Collins' New Egypt Book Gives New Meaning to Adage 'As above, so below' as He Reveals Caves Beneath Giza Plain

The cover of the new Andrew Collins book. It finally has been released after problems with the first printing.

Although the title and advance news of this latest book by Andrew Collins promotes the discovery of a vast cave network beneath the Giza plain, in fact that part of the book is just one section of the volume. Granted, it is rather breathtaking that the existence of such a cave network could go unknown for long, but the real value of the book, in my opinion is that it recaps and clarifies so much that has already been discussed in many volumes by many authors. It is like a crash course in Egyptology.

Collins book, 'Beneath the Pyramids', discusses among other things the relative merits of the Orion theory and the Cygnus theory. Each posits that the alignment of the three major pyramids corresponds to the relative placements of the major stars in the named constellation. However, Collins shows that the Orion theory falls flat when the third pyramid does not correspond to the actual placement of the star Mintaka; Mintaka falls outside the base of the Menkaure pyramid.

The pyramids do, however, correspond much more closely to the placements of the major stars in Cygnus (the swan). Delta, Sadr, and Gienah, the wing stars of the celestial bird, correspond not only when you overlay the constellation over the aerial map of Giza, but also those stars would have been seen to set over the peaks of the pyramids at about 5500 BC. Furthermore, Cygnus' brightest star Deneb (in the tail) is placed near the Tomb of the Birds, Albireo is placed at the peak of Geber Ghibil, and the eye of the bird is placed at the well Bir el-Samman. The significance of all those sites is well explained by Collins in one of his most readable and lucid books.

Collins is not the first Westerner to discover the bird tomb nor the caves under the plain. He readily gives credit to earlier explorers who left enigmatic markings and clues on old maps. But these contributions to the body of modern knowledge of Giza are significant and could change the interpretation of what is known so far about the history and practices of the ancient Egyptians.

Color photos of the exploration of the caves by Collins and his wife Sue illustrate his account. They are a great help, along with his sketches of the layout of the rooms and tunnels, although they capture none of the hazards he encountered such as bat guano (a lovely source of eye and lung infections), the white widow spider, and an unknown live creature heard skittering in small, dark passageway. Not to mention local guards who threaten to arrest him if he proceeded any further on the Giza plateau.

There is plenty of material worth a second or third reading, and I am sure that fans of Indiana Jones will enjoy the account of his expeditions to Egypt. Those with an interest in ancient astronomy will also appreciate his explanations of Nuit as the celestial mother who gives birth to the sun each morning, of the symbology behind cow goddesses and birds (like Cygnus), the Sphinx as Leo, and more. Perhaps el-Hanash, the great snake, could also be imagined as the coiled stars of the Milky Way.

I recommend getting together with like-minded friends to discuss this book over several weeks, perhaps comparing it to similar books or related theories of Egyptian history and symbology. As stated, you can read whole chapters two or more times to digest the concentrated research behind all of this material. Rated four stars.

"Beneath the Pyramids: Egypt's Greatest Secret Uncovered" by Andrew Collins, 4th Dimension Press, 2009, 262 pages including index.

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