Tours: Jean-Pierre Houdin's Theories

Where are the paintings? This article is in need of more images and/or better quality pictures from official media in order to achieve a higher status. You can help the Assassin's Creed Wiki by uploading better images on this page.

Exploring New RoomsThe AntechambersThe Noble CircuitThe Noble Circuit Entrance

(Behind the Scenes)

The team wanted to provide players with a sense of exploration and discovery, particularly within the Great Pyramid.

As such, a decision was made that the internal design of the monument in the game would reflect Jean-Pierre Houdin's theories.

While the antechambers of the king's tomb have yet to be discovered, Houdin posits that this is merely due to a unique design placing the pharaoh's tomb at the center of the pyramid.

The entire tour you are about to take was designed along Houdin's hypotheses.

(Behind the Scenes)

While respecting Houdin's hypothesis as to the general layout of the antechambers, the team wanted the contents to enhance the game experience. In regular royal tombs the antechambers were filled with all the material goods needed by the pharaoh in the afterlife. To support the feelings of discovery and awe, the art team created a unique and fantastical treasure in this second antechamber.

(Behind the Scenes)

Houdin theorized that the ascending corridor and the Great Gallery were used by the workers to haul hoist the heavy beams above the king's chamber. He called it the Service Circuit. The corridor you are in now was created by the team following Houdin's theory, and is referred to as the Noble Circuit. It is through this corridor that the wooden sarcophagus containing the pharaoh's mummy would have been transported to its final resting chamber.

(Behind the Scenes)

With this structure in mind, one can easily assume that the pyramid's entrance would have been connected to the two antechambers. Modern research has revealed that a cavity might be located behind the north face chevrons of the pyramid. As such, the team chose to create this area for the player to explore. Here is where Houdin believes that the priests and nobles would have exited the pyramid after the burial ceremony.

The Internal RampThe Corner RoomA Double RampThe Start of the Inner Ramp

(Behind the Scenes)

Many theories regarding the construction of the Great Pyramid rely on the usage of external ramps.

However, Houdin believes an external ramp would have been too steep for the upper portion of the pyramid.

This is why he posits that there were two ramps: an external ramp for about half of the height of the pyramid, which then became an internal ramp for the second half.

(Behind the Scenes)

Houdin's theory states that this internal ramp followed the sides of the pyramid in an ascending spiral pattern. A notch discovered in the edge of the Great Pyramid known as Bob's Room seems to support this theory. Located at the corners of each edge of the pyramid, these large rooms would have allowed workers to turn the stone by 90 degrees, allowing them to continue the ascent. The team chose to create rooms such as this one, bringing Houdin's hypothesis to life.

(Behind the Scenes)

This long corridor was the first section of the ascending internal ramp. Through it, the blocks used to build the Great Pyramid would have been carefully moved upward, and then turned at each edge of the pyramid in order to continue their ascent. Though the team only created the main ramp for the game, Houdin posits that this ramp had two levels, allowing workers to return safely to the bottom thanks to an additional corbelled upper section.

(Behind the Scenes)

According to Houdin, the start of the inner ramp was located at the base of the southeastern face of the pyramid. This location would have been the junction point of the external and internal ramps. Below us, workers would have built the lower part of the pyramid with the external ramp, before eventually switching to the internal ramp for the middle and upper sections of the pyramid. At that time in the process, they could have reused the material of the external ramp to fill the center of the pyramid, hauling the stones in through the internal ramp.