Deciphering the Osiris Shaft: Mythology, Archaeology, and the Quest for Answers
Beneath the sands of Giza, an enigmatic shaft descends into the depths of history, challenging our understanding of ancient Egypt and hinting at the existence of a lost civilization. The Osiris Shaft, named after the god of the underworld, resurrection, and the cycle of life and death, has only recently begun to reveal its secrets.
The Osiris Shaft is an enigmatic structure on the Giza Plateau in Egypt that descends deep into the bedrock near the causeway connecting the Sphinx and the Pyramid of Khafre. Despite its long-standing existence, the Shaft has only recently started to disclose its secrets, with modern exploration commencing in the 1930s.
The Early References
The earliest known reference to the shaft comes from the Greek historian Herodotus, who visited the site in the 5th century BCE. He wrote that local guides told him about a king’s tomb located deep beneath the Giza Plateau, hinting at the shaft’s existence and its association with a powerful ruler or deity.
The Significance of Osiris in Ancient Egyptian Mythology
But let’s first explore the significance of Osiris in ancient Egyptian mythology. Osiris was one of the most prominent and revered gods in the Egyptian pantheon, associated with the underworld, resurrection, and the cycle of life and death. He was often depicted as a tall, green-skinned god, wearing a white crown adorned with ostrich feathers and holding a crook and flail, symbols of his divine authority.
According to the research of Christian and Joy O’Brien, Osiris was one of the principal Shining Ones, a group of divine beings who brought agriculture, laws, arts, and peaceful unification to pre-dynastic Egypt through their teachings and leadership. They describe him as a tall, dark-skinned, and handsome teacher who played a crucial role in the development of ancient Egyptian civilization.
In Egyptian mythology, Osiris was once a living king who ruled over Egypt, bringing prosperity and civilization to the land. However, he was betrayed and murdered by his jealous brother Seth, who dismembered his body and scattered the pieces across Egypt. Osiris’ devoted wife, Isis, searched tirelessly for the fragments of her husband’s body, eventually reassembling them and using her magical powers to resurrect him. From that point on, Osiris became the ruler of the underworld, presiding over the dead and ensuring their safe passage into the afterlife.
The Osiris Shaft and the Tomb of Osiris
The Shaft and its chambers were believed to be a representation of the mythical Tomb of Osiris. However, it was Zahi Hawass, former Egyptian Minister for Antiquities Affairs, who named it the Osiris Shaft believing it corroborated the tale of Herodotus. The complex network of chambers and tunnels within the Shaft was thought to mirror the elaborate descriptions of Osiris’ tomb found in ancient Egyptian texts.
But Osiris was a relative latecomer to the Egyptian pantheon. According to researcher Nicholas Whiting, the Osiris Shaft may represent the successor of the Shetayet of Sokar. ‘Shetayet’ translates to hidden place and ‘Sokar’ was an ancient falcon god from the Memphis region associated with the necropolis and the afterlife. He was later merged with Osiris and Ptah to form the composite deity Ptah-Sokar-Osiris. The shaft may have originally been a cult site dedicated to Sokar before being absorbed into the Osiris mythology. This compounds the suggestion of a more complex history and evolution of the site’s religious significance over time.
Early Explorations and Discoveries
In the early 1800s, Giovanni Batista Caviglia, an Italian sea Merchant, was a well known explorer who made several discoveries around the Sphinx and Great Pyramid. Later, in 1835,Colonel Sir Richard William Howard Vyse, a British military officer in the Queen’s Army,contracted Caviglia to work with him and engineer John Shay Perring on their exploration of the Giza Plateau. Perring marked the shaft as Shaft №1 on his map of the site in 1837, and despite acknowledging Caviglia in his journals, Vyse took credit for the discovery of the shaft.
In the 1930s, Selim Hassan, the first native Egyptian to be appointed Professor of Egyptology at the University of Cairo, conducted excavations in the area and he describes finding the subway on the Khafre’s causeway in the sixth season of his work. They were able to get part way down the shaft complex but found the remainder flooded. Hassan stated that he tried in vain to pump out the water but it seemed that a spring must have broken through the rock for continual daily pumping over a period of four years was unable to reduce the water level.
