The Great Pyramids Footprint:

Results from Our 2015 Survey by Glen Dash

In the last issue of AERAGRAM the author presented a brief overview of the survey of the Great Pyramids base
that he and his team undertook this past Season 2015.* Here Glen discusses the results of that work.

hat is the exact size and orientation of the Great

Pyramid? Archaeologists, scientists, engineers, and
mystics have sought answers for centuries. In an effort to finally and definitively answer these questions, at least to the extent
that the current condition of the pyramid permits, my foundation and Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA) undertook
a comprehensive survey of the pyramids base in February of
2015.1 In this article, I report on the findings of that survey, the
Glen Dash Foundation Survey of 2015 (GDFS 2015).2

Our Past Work

This was not our first attempt at determining the exact size
and orientation of the Great Pyramids footprint. In the fall of
2012 we published a study which used data assembled by Mark
Lehner and David Goodman in 1984.3 While that study provided new, more accurate estimates of the Great Pyramids size
and orientation, it also underscored the need for a new, more
* What Was the Original Size of the Great Pyramids Footprint? by Glen
Dash, AERAGRAM 16-1, pages 811, Spring 2015. All back issues of AERAGRAM
are available for free download at our website: aeraweb.org.

Casing and platform stones. The angled casing stones sit upon platform
stones. The lower, outer edge of the casing and the top, outer edge of
the platform provided the best places to measure the pyramids lines.
Photo by Mark Lehner.

in g
Cas

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or m
Platf
8

tone

e
ston

Casing edge
Platform top outer edge

AERAGRAM 16-2

comprehensive survey, one which used the latest available

instruments. In 2015, we completed the new work.

Tracing the Base

Originally, the Great Pyramid was clad in more than 21 acres
of hard, white casing stones that the Egyptians had hauled over
from quarries at Tura across the Nile. Most of those casing
stones were removed centuries ago for building material, leaving the pyramid as we see it today, without most of its original
shell. The photo below was taken along the pyramids north
side. In it, we see some of the pyramids few remaining casing stones still in place. These sit on a platform that originally
extended out 39 to 47 centimeters (1519 inches) beyond the
outer, lower edge (the foot) of the casing. Behind the casing stones in the photo we can see the rougher masonry that
makes up the bulk of the pyramid as it stands today.
Our missions first task was to locate any traces that remain
of the pyramids original casing baseline, which we define
as the place where the foot of the casing stones once met the
platform. However, along the Great Pyramids 920-meter
(3,018-foot) periphery, we now find only 54 meters (177 feet) of
casing stone in place, and much of that is badly damaged. To
determine the pyramids baseline, therefore, we needed more
information than we could get by just examining the casing
stones themselves. We needed also to carefully examine the top
of the platform for signs as to where missing casing stones had once stood.
Initially, the task of finding traces of
the original baseline fell to Mark Lehner.
Lehner started the process by examining
the casing stones that did remain. In most
cases, he found the casing stones leading
edge worn back, so he looked for an etched
or cut line in front of the casing stone to
locate its original edge (photo facing page).
Lehner also looked for telltale markings
on the platform, including places where
the surface of the platform had been subtly
worn or eroded by the now missing casing
stones.
In total, Lehner identified 84 points
along 155 meters (508 feet) of the pyramids
920-meter (3,018-foot) periphery where he

Above: Searching for the pyramids

baseline. Left: An etched line in front of
a damaged casing stone indicates where
the edge of the casing stone once met
the platform. Photo by Rebecca Dash.
Right: Mark Lehner photographs a subtle
line on the top of the platform revealing
where a now missing casing stone once
stood. Photo by Glen Dash.

Sides of Great Pyramid

Confidence Bounds
N

Recorded
Casing
Points

Northing

200 meters

Right: Computing best-fit lines and

confidence bounds. At the right is a
portion of the pyramids base showing
the casing baseline points recorded on
the pyramids west side. We expand the
area within the dotted lines and show
that at the left. We computed a bestfit line for the data along with error
bounds, known as confidence bounds.
There is a 95% probability that the original casing baseline on the west side fell
within these confidence bounds. The
angle of the lines at the left are exaggerated due to the scale of axes being
unequal.

