Debunking the 1/40-Inch Vase Claim Under Djoser's Step Pyramid
An article by Veronica Winters systematically debunks claims by Ben van Kerkwyk (UnchartedX) that stone vases found beneath Djoser's Step Pyramid had walls 1/40 inch thick. Archaeological sources confirm a cache of roughly 30,000–40,000 stone vessels, mostly calcite-alabaster, including bowls, jars, and plates, but no published measurement supports the 1/40-inch figure. The claim appears to originate from a Petrie-related statement about a diorite vessel, not the Djoser cache. Quibell's excavation notes record a 2 mm thickness for alabaster panels, not vase walls. Three large pink-granite lugged vats were found, but no hard-stone vase wall thickness is documented. The article concludes that the high-precision vase narrative lacks archaeological evidence.
Key facts
- Ben van Kerkwyk claimed vases under Djoser's Step Pyramid had walls 1/40 inch thick.
- Archaeological sources estimate 30,000–40,000 stone vessels in the cache.
- Most vessels are calcite-alabaster; hard stones like granite are rare.
- No published archaeological measurement gives 1/40 inch wall thickness for Djoser vessels.
- Quibell recorded 2 mm thickness for alabaster panels, not vase walls.
- Three pink-granite lugged vats were found, not thin-walled vases.
- The 1/40 inch claim likely stems from a Petrie reference to a diorite vessel.
- The cache includes bowls, jars, plates, and fragments, not uniform precision vases.
Entities
Artists
- Ben van Kerkwyk
- Petrie
- Djoser
- William Henry Goodyear
- Veronica Winters
Institutions
- UnchartedX
- Joe Rogan Experience
- Brooklyn Museum
- IFAO
- Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Locations
- Saqqara
- Egypt
- Aswan