Franz Löhner
I
originate in Rhineland-Palatinate and grew up in a family of craftsmen,
from carpenters and quarrymen to smiths. As a young men I worked in a
granite quarry in Germany for several years, so I have an intimate knowledge
of stones and tools. I also worked building huge factory chimneys - 200
meters high - at a time, where no cranes were used, so I know how it is
to work high up, for example near the apex (tip) of the pyramid on 140
meters or so.
The Egyptian pyramids posed a challenge to me - how can you build such a huge monument with only the tools and knowledge the ancient Egyptians. And this without resorting to "secrets" the Egyptians possessed and that were forgotten and without using so much man power (as with ramps) that it surely would have led to the ruin of the Pharaoh.
The practical applications of my methods are very important to me. In 1991 I had thought of a simple solution for building the pyramid which required no ramps - the rope roll - so I experimented until I was sure it would work and then tried it out in a quarry. Then to be sure, that copper tools could not be used on granite stones, I spent several months in my cellar pounding stones and checking out, to what degree the tools and stone were worn down. When Dr. Heribert Illig suggested we could write a book about it, he didn't need much persuasion!
My other interest is the ancient history and the culture of southern
Germany, specially Bavaria (texts in German).
Publications (in German)
Heribert Illig and Franz Löhner Der Bau der Cheops-Pyramide Can be bought at www.amazon.de |
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E-mail to Franz Löhner
I speak some English, but an answer might take
some time!
Teresa (Zubi) Zuberbühler
As a 14 year old girl I visited Egypt and of course the pyramids. I was very impressed by their size and would have liked to climb up their sides. I was very disappointed, that you weren't allowed to do so! This website was an opportunity to at least let the haulers climb directly up the flank of the pyramid.
When I read Franz Löhner and Heribert Illigs' book, I said to myself - how could I have believed all that bullshit about ramps so long - with the rope roll it is so much simpler! I believe this is an ingenious solution and more important, one that needs no secret techniques or machines that only the ancient Egyptians happen to know about.
When I met Franz, I suggested to make a website, so more people would read about his ideas. I was responsible for the concept and the design of this website and for translating the texts into English. The work was great fun, specially when tweaking my nose at the professors, that like to build all these giant ramps (only in their minds...)!
My other passion is diving - if you want to see some photos and read about diving in Asia: Website about diving and the life in the coral reefs
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Credits: |
Copyright 2006: |
Franz Löhner www.cheops-pyramide.ch |
| Concept and Design, English Texts: |
Teresa (Zubi) Zuberbühler www.starfish.ch |