Casing Best-Fit Line

found evidence of the original baseline. Along the remaining 765 meters
(2,510 feet) of the periphery (83% of its
total length), he found the pyramid
too damaged to provide useful data.
Nearly all the points Lehner identified were located near the
center of each side. No direct evidence of the original corners
remains.
Our mission also recorded the top outer edge of the pyramids platform. In some places we found this edge well preserved, and we could record it directly. In other places, however,
the top outer edge of the platform was eroded and worn. In

Easting
1 meter

those places we recorded two points on the sloping face of the

platform, one above the other, and used those two points to
project where the top, outer edge once was. In all, we identified 176 places along 262 meters (860 feet) of the pyramids
periphery (28% of its total) where we found direct evidence of
the platforms original top outer edge or were able to derive its
original position.
Fall 2015

10

AERAGRAM 16-2

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regression analysis to best-fit lines to the data. In

the graphic on the previous page, we show the casing
points we recorded on the pyramids west side. The left
Confidence
side of the image expands a portion of the one on the
Intervals
g
right, showing an area one meter wide by 200 meters
in
Confidence
Cas
Intervals
in length. We used Excels Data Analysis Package to
calculate a best-fit line through the data, which we
e
n
i
show as a dotted line in the figure. We also calculated
L
g
is n
error bounds around this line, known as confidence
Ca
it
Nor thern
f
bounds. In theory, there is a 95% chance that the origit
B
es
Casing L est-fit
B
ine
nal casing baseline fell within these confidence bounds.
rn
te
es
Once we derived best-fit lines and confidence
W
bounds for all four sides of the casing and platform, we
Confide
nce Win
d ow
could find the original corners of the Great Pyramid by
extrapolating those lines to see where they crossed. The
Nor thern
schematic diagram on the left illustrates this method
PlatformBest-fit Confidence
Line
Window
using the pyramids northwest corner as an example.
We extrapolated the north and west best fit lines
Platform
and confidence bounds to the corners where they
crossed, creating confidence windows. In theory,
there is a 95% probability that the original casing and
Survey
platform corners fell within these windows. On the left
Marker
we also show the location of the survey marker we used
and the outlines of an enigmatic cutting just outside
the platform known as the corner socket. The corner
sockets were once thought to have braced the cornerThis schematic drawing of a hypothetical pyramid corner illustrates in three dimenstones of the pyramid. They did not, but their actual
sions the location of best-fit lines, confidence bounds, confidence windows, and the
function
is still the subject of some debate.
corner socket in the diagrams on pages 1213.
The centerfold (pages 12 and 13) shows plans for all
four
corners
of the Great Pyramid. Here the coordinates and
Analyzing the Data
dimensions for the features shown in the schematic on the
The first step in analyzing this data set was to place it on a
left are presented for the northeast, southeast, and southwest
master grid. The grid we used was the Giza Plateau Mapping
corners, in addition to those for the northwest corner. This
Project (GPMP) control grid established by Lehner and David
includes our derived GPMP coordinates of the platform and the
Goodman in 1984 and 1985. The grid assigns every point on
casing corners. Around each corner point we show the associthe plateau an address, like houses on a city map. The origin
ated confidence window. The window at the northwest platform
of the map is at the center of the Great Pyramid as computed
corner is 6.0 5.3 centimeters (2.4 2.1 inches) and at the casby Goodman, and everything is measured from that point. For
ing corner, 2.7 4.4 centimeters (1.1 1.7 inches). At this corner,
example, there is a bronze survey marker off the northeast
the platform extended from the casing baseline 41.2 centimecorner of the pyramid, 115.803 meters north of the center of
ters (16.2 inches) on the north and 41.9 centimeters (16.5 inches)
the pyramid and 115.610 meters to its east. By convention, suron the west. We also show the casing corner coordinates as
veyors do not like to work with negative numbers, so instead
reported
by Finders Petrie and J. H. Cole.6 Finally we show the
of making the center of the Great Pyramid (y=0, x=0) as one
coordinates for the survey control marker at the northwest
might expect, Goodman arbitrarily assigned the center a
corner, G1.4.
coordinate of (y=100000, x=500000).4 Since the y-axis is our
We can use the data from these four figures to calculate the
north-south coordinate (the northing) and the x-axis is our
dimensions
of the base of the Great Pyramid and its platform.
east-west component (the easting), we can express the center
We show these in Tables 1 and 2 on the facing page. We used
of the Great Pyramid as (N=100,000, E=500,000), or simply as
the confidence bounds to calculate minimum and maximum
N100,000, E500,000. That places the northeast survey marker at
lengths for each line (95% probability).
N100,115.803, E500,115.610.5
The average length of the four sides of the casing is 230.363
Once we placed all our data on the GPMP control grid,
meters (755.783 feet). Petrie estimated the Egyptian cubit to be
we could use a standard statistical method known as linear

