9/22/2023 0 Comments Egyptian plumb bobGiven the sheer size of all the stone construction in Egypt - Mortuary Wall blocks, Obelisks above, Colossi of Memnon (one over a 1000 ton?.) which most seem to think we're moved overland because of the weight. I get the task was monumental, but you have the River and to paraphrase the common quip on slavery, "Religion Gets Shit Done". Tho the overall effort of stacking a lot of blocks isn't the trick in itself, (tho the precision and orientation is remarkable) the chambers, corridors and shaft - some requiring massive lintels, roofing and lining - that construction always seemed to require a lot more skill, in planning, engineering and execution. There were many and other enormous single block edifices quarried, moved and erected that seem more impressive from an engineering standpoint. 15-30M, 150-400 tons, relatively fragile, moved 250kms (150ish mikes) from Aswan to Karnak. There's a number of other large stone projects, including Obelisks like the one above (the Lateran and Theodosius shorter at 30m and - 20m mined at Aswan, two of a number erected at Karnak and then these moved to Rome and Constantinople, respectively, in the 4th century) seem more engineering intensive individually. We even know at least some of the Diorite was from a quarry in Idahet. Looks like individual workers, using hammerstones, then dressing as they went. The quarrying method doesn't look like lasers, or melting or saws. But nobody seizes on construction like Lateran Obleisk - or stuff like this (Hetshepsut's) 40m tall and still in situ since it cracked. People always marvel at the Giza pyramids, indicating it would be impossible for the Egyptians to do whatever was done. Granites came from Aswan which is 800 kms away (so 500ish miles) but I don't recall what was used in the Giza structures. The Diary of Merer seems to support this and gives some insight on quarrying and block logistics. it makes it almost anytime at Giza, but thought the vast majority making up the core structure was Giza Limestone - quarried on site at Giza, taking advantage of geological anticlines that were kinda like "pre-cuts".įrom what I recall, much whiter Limestone used for the outer facing was claimed to be quarried on the other side of the river at Tourah-Masada, about 12 klicks south of modern urban center Cairo, where they still quarry Limestone and Clay. then understand they did it with bronze age tools. When you stand there, and look at that, and realize the math and engineering needed to create them. most of the blocks were quarried hundreds of miles down river, then floated to the Giza plateau on reed raft barges. I don't know why this hasn't gained any real traction. I wasn't there when they were built but I still think it is a well thought-out theory. I recall being impressed with the logic of this explanation a number of years ago. Now show us a rope system that can haul a few thousand pounds Throw in a pulley and it takes even less rocks. When the basket weight is equal to the weight of the stone they tie it on as a counter weight and push the stone up with one finger while the basket goes down the opposite side. Why wouldn’t they use rocks instead of buckets of water? A couple hundred slaves each have a ten pound rock and they carry them up to the top and put them in a basket. You'd have to have it going constantly to keep up with the water lost to leakage, evaporation and accidental spillage, but if I was going to lift a bunch of water with the materials available at the time, a staircase of pools and Archemedes screws would be the first thing that occurred to me to use. It seems like this would be a plausible method that would expend less energy than a bucket brigade to move water uphill. But, there is evidence that this technology was in use in Egypt for a very long time before it was known anywhere else. That's quite a bit later than their best guess as to when the pyramids were built. So "scientists" are uncertain of how long ago the so-called Archemedes screw was known and used, but some place it as early as the 7th century BC.
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