WONDER NO. 2: THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA
The Great Pyramid is the most remarkable building in existence on the face of our planet today. It was built with such precision that our current technology cannot replicate it. This pyramid is so precisely constructed that until recently (with the advent of laser measuring equipment) scientists were not able to discover some of its subtle symmetries (not to mention duplicate them). Among other aspects, there are also very exact geometric relationships between all the structures in the pyramid complex at Giza.
Two types of limestone were used for construction. A soft limestone either pure or nummulitic was used for the bulk of the core blocks and a hard white limestone for the mantle. Hard limestone becomes more polished with age. The base of the pyramid covers 55,000 squared meter (592,000 squared feet) with each side greater than 20,000 squared meter (218,000 squared feet) in area.
The outer mantle was composed of 144,000 casing stones, all highly polished and flat to an accuracy of 1/100th of an inch, about 100 inches thick and weighing about 15 tons each. The average casing stone on the lowest level was 5 ft. long by 5 ft. high by 6 ft. deep and weighed 15 tons.
The mortar used is of an unknown origin. It has been analysed and its chemical composition is known but it can't be reproduced. It is stronger than the stone and still holding up today. The cornerstone foundations of the pyramid have ball and socket construction capable of dealing with heat expansion and earthquakes.
There are no hieroglyphics or writing in the Great Pyramid. With the mantle in place, the Great Pyramid could be seen from the mountains in Israel and probably the moon as well. Its polished surfaces would have reflected light like a beacon.
Aligned True North; The Great Pyramid is the most accurately aligned structure in existence and face true north with only 3/60th of a degree of error. The position of the North Pole moves over time and the pyramid was exactly aligned at one time.
Centre of Land Mass; The Great Pyramid is located at the centre of the land mass of the earth. The east/west parallel that crosses the most land and the north/south meridian that crosses the most land intersect in two places on the earth, one in the ocean and the other at the Great Pyramid.
Some believe that Khufu's pyramid at Giza was built by slaves, but modern Egyptologists accept that it was built by mean tens of thousands of skilled workers rather than slaves. It is known that Khufu's nephew Hemiunu was appointed head of construction for the Great Pyramid and that Khufu provided good food and clothing for his workers.
According to Herodotus: "On the pyramid it is declared in Egyptian writing how much was spent on radishes and onions and leeks for the workmen, and if I rightly remember that which the interpreter said in reading to me this inscription, a sum of one thousand six hundred talents of silver was spent..." In the video below, you'll find interesting information about the pyramid builders.
Experts have talked a lot about the methods by which stone blocks were raised into position, it is usually assumed that wooden and bronze levers were used to out the blocks into position. "This pyramid was made after the manner steps which some called 'rows' and others 'bases': and when they had first made it thus, they raised the remaining stones with machines made of short pieces of timber, raising them first from the ground to the first stage of the steps, and when the stone got up to this it was placed upon another machine standing on the first stage, and so from this it was drawn to the second upon another machine..." - describes Herodotus.
About 600 years ago, beautiful smooth blocks known as Casing Stones covered the entire exterior of the pyramid, encasing the whole structure, before the Arabs began to tear the stones off. The ancient writer, Strabo, said: "It seemed like a building let down from heaven, untouched by human hands." It has been calculated that the original pyramid with its casing stones would act like gigantic mirrors and reflect light so powerful that it would be visible from moon as a shining star on earth. At the present, only a few are left in position on each side at the base. One of the largest remaining Casing Stones is nearly 5 feet high by 8 feet at the bottom, and weighs about 14 tons.
There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid - King's chamber, Queen's chamber and unfinished chamber. A team of French Egyptologists (Gilles Dormoin and Jean-Yves Verd'hurt) claims that an undiscovered room lies underneath the pyramid's Queen's Chamber and insists that it is the actual burial chamber of Khufu and not the one known as the King's chamber. However, even those who believe that the King's chamber was never put to use believe that Khufu may have been buried elsewhere rather than in another, hidden chamber. Well, there are still lots of mysteries concerning Khufu's burial to be, or never be revealed.