20.62 inches (0.5237 meters) plus or minus 0.01 inch.7 Assuming

he was correct, that makes the average side length somewhere
between 440.05 and 439.62 cubits.
Table 3 shows the orientation of the sides relative to cardinal
points in minutes and seconds. The minus sign indicates a
counterclockwise rotation from cardinal points.
Table 4 shows that the mean angle of the casing is -3 minutes and 54 seconds, plus or minus 44 seconds (-3 54 44).
This is consistent with Petries estimate of -3 43.8
We also examined the pyramids diagonals. We define the
diagonals as the lines connecting the opposite corners of the
casing, shown in the figure on page 14. Where the diagonals
cross is the center of the base. We calculated the center of the
pyramid to be N100,000.023 and E499,999.987 plus or minus
4.9 centimeters north to south or east to west.9 Remarkably, as
shown in the figure, the diagonals crossed to form a nearly
perfect right angle. The error was just -12 of arc 1 27. That
means that, to a 95% probability, the angle formed by the pyramid diagonals is somewhere between 89 58 21 and 90 01 15,

with the most probable angle being the mean of these two, 89
59 48.
We can only speculate as to how the Egyptians could have
laid out these lines with such precision using only the tools they
had.10
We also calculated the angle of the line that runs from the
center of the base of the Great Pyramid to the center of the
doorway to the Pyramid Temple and compared that to the pyramids meridian, shown in the figure on page 14. The meridian
is the pyramids north-south axis and, by definition, it bisects
the diagonals. The meridians angle is 3 54 counterclockwise
from due north. The remains of the Pyramid Temples doorway
sit about 168 meters to the east of the center of the pyramid and
52.5 meters from the pyramids eastern casing, about 100 cubits.
The line between the center of the pyramid and the center of the
doorway runs at an angle of 3 51 counterclockwise of due east.
That line and the meridian crossed at the center of the pyramid
to form an angle of 90 0 3 1 44. If not a perfect right angle,
it was something very close to it.
(continued on page 14)

One minute of arc (1) is about equal to the angle subtended by two fingers
viewed from across the length of a football field.

Table 1: Lengths of the Sides of the Casing Base

Table 2: Lengths of the Sides of the Platform

There are 60 geographical minutes (60) in a degree, and 60 geographical

seconds (60) in a minute.

Casing
Side

Minimum
Length
(meters)

Mean Length
(meters)

Maximum
Length
(meters)

North

230.256

230.329

230.402

East

230.295

230.334

South

230.329

West

230.378

Average

Minimum
Length
(meters)

Mean Length
(meters)

Maximum
Length
(meters)

North

231.160

231.214

231.267

230.373

East

231.081

231.215

231.350

230.384

230.439

South

231.105

231.174

231.244

230.407

230.436

West

231.156

231.204

231.252

230.363

Platform
Side

Average

Table 3: Angles of the Sides of the Casing Base

Casing
Side

Angle (Deviation from

Cardinal Points)

Confidence Bound

North

-2 30

+/- 23

East

-5 10

+/- 1 19

South

-3 35

West
Average

231.202

Table 4: Angles of the Platform

Platform
Side

Angle (Deviation from

Cardinal Points)

Confidence Bound

North

-2 56

+/- 24

East

-4 53

+/- 43

+/- 38

South

-2 45

+/- 1 0

-4 21

+/- 35

West

-5 28

+/- 43

-3 54

+/- 44

Average

-4 0

+/- 43

Fall 2015

11

12

AERAGRAM 16-2

Fall 2015

13

(continued from page 11)

2. We invite comments on this article. Any future corrections to this article

will be found at http://www.DashFoundation.org/Aeragram-16-2-erratta.pdf

Conclusions

3. New Angles on the Great Pyramid, by Glen Dash, AERAGRAM 13-2, pages
10-19, Fall 2012. The 1984 data, in addition to having been taken without the
benefit of modern total stations, had three weaknesses when used to derive
the pyramids lines. First, no measurements of the casings actual baseline
were taken on the south side of the Great Pyramid in 1984 because the base of
the casing no longer exists there. In this study, we derived data for the south
side by measuring the top of the casing and extrapolating where the base once
fell. Second, without the benefit of south side data, our 2012 study was based
on the assumption that the corners of the pyramid fell on the pyramid diagonals, lines that connect the opposing sockets. The sockets are cuttings just
outside the pyramids four corners. In this study, we did not have to make that
assumption. Third, the 2012 study had too few points to provide for narrow
confidence windows.