In 1945, Egyptologist Abdel Moneim Abu Bakr learned that the shaft and its attached chambers were not only positioned under the causeway of Khafre but also that it provided a source of drinking water for locals for many years. He also discovered that locals from the nearby village would swim in the shaft when the rising water table flooded the complex. The shaft served as a water source running a pipeline from the shaft to the Rest House of Cairo University, located south of the Khafre Causeway.
Dating the Osiris Shaft
According to Zahi Hawass, the Osiris Shaft is believed to have been constructed during the Late Period of ancient Egypt, specifically during the 26th Dynasty, 664 to 525 BCE. This dating is based on the architectural style of the shaft and the artefacts discovered within its chambers, which are consistent with the funerary practices and material culture of this period.
Architecture and Artefacts
As described by Mostafa Waziri, a former secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the shaft descends to a depth of approximately 30 metres (98 feet) and is composed of three main levels. The uppermost level consists of a square shaft that leads to a complex network of chambers and tunnels. The middle level, also known as Level 2, contains a central chamber (Chamber B) with seven sub-chambers (C, D, E, F, G, and H). Chambers D and G contain large sarcophagi weighing approximately 40 tons each. These sarcophagi are believed to be made of dacite, an unusual stone not found in Egypt.
A mysterious black sticky goo that covers parts of the sarcophagi in Chamber D was thought to be a combination of plant oil, animal fat, tree resin, beeswax, and bitumen, as has been used at other burial sites. But in connection with the remains of an iron pulley wheel in Chamber H, both the black goo substance and the pulley wheel are believed to be remnants of Hassan’s excavation works in the 1930s, the oily goo used to power or lubricate his water pumps.
Human remains are also found in Chambers C and F, with at least three individuals represented. Interestingly, most of the bones come from the right side of people’s bodies.
On a recent tour in 2022, an orthopaedic doctor was able to identify each bone fragment and noted that most, if not all, were from the right side of the body. Could offering the right side of the body to Osiris have been part of a ritualistic practice?
Pottery also discovered in these chambers includes red polished ware with traces of white paint, which can be dated stylistically to the Old Kingdom, specifically to the 6th Dynasty. However, most of the pottery, along with shabti figures and other artefacts, dates to the Late Period, particularly the 26th Dynasty.
The lowermost level, Level 3, features a large chamber with a central “island” and a large, granite sarcophagus surrounded by water-filled channels. This level is believed to be the symbolic tomb of Osiris, dating to the Middle Kingdom (1550 BCE). An unusual architectural feature resembling the hieroglyphic sign “per”, meaning “house”, was found cut into the ground, and which Zahi interprets as the House of Osiris.
Anomalous Construction Methods
But the bigger question is: how was the shaft made? To cut such a massive network deep into the bedrock of Giza would be an astonishingly difficult task during the 6th dynasty if only bronze tools were available. The walls of the shaft between the second and third levels, and the ceiling of the third level, display long and uniform tool marks that resemble modern machine marks.
These tool marks are not unique to the Osiris Shaft but have been observed in other ancient sites worldwide, such as the Longyou Caves in China. The precision and scale of the shaft’s construction, including the massive sarcophagi made of non-native materials, suggest the use of construction methods that may have been lost to history.
Many of the shafts on the Giza Plateau appear regularly shaped with surfaces that appear as they did when they were first cut. But the first shaft leading from the entrance to Level 1 of the Osiris Shaft appears to have suffered significant erosion, as though water has passed through it. These deep erosion channels bear a similarity to the weathering of the enclosure walls of the Great Sphinx, leaving an undulating surface of soft and hard limestone layers. Is it possible that this shaft, and the underground tunnel network, contributed to the operation of the adjacent pyramid complex as alluded to by engineer Christopher Dunn?
There is also a prominent vein of what appears to be iron oxide in the ceiling of Chamber B so could the ancient builders have utilised this to form tools appropriate to the task? The possibility of lost ancient technologies, such as those harnessing sound or vibration to work stone, could go some way to explain these anomalous tool marks and construction feats.
Acoustic Properties and Lost Technologies
The acoustic properties of the Osiris Shaft inherent in its architecture, such as the water-filled channels and the layout of the chambers, could have been designed to enhance acoustic effects, with water playing a functional role in conducting sound. Ancient cultures worldwide used sound and acoustics for various purposes, including healing, rituals, defence, and achieving altered states of consciousness, suggesting the Osiris Shaft may have been a site for such practices. But was the Shaft originally designed for such a purpose?
