Comment déplacer des blocs de pierre avec de “simples outils” : la théorie du peintre américain Rossi d’Providence

autoportrait de l'auteur

L’Américain, d’origine italienne, Robert J. Rossi, alias Rossi d’Providence (nom adopté en 1973), est né en 1939. Ce peintre "réaliste" de renom, qui préfère donner ses toiles plutôt que de se plier au système actuel du marché de l’art, se présente lui-même comme un maître charpentier-bâtisseur, un adepte du survivalisme, un marginaliste, un photographe, un chef de cuisine spécialisé dans les sauces...
En complément de cette polyvalence de centres d’intérêt, Rossi d’Providence s’est risqué à concevoir sa propre théorie sur le transport des blocs de pierre, applicable, selon lui, à la construction des pyramides de Guizeh. D’où le texte qui suit, publié en décembre 2006 sur le site world-mysteries.com, et reproduit ici avec l’aimable et explicite autorisation de son auteur.

"Moving Stones with Simple Tools"

“When we think of how the huge rectangular stones have been moved, we think of a gang of people in some way moving the stones as they are, in the shape they are.
When in fact by my thinking the stone's shape had to have been augmented to roll the stones up a ramp by the use of ropes. (If ropes were used). Not having been to the stone's site to inspect them and the surrounding land, one can only guesstimate at their having been moved a certain way.
Firstly, the ramp itself is probably build out of stone (?) capable of taking the weight of the megaliths moving upward along it. From the top of the ramp to the bottom, the multitude of ropes are laid in channels in and along the ramp (submerged somewhat) so that the stones are not sitting on the ropes themselves (to protect the ropes from being crushed).

Une “structure”, coiffant le bloc à déplacer, la hauteur de l’ensemble bloc+structure étant le double de celle du bloc pris sépartément
Then a structure is built atop the stone the same shape as the original stone so that the height of the stone and its structure are now twice the height of the original stone. (As if one rectangular stone were sitting atop another rectangular stone of the same size, width and height - or higher).
Imagine trying to roll a large refrigerator up a hill. You cannot slide it up the hill because it is too heavy. So you roll it one quarter revolution at a time until you get it to move along. But it is too heavy to roll a rectangular refrigerator of that size. So, you put another refrigerator on top of the first one, secure it to the one below as best you can, and then merely topple the structure over, up the hill, by pushing on the top of the structure. Once you have toppled the refrigerator over, repeat the process of putting one refrigerator atop the other and topple it again. In doing so you are moving the refrigerator up hill, one quarter turn at a time.

Changer le ratio hauteur/largeur pour réduire le poids du bloc à faire rouler sur la rampe
However, this is only one aspect of the stone's being moved - moving the stones into position approaching the ramp may be another crew's problem. One would have to be on site to determine this process.
One important factor in the stone theories on their movement is that someone did in fact move those stones. I keep this fact as 65 per cent of the solution as to how they were moved. The stones weren't lifted, nor were they slid (my personal deduction, however shimming would be excepted - that is to move one side forward then the other - very difficult up a ramp), which leaves the task of rolling. To make something roll that is square, is to round the square. Yet this too is not easy because of the massive weight of the stones. Therefore the weight of the stone itself has to be reduced. This can be implemented by changing the height/width ratio - by building the height of the stone with some structure and leaving the width intact. A moving automobile easily rolls over in a turn because it is top heavy, etc. The trick is to build the upper part of the structure to a maximum strength and weight, that will cause the rolling of both units to work as one (the refrigerator atop another refrigerator practice).
The way to achieve this with maximum forward movement is to have the stone roll and fall onto a ramp twice the angle of the intended ramp (If the intended ramp is at 18 degrees throughout its length, fill in a ramp forward of the stone at 30 degrees to bring the stone to a rest with less downward distance and less pull of gravity), then dig out the greater ramp to have the stone rest on the then intended ramp. (Letting the stone roll and fall at a 90 degree angle would possibly break the stone).

La "Pregnant Woman stone" (source : Wikimedia)

Comparaison avec le  trilithon de Baalbeck
In the introduction to "Mystic Places - Baalbek" (1), the following is written : "The Romans constructed a monumental ensemble of three temples, three courtyards, and an enclosing wall built of some of the most gigantic stones ever crafted by man. Some tourists believe that the construction can only be attributed to extra-terrestrial artwork". This indicates the Romans built the wall and therefore "extra-terrestrials” is out of the question - also meaning that strong metals was used in the moving of the stones. If the Phoenicians were the builders or someone before them the process would have been somewhat different regarding implements used.
Then again, did the Romans need big stones to frighten hostile oncomers ? For this, it is not easy to make a proper assessment of the stones without being there and seeing all aspects of the area.
It should be kept in mind that the stones were being moved many times before they were actually put into place - the stones had to be moved out of the quarry and be rolled to work on other sides. So, these workers may have had the movement of these stones down path before they attempted to use them in the building of the wall. In seeing the "Pregnant woman stone" (2), one sees the process of digging below the stone to cause some movement of the stone. Perhaps the builders were moving the stones end over end to gain a greater distance with each rotation - but again, taking the chance that the stone may break from such an high fall.

L'astuce : utiliser également des contrepoids

There are tricks to moving an 800 ton stone. Reduce the weight of the stone and expand the strength of the timber and ropes used. How can one reduce the weight of the stone ? In reality, the stone's mean weight matters only if one lifts the stone or tries to drag it. When rolling the stone, the actual weight of stone one has to deal with is reduced by at least 2/3 or more. By tying three timbers together the strength of the timbers being used is tripled. Finally, counter weights are employed to keep a constant pressure on the stone in the direction to which the stone is to be moved, to add to the force applied by labor. It may be better to build the timber upward on top of the stone, which would give more ways to fasten the timber to the backside of the stone and onto the sides as shown in the schematics.

In this schematic it shows two distinct directions of pull - by physical labor and by counter weights. The counter weights should be stones the maximum allowed by the strength of the rope used.
The labor force should have loops in the rope with which to pull the stone - they should also have a means of counter-force at their feet (such as a baseball pitcher has a counter-force (a wood block) at his foot on the mound when he winds up to throw), therefore increasing the pull-force/push-force of each laborer.”

(1) autre publication de l’auteur
(2) nom donné au célèbre trilithon de Baalbeck (Liban)