Architectural Constraints and the Impossibility of Water-Based Functional Models in the Great Pyramid of Giza An Archaeological–Architectural Reassessment of Internal Sealing and Isolation Systems

Over the past decades, a number of interpretative models have proposed that the Great Pyramid of Giza functioned, wholly or in part, as a system involving the circulation or management of water within its internal structure. Such hypotheses are often grounded in theoretical reconstructions, analogical reasoning, or speculative functional models, yet they are rarely tested against the architectural constraints imposed by the monument itself. The present study offers a critical reassessment of water-based functional interpretations through a strictly archaeological–architectural analysis of the internal layout of the Great Pyramid. Focusing on observable structural evidence and on nineteenth-century documentation predating modern alterations, the analysis examines the Descending Passage, the Subterranean Chamber, the blocking systems associated with the Ascending Passage, the false floors, and the Well Shaft. The results demonstrate that the internal architecture of the Great Pyramid is characterized by intentional interruptions of spatial continuity, including hermetic closures, permanent blocking stones, concealed accesses, and isolation devices. These features are structurally incompatible with any functional model requiring the presence, circulation, regulation, or long-term maintenance of water within the monument. Without proposing alternative functional interpretations, this study defines objective architectural constraints within which any hypothesis concerning the function of the Great Pyramid must operate. The contribution thus represents a methodological exercise in functional exclusion, grounded in direct observation and documentary evidence, and aimed at reducing speculative interpretations incompatible with the material record.