Uses of electricity would depend on the economic system of Egyptian society. Was there a profit motive to produce consumer products that use electrical power, as in our society? Who owned the power created in the pyramid and how was electrical power distributed? Dunn has no answer to these questions, although he offers speculations.

Another weakness in Dunn's presentation is that he doesn't deal with specific timeframes for the development of Egyptian technology. The Egyptian civilization lasted for thousands of years which Egyptologists divide into three periods. Dunn vaguely refers to the pyramid builders as "ancient Egyptians" but does not discuss any specific years or relate the accomplishment to any other known historical event. He does not attempt to show how the technology fits into a culture. But of course, Dunn is not claiming to be a historian or archeologist. It would be good if the people who care about this could each bring their expertise to bear on solving the enigmas inherent in the Great Pyramid. Chris Dunn certainly has some of the expertise needed... but not all.

Dunn discusses the inventions of Nikola Tesla who believed electrical power could be delivered without wires, which may be how the Egyptians delivered it. Dunn says wireless power was never pursued because there was not an easy way to meter it -- how would those who controlled it make money? Was the profit motive part of Egyptian society, or would power have been made freely available, or would it only be for use of the ruling class? The need for a return on investment is a primary driver of technology in our present society (and may keep many potentially useful and even life-saving technologies from ever being developed), but what drove technological development in ancient civilizations? We just don't know.

Dunn does not discuss the purpose of the other two pyramids or the other buildings on the Giza plateau. His theory is not complete without discovering the history and purpose of everything built around the Great Pyramid. Could its use as a power plant involve even more ancient Atlantean technology that was later incorporated with other more ceremonial uses? When was knowledge of its true purpose lost?

I hope Chris Dunn will continue his inquiries and that other researchers will carefully consider what he has presented in this wonderful book. Thanks, Chris! You've given us a lot to think about!

62 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MASSIVE GENERATOR?, September 6, 2003

By	Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

The author makes a good case for having solved the riddle of the purpose of the Great Pyramid. He claims the pyramid was a large acoustical device in which the technology of harmonic resonance was used to convert the earth's vibrational energies to microwave radiation. He demonstrates the fact that the chambers and passages in the pyramid were positioned with deliberate precision to optimise its acoustical properties. When the pyramid was vibrating in tune with the earth's pulse it became a coupled oscillator that could carry the transfer of power from the earth with little or no feedback, while the three smaller pyramids on the Giza plateau could have been used to help the Great Pyramid achieve the required resonance. The King's Chamber, built of igneous granite containing silicon quartz crystals, served as the power centre while the Queen's Chamber was used to generate hydrogen, the fuel that ran the plant. Certain artefacts reveal that the ancient Egyptians used advanced machining methods. The latest discoveries, including the door found in an airshaft by Gantenbrink's Upuaut robot, fits well into this power plant theory and the author also refers to the work of Robert Bauval and Graham Hancock. The text is illustrated with black and white drawings and photographs and it concludes with copious notes, a bibliography and an index. The book is well researched, well written and in my opinion the theory is plausible and ought to be investigated further.

32 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books on the Great Pyramid published, November 20, 2000

By	John A. Desalvo (Minnesota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As Director of the Great Pyramid of Giza Research Association, I am
familiar with most of the major theories regarding the Great Pyramid.
Since my background is in physics and biophysics, I have always
favored a scientific explanation with facts that can be
substantiated. Mr. Dunn's new book is a very scientific approach to
discovering the purpose of the Great Pyramid of Giza. His theory is
based on sound scientific principles which include acoustics,
vibrations, piezoelectric effect, and others. He has synthesized a
scientific theory that is consistent with the history of ancient
Egypt. Of all the new theories published to date, I find his theory
to be one of the most promising. Further work needs to be done but
Mr. Dunn has set the stage for a new approach to the Great
Pyramid.

Also the first part of his book is a real encyclopedia of
the history and discoveries of the Great Pyramid. This book is a must
for any serious student of the Great Pyramid and also for any layman
interested in it. It makes fascinating and enjoyable reading.

If I
was going to recommend three books to someone regarding the Great
Pyramid, Mr. Dunn's book would be one of the three that I would
choose.