Our survey has produced new estimates for the size and orientation of the Great Pyramid. We also continue to analyze
the data for new insights, and we have not been disappointed.
The data show that the Egyptians possessed quite remarkable
skills for their time. We hope to eventually figure out how the
Egyptians laid out the pyramid with such precision, and in
doing so hope to learn much about the tools and technology
they had at their disposal.

4. As designed, the GPMP system can be used to map features up to 100 kilometers south of the Pyramid, and 500 kilometers to its west, with unlimited
range to its north and east.

1. Permission for the pyramid survey was granted to Mark Lehner and AERA
as part of AERAs broader survey across the plateau. The projects chief surveyor was Joel Paulson of NV5, Inc. (San Diego, CA), who was assisted by
Mohammed Abd el-Basset and Amr Zakaria of the Ministry of Antiquities.
AERAs Mark Lehner oversaw the archaeological aspects of the project. He was
assisted in his work by Ashraf Abd el-Aziz. Joan and Rebecca Dash of the
Glen Dash Foundation assisted with the survey. I was the principal investigator. For making this survey possible, we extend our deep gratitude to the
Ministry of Antiquities, Dr. Mahmoud el-Damati, Minister of Antiquities;
Dr. Mustafa Amin, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Antiquities; Yusuf
Khalifa, Director of Pharaonic Monuments; Dr. Mahmoud Affifi, Director of
Central Administration and Middle Egypt; Shaaban Abd el-Gawad, Director
of the Department of Egyptology and Museums in the Ministers Office;
Hani Abu Azm, Director of Foreign Missions and Secretary of Permanent
Committees; the late Kamel Waheed, General Director for Cairo and Giza;
Sayeed Hassan, Director of Giza; Fedai Helmi, Chief Inspector of Giza; Giza
Inspectors Mohamed Saidi and Ahmed Ezz, and Chief Inspector of the Solar
Boat Project, Afifi Rohim Afifi. The author would also like to thank AERA
Egypts Executive Director Mohsen Kamel for his assistance in arranging permissions and AERAs Field Director for Season 2015, Ana Tavares, for her role
in achieving a successful GDFS 2015.

Pyramid Meridian
(Bisects Diagonals)

6. See W. M. F. Petrie, The Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh, (London: Field

and Tuer, 1883), Plate X, and J. H. Cole, Determination of the Exact Size and
Orientation of the Great Pyramid of Giza, (Cairo: Government Press, 1925),
page 9. Both Petrie and Cole report the position of the casing corners by
offset from other features such as the corner sockets. I have converted these
reported positions to GPMP coordinates.
7. Petrie 1883, page 181.
8. Petrie 1883, Plate X.
9. This estimate is slightly different than Goodmans estimate because he did
not have the advantage of our new findings.
10. For some of the speculation on this topic, see http://glendash.com/
blog/2014/12/03/the-great-pyramid-diagonals-do-they-point-to-a-hiddeninner-platform-within-the-pyramid/.

Meridian runs 3' 54"

counterclockwise from
due north+/- 44"

NE
Casing
Corner

go

Py

ia

ra

id

id

ra

ia

go

Py

na

NW
Casing
Corner

5. These coordinates are slightly different than those reported in Giza Reports 1
(Boston: Ancient Egypt Research Associates, Inc., 2007). We reestablished the
exact location of the survey markers as part of the GDFS 2015 effort.

na

90 0' 03"
(+/- 1' 44")

Angles of the pyramids internal lines. The

pyramid diagonals connect the opposing
casing corners. They cross to form a nearly
perfect right angle. The pyramids meridian,
or mean orientation relative to due north,
is the line that bisects the diagonals. The
pyramids meridian forms a near perfect right
angle with the line that connects the center
of the pyramids base with the center of the
Pyramid Temples entrance, 168 meters to the
east.

Line to Doorway of
Pyramid Temple

44

6'

0"

(+

/-

44

")

Line to Doorway runs 3' 51"

counterclockwise from due
east +/- 1' 0"

SW
Casing
Corner

14

AERAGRAM 16-2

89 59' 48"
(+/- 1' 27")

-4

3'

48

"(

+/

-4

3"

SE
Casing
Corner