Interpreting the Osiris Shaft
According to investigative journalist Philip Coppens, the shaft’s design is thought to symbolise the mythical tomb of Osiris and the underground realm of the dead. While these explanations do not directly support the notion of the Osiris Shaft being the actual tomb of Osiris, Zahi Hawass also acknowledges the shaft’s symbolic and ritualistic significance in relation to the cult of Osiris. Mostafa Waziri points out that the architectural features of the shaft bear resemblance to the mythological descriptions of Osiris’ tomb, lending some credence to the folkloric interpretation.
Supported by archaeological evidence and scholarly research, the structure is presented as a ritualistic and ceremonial site constructed during the Late Period of ancient Egypt, with potential earlier origins.
We’ll return to these origin dates later.
Funerary Practices and the Cult of Osiris
The artefacts, pottery, and human remains found within the shaft provide valuable insights into the funerary practices and beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, even if they do not fully align with the folkloric interpretations surrounding the literal tomb of Osiris. These funerary practices included spells and prayers to guide the deceased through the afterlife, and the placement of personal items, food and other offerings to provide for the deceased’s needs in the afterlife. However, this ‘tomb’ is unlike any other eminent tomb of the time, such as those found in the Valley of the Kings, as it bears no decoration, murals or painted ceilings, and the walls remain unfinished. Its layout is also very different from conventional burial sites.
The shaft’s architectural features do bear some resemblance to the mythological descriptions of Osiris’ tomb, which suggests its design could have been influenced by the prevalent myths and religious beliefs surrounding the god.
Mostafa Waziri notes that the presence of Late Period artefacts, including shabti figures and sarcophagi, indicates that the shaft was indeed used for funerary and ritualistic purposes. This supports the idea that the Osiris Shaft played a significant role in the cult of Osiris, even if it was not his actual burial place. The discovery of human remains in the chambers, further underscores the funerary function of the site, although their exact relationship to the cult of Osiris remains unclear.
Egyptologist Jan Assmann points out that the lack of direct archaeological evidence supporting the folkloric interpretations does not necessarily invalidate their cultural and symbolic significance. He argues that myths and legends played a crucial role in shaping ancient Egyptian culture and religious beliefs, even if they cannot be taken as literal historical accounts.
Even so, Zahi Hawass notes that the presence of Old Kingdom pottery in the shaft, specifically from the 6th Dynasty, raises intriguing questions about the site’s potential earlier origins. While the majority of the artefacts date to the 26th Dynasty of the Late Period, the older pottery suggests that the shaft may have been in use, or at least known about, during the Old Kingdom. This possibility, although not conclusively proven, hints at a more complex history of the site than the mainstream explanation currently acknowledges.
The Dating Controversy
The dating of the shaft’s construction and utilisation remains contentious. Artefacts from the 26th Dynasty of the Late Period may not fully account for the potential earlier origins of the site. Selim Hassan’s excavations in the 1930s uncovered Old Kingdom pottery, particularly from the 6th Dynasty, which suggests that the shaft or its location may have been significant prior to the Late Period.
In more recent years, the technique of surface thermoluminescence was applied by Ioannis Liritzis, a professor of physics in archaeology, to the sarcophagus in Chamber G. His results showed the dacite dates back to pre-dynastic times from 3350–2250 BC which could predate the Great Pyramid. With a median date of 2800 BC this places the sarcophagus in the 2nd Dynasty of the Old Kindom. Furthermore, author Professor Robert Temple reports that the granite sarcophagus in Level 3 has been dated to the 5th Dynasty (~2370 BC) to the end of the Middle Kingdom. This makes it potentially up to 1000 years younger than the one on Level 2. This implies Level 3 was added later as an extension to the original shaft, at a time when Osiris came to prominence in Egyptian religion. Although the exact nature and extent of this earlier activity remain unclear, it raises questions about the shaft’s complete history and development over time.
