In late 1945 or early 1946, Herbert Cole fumigated the Pyramid of Khafre at Giza with hydrogen cyanide gas to clear an infestation, which meant installing extraction units inside the monument. While setting up that gear, he found two objects lodged in gaps between the blocks: a scrap of wood and a finger bone identified as a left thumb. The wood snapped into four pieces; Cole kept three until his death in the 1990s, and he believed it came straight from a joint between two blocks and was as old as the pyramid. The exact blocks are unknown. Fascinating little detail from a practical bit of conservation work. 🏺
Wood and thumb bone found during Khafre's 1945–46 fumigation
EgyptArtifact
Key facts
- Herbert Cole was called to fumigate the Pyramid of Khafre in late 1945 or early 1946 with hydrogen cyanide gas, requiring extraction units to be installed.
- While installing the equipment, Cole found a piece of wood and a bone identified as a left thumb in gaps between pyramid blocks.
- The exact blocks where the objects were found are unknown, and Cole died in the 1990s.
- The wood broke into four pieces on removal; Cole kept three pieces until his death.
- Cole maintained that the wood came directly from a joint between two blocks and believed it was as old as the pyramid.
- Michael Cole wrote to Robert Bauval about the find in 1998, five years after the 1993 publication of 'The Orion Mystery' by Robert Bauval and Graham Hancock.
- The details were published in 2001 in the Spanish magazine Más Allá de la Ciencia, issue 148, in an article by Javier Sierra with Robert Bauval.
Sources
robertbauval.co.uk
Linked in video description
Herman and Khafre's Pyramid | Cole Agarflickr.com
Cole Agar By: Cole Agar. Follow. Herman and Khafre's Pyramid. Done. Loading ... pyramids · landscape. Additional info. License History. Viewing privacy. Public.
Pyramid of Khafre and the Great Sphinxsmarthistory.org
Although this monument appears larger than that of his father, it is actually slightly smaller but was constructed 10 meters (33 feet) higher on the plateau.
Herbert Coleen.wikipedia.org
Herbert Cole (1867–1930) was an English book illustrator and portrait artist. Cole was influenced by Walter Crane and Sir Edward Burne-Jones.
Herbert M. Cole photographs, EEPA 2000-008, 1973sova.si.edu
Photographs taken by Herbert M. Cole of people and architecture in Kenya, 1973. Peoples included are the Samburu, Turkana and Pokot.
Was this story useful?
Keep exploring
Every site on this page sits on the globe, and the people who research them are on the Discord.
3D Globe · Sites by country · Story Archive · Research Library · Weekly Journal · Search
AI-generated text · images from the original sources · always verify with the sources.