DailyDirt: Egyptian Pyramid Construction Techniques

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Construction techniques have changed a lot over the last thousand years. The example of the Great Pyramids, though, shows that projects with enormous scale can be accomplished without the help of modern machinery. We may never know exactly how the pyramids were built, but it's fun to try to re-create some of the methods they used. Here are just a few examples of possible construction techniques for moving extremely heavy building materials in the desert. If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.
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Filed Under: ancient tools, construction techniques, egyptian pyramids, great pyramids, human labor, kite, mysteries


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  1. icon
    Alias (profile), 1 May 2014 @ 6:26pm

    Standard to Metric conversion problem

    15' <> 3.0m

    More like ~4.5m

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 May 2014 @ 6:48pm

    I like how they created level ground for the base.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. icon
    Groaker (profile), 1 May 2014 @ 7:23pm

    Manual Techniques

    There are many techniques that have passed into history with the advent of more modern and efficient methods. But these capabilities are maintains by some individuals, not unlike those who will only use hand tools in wood or metal work.

    See the following link for a guy who knows how to move 10 ton blocks by hand by himself.

    http://www.theforgottentechnology.com/

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. icon
    Coyne Tibbets (profile), 1 May 2014 @ 7:48pm

    This is another method

    Wally Wallington moves blocks up to 20 tons by himself. He can move a one-ton block 300 feet in an hour, by himself.

    The video shows erection of 128 cubic-foot foot, 9.5 ton concrete block that looks to be about 20 feet long.

    Man Moves Huge Blocks! (Youtube)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 May 2014 @ 7:51pm

    Has anybody tested in real life adding water technique?
    Look to me more like some type of oil applied shown in original ancient picture. As water percolates too quickly, it would requre bigger vessels. Here we have just one guy using one container while dozens pull. There are also just few guys with additional hand held vessels. Not much to make desert sand moist for the path of blocks.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. icon
    Jernau (profile), 1 May 2014 @ 8:47pm

    "from the urls-we-dig-up dept"

    :D

    Sorry.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 May 2014 @ 9:52pm

    After watching the TV series Ancient Aliens, I'm convinced humans had extraterrestrial help building all the pyramids located at almost every corner of this planet. They even found ancient pyramids in China, that the Chinese tried to bury in dirt and then they planted trees on top of them.

    Modern engineers have visited the ancient Egyptian pyramids and took detailed measurement the structures. The gaps between the stones on these stone structures are to within one-hundredth of an inch tolerance.

    That's pretty hard to do with a pick axe and a chisel. Not to mention that everyone working on that pyramid must have been a master craftsman.

    Most people laugh at the idea of aliens. Looking at all the pyramid structures around the world, especially Puma Punku in South America with it's laser precision cuts and drilled holes through stone, it leaves me to wonder.

    I simply don't understand why ancient man would decide to spend their free time transporting stones that weigh up to 1,000 tons, and dragging them hundreds of miles across the desert. With that much weight, wooden logs would snap like toothpicks if they attempted to roll stones on top of them.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    lisa gray, 2 May 2014 @ 4:45am

    just $80 worth

    Google glass wearable Computer Contains just $80 worth of Electronic Components .

    http://www.glu7.com/

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. icon
    AjStechd (profile), 2 May 2014 @ 5:35am

    I think we're more wrong than right about what we think we know about the Pyramids. I find the "water" discovery interesting but largely unimportant.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 2 May 2014 @ 6:34am

    Re:

    After watching the series Finding Bigfoot, I am convinced that such creatures exist even thought they never found anything. Chupacabra is also real, I saw it on TV.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    truth is stanger than fiction, 2 May 2014 @ 7:17am

    erm... coral castle anyone?

    People, do you know we were a lot clever back in the day and you all need stop listening to HIS-STOREY!

    Look up coral castle, also, annuki and ancient technology. Everything is sound/energy including us. Carbon and hydrogen around energy/conciiousness/you!

    There's energy everywhere but we just been turned into brainless, ignorant sheep by a few who want control and power (see Vatican/Israel). Why is it so hard for people to stop and think! Its all you need do and this western world of bullshit falls to pieces

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. icon
    Bergman (profile), 2 May 2014 @ 12:00pm

    If they had heavy lift kites...

    Then they had enough knowledge of aerodynamics to make manned gliders too.

    Which could explain the similarities between Egyptian, South American and even Chinese pyramids as well.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    Anonymous, 3 May 2014 @ 4:23pm

    Re: Re:

    And Michael Jackson is still releasing albums!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    Choco, 4 May 2014 @ 11:53am

    Anyone ever heared of Elephants?

    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/egypt/raising/perspective.html Pharaohs like Thomoses III created a zoo in the Karnak temple, so the whole "are not common, thus not logical" argument of NOVA doesn't make sense. Imagine, you are a pharaoh and want the job done BEFORE you die. Wouldn't you just get 100 Elephants and fix the job before noon?

    link to this | view in thread ]


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