One of the most mysterious parts of the Great Pyramid is the empty coffer in King's Chamber, it is made from a solid block of chocolate-coloured granite and is even harder than the granite walls of the King's Chamber. For thousands of years, researchers have wondered about its purpose. Ancient legend says that it came from Atlantis or even from America. It was never inscribed or decorated. Also, since it is too large to pass through the low passages leading into the King's Chamber, it is considered to be placed in the chamber before the chamber was closed and passages were sealed.
The interior temperature of the Pyramid is constant and equals the average temperature of the earth, 20 Degrees Celcius (68 Degrees Fahrenheit). Another pleasant discovery in the Great Pyramid is a spectacular ancient cedar-wood boat, which was found sealed in a pit at the base of the Great Pyramid. This boat was interred in pieces and has since been reassembled, restored and preserved in a climate controlled museum over the site of the original pit. The name "Djedefre", who was Khufu's son and successor, is found on some of the slabs of stone that sealed the pit, indicating that probably the boat was put there by Khufu's son.
References:
http://www.timstouse.com/EarthHistory/Egypt/GreatPyramid/interestingfacts.htm
http://ancientworldwonders.com/10-interesting-facts-about-the-great-pyramid-of-giza.html
Next, The Hanging Garden of Babylon.
Some believe that Khufu's pyramid at Giza was built by slaves, but modern Egyptologists accept that it was built by mean tens of thousands of skilled workers rather than slaves. It is known that Khufu's nephew Hemiunu was appointed head of construction for the Great Pyramid and that Khufu provided good food and clothing for his workers.
According to Herodotus: "On the pyramid it is declared in Egyptian writing how much was spent on radishes and onions and leeks for the workmen, and if I rightly remember that which the interpreter said in reading to me this inscription, a sum of one thousand six hundred talents of silver was spent..." In the video below, you'll find interesting information about the pyramid builders.
Experts have talked a lot about the methods by which stone blocks were raised into position, it is usually assumed that wooden and bronze levers were used to out the blocks into position. "This pyramid was made after the manner steps which some called 'rows' and others 'bases': and when they had first made it thus, they raised the remaining stones with machines made of short pieces of timber, raising them first from the ground to the first stage of the steps, and when the stone got up to this it was placed upon another machine standing on the first stage, and so from this it was drawn to the second upon another machine..." - describes Herodotus.
There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid - King's chamber, Queen's chamber and unfinished chamber. A team of French Egyptologists (Gilles Dormoin and Jean-Yves Verd'hurt) claims that an undiscovered room lies underneath the pyramid's Queen's Chamber and insists that it is the actual burial chamber of Khufu and not the one known as the King's chamber. However, even those who believe that the King's chamber was never put to use believe that Khufu may have been buried elsewhere rather than in another, hidden chamber. Well, there are still lots of mysteries concerning Khufu's burial to be, or never be revealed.
One of the most mysterious parts of the Great Pyramid is the empty coffer in King's Chamber, it is made from a solid block of chocolate-coloured granite and is even harder than the granite walls of the King's Chamber. For thousands of years, researchers have wondered about its purpose. Ancient legend says that it came from Atlantis or even from America. It was never inscribed or decorated. Also, since it is too large to pass through the low passages leading into the King's Chamber, it is considered to be placed in the chamber before the chamber was closed and passages were sealed.
References:
http://www.timstouse.com/EarthHistory/Egypt/GreatPyramid/interestingfacts.htm
http://ancientworldwonders.com/10-interesting-facts-about-the-great-pyramid-of-giza.html
Next, The Hanging Garden of Babylon.
When Giza Pyramid builders laid the first layer of limestone blocks for the Great Pyramid, all that was required for the second layer was a method of leverage using the first layer, and so on for progressive layers. Just as human-beings walk upward on steps, step by step,
ReplyDeleteGiza engineers raised Pyramid blocks step by step, thereby using all space available over the entire Pyramid’s four sides progressively until completion.
Tomb models of “Petrie rockers” provide evidence of the “four-lobe pinion-pulley” which surround a Pyramid block and step walks its load when hoisted.
Giza Pyramid builders used the earliest known example of “Rack and Pinion” engineering technology, where the Pyramid consists of four sides of Limestone Racks (steps) and Four-Lobe Pinion-Pulleys engaged Limestone Racks (steps) with positive displacement when hoisted.
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