Great Pyramid of Giza vandalised
German researchers allegedly scraped pigment from a pharaoh’s cartouche, in an attempt to prove it is a forgery.
Following accusations of vandalism and theft at the Great Pyramid of Giza, two researchers are under investigation in Germany and six individuals have been detained in Egypt, including the head of a tour company, archaeologists and local guards.
Officials with the Ministry of Antiquities responsible for the pyramids have reportedly already been transferred to other positions as punishment for negligence.
The Art Newspaper
February 20, 2014
© Dominique Goerlitz and Stefan Erdmann
In April 2013, Dominique Goerlitz and Stefan Erdmann are suspected of having illegally scraped samples of pigment and stone from one of the uppermost chambers of the Great Pyramid, focusing their attention on a red ochre cartouche of King Khufu.
Most scholars date this mark to the pyramid’s construction in around 2500BC, while alternative theorists, including the two German researchers, have long claimed the cartouche to be a fake, painted by its discoverer, Colonel Howard Vyse in 1837 to help him secure further funding for his explorations.
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