He received his doctorate on 31 January 1961 from the University of Munich with the thesis "Wall relief and spatial function in Egyptian temples of the New Kingdom".[1]
In 1981 he published a proposal for the construction of the Great Pyramid. The ramp runs first outside and then in a corridor inside the pyramid. Arnold was aware that the construction method could not be explained purely archaeologically due to the lack of finds: "It is no longer possible to determine how the Egyptian builders managed their work. However, the examples of the Cheops and Chephren pyramids demonstrate that they succeeded in solving the problem".[3][4]
Der Pyramidenbezirk des Königs Amenemhet III. in Dahschur. Band 1: Die Pyramide (= Archäologische Veröffentlichungen. Vol. 53). von Zabern, Mainz 1987, ISBN 3-8053-0608-3.
The Pyramid of Senwosret I (= Publications of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Egyptian Expedition. Band 22). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1988, ISBN 0-87099-506-5 (Online).
Building in Egypt. Pharaonic Stone Masonry. Oxford University Press, Oxford u. a. 1991, ISBN 978-0-19-511374-7.
The Pyramid Complex of Senwosret I (= Publications of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Egyptian Expedition. Band 25). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1992, ISBN 0-87099-612-6 (Online).
Die Tempel Ägyptens. Götterwohnungen, Kultstätten, Baudenkmäler. Artemis & Winkler, München / Zürich 1992, ISBN 3-7608-1073-X.
Lexikon der ägyptischen Baukunst. Artemis & Winkler, München / Zürich 1994, ISBN 3-7608-1099-3.
Temples of the Last Pharaos. Oxford University Press, New York (NY) u. a. 1999, ISBN 0-19-512633-5.
The Pyramid Complex of Senwosret III at Dahshur. Architectural Studies (= Publications of the Metropolitan Museum Egyptian Expedition. Band 26). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 2002, ISBN 0-87099-956-7 (Online).
Middle Kingdom Tomb Architecture at Lisht (= Publications of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Egyptian Expedition. Band 28). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 2008, ISBN 978-1-58839-194-0 (Online).
The Pyramid Complex of Amenemhat I at Lisht. The Architecture (= Publications of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Egyptian Expedition. Vol. 29). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 2016, ISBN 978-1-58839-604-4.
Peter Jánosi (ed): Structure and Significance. Thoughts on Ancient Egyptian Architecture (= Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Denkschriften der Gesamtakademie. Volume 33/ Untersuchungen der Zweigstelle Kairo des Österreichischen Archäologischen Instituts. Volume 25). Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien 2005, ISBN 3-7001-3552-1 (Festschrift for Dieter Arnold).
Dieter Arnold: Überlegungen zum Problem des Pyramidenbaues. In: Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Abteilung Kairo. (MDAIK) Vol. 37, 1981, p. 15f.