A Holistic Approach to Understanding the Osiris Shaft
The symbolic and ritualistic significance of the Osiris Shaft, as noted by Philip Coppens, emphasises the shaft’s role as a representation of Osiris’ mythical tomb and its connection to the god’s cult. However, the specific nature of the rituals and ceremonies conducted at the site is less well understood. A more detailed examination of the architectural features, in light of Egyptian religious texts and comparative studies of similar structures, could provide deeper insights into the shaft’s ceremonial functions and its place within the broader context of Osirian worship.
The interpretation of the Osiris Shaft could also benefit from a more interdisciplinary approach, incorporating insights from fields such as anthropology, geology, religious studies, and comparative mythology. Exploring the broader theme of knowledge transmission and cultural development through mythological narratives could enrich our understanding of the shaft’s significance within the Egyptian worldview.
Furthermore, the shaft’s relationship to the wider sacred landscape of the Giza Plateau merits further consideration. Mark Lehner suggests that the shaft’s alignment with the nearby pyramids and the Nile River may indicate a deliberate spatial and symbolic connection. Investigating the Osiris Shaft as part of a larger network of religious and funerary sites could reveal patterns and associations that are not apparent when studying the shaft in isolation. This holistic approach may shed light on the ways in which the ancient Egyptians conceived of, and interacted with, their sacred spaces.
Alternative Perspectives and Future Research
Current archaeological and Egyptological perspectives on the Osiris Shaft provide a rational and evidence-based understanding of the site’s purpose and historical context. However, these views reveal some areas where the interpretation may be incomplete or could benefit from further research and alternative perspectives.
The acoustic properties of the Shaft is one such perspective. The architectural features, such as the water-filled channels and the layout of the chambers, could have been designed to enhance acoustic effects, with water playing a functional role in conducting sound. Ancient cultures worldwide used sound and acoustics for various purposes, including healing, rituals, defence, and achieving altered states of consciousness, suggesting the Osiris Shaft may have been a site for such practices.
Specific frequencies and sound patterns, such as infrasound and binaural beats, are known to affect human consciousness. Could the shaft’s design have been intended to generate these acoustic phenomena? The lack of decorations or inscriptions in the shaft, unusual for a traditional Egyptian tomb, further supports the idea that it may have served a more technical or esoteric purpose related to sound.
Creating a detailed 3D model of the shaft would allow researchers to run acoustic simulations and test these theories without needing direct access to the site, which is difficult to obtain. This approach could provide new insights into the potential functions and significance of the Osiris Shaft beyond the mainstream explanations.
Conclusion
It becomes clear that our understanding of this remarkable site is far from complete.
The shaft’s association with Osiris, one of the most prominent and influential deities in the Egyptian pantheon, highlights the centrality of religious belief and funerary practices in shaping the lives and landscapes of the ancient Egyptians. The fact that the Osiris Shaft, like many other Egyptian monuments, was reused and reinterpreted over time, as evidenced by the presence of artefacts from different periods, speaks to the enduring power of these beliefs and the ways in which they adapted to changing cultural and historical circumstances.
But the true origins and original purpose of the Osiris Shaft remain elusive. The tantalising evidence of a pre-dynastic sarcophagus and Old Kingdom pottery hints at a longer and more complex history than current explanations acknowledge. Could the shaft be a remnant of a far more ancient tradition, one that predates the Late Period and perhaps even the pyramid age? The possibility of unravelling this deeper narrative invites further research and exploration.
The Osiris Shaft may hold the key to understanding not just its own story, but the larger story of the Giza Plateau and its transformation over time. By studying the Shaft in context, as part of a dynamic landscape shaped by both natural and human forces, we may gain new insights into the lives, beliefs, and aspirations of the people who built and used these incredible structures.
In the end, the Osiris Shaft reminds us that the past is never truly dead, that the mysteries of ancient civilizations continue to beckon us from across the ages. It challenges us to question our assumptions, to look beyond the surface, and to embrace the complexity and ambiguity that lie at the heart of the human experience. As the American writer William Faulkner once wrote, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”
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Waziri, M. (2018). Main points from Dr. Mostafa Waziri’s archaeological mission. Unpublished manuscript.
Whiting, N. E. (2021). The Lost Histories of the Shetayet of Sokar: Contextualizing the Osiris Shaft at Rosetau (Giza) in Archaeological History. Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 11693. University of Montana, Missoula.
Wilkinson, R. H. (2003). The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. London: Thames & Hudson.
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