Concrete pyramid update Pyramids packed with fossil shells
Many of Egypt’s most famous monuments, such as the Sphinx and Cheops pyramid at Giza, contain hundreds of thousands of marine fossils, according to a new study.Most of the fossils are intact and preserved in the monument walls, giving clues to how the monuments were built.
The authors suggest the stones that make up the Giza plateau, Fayum and Abydos monuments must have been carved out of natural stone as they reveal what chunks of the sea floor must have looked like over 4000 years ago, when the buildings were erected.
Well, there’s this whopper: “There is no evidence known that suggests the ancient Egyptians had cranes,” he says. “Without cranes, it is difficult to imagine how they could have lifted giant stones, some as heavy as 200 tonnes.”
When I heard of the concrete idea, it sounded interesting. Then I heard (IIRC) of a chemical analysis of the stone saying it was not concrete. Now, we have two people who can’t imagine people moving large stones with ramps. Obviously, cranes are needed to build ramps, right?
The extent that people will go through to push their own hypotheses is quite interesting.
Comment by badger3k — April 30, 2008 @ 9:01 pm
I love the fact that people assume that the goodies we have to make our lives easier are actaully essential. I will never forget my 12 yr old son’s total astonishment when he realised while watching the film Apollo 13 that we had in fact sent men to the moon without calculators. His father and I, a couple of fogeys who had to learn to add and subtract in our heads and who had both seen a living slide rule, almost fell off the sofa laughing.
Comment by Maryanne Stroud Gabbani — April 30, 2008 @ 11:15 pm
Heck Maryanne – you’ve -seen- a slide rule … I’m only 31 and I still -own- a slide rule.
So there.
Comment by Rusty — May 1, 2008 @ 12:07 pm
I bought an old slide rule a while back but haven’t learned how to use it. I was in school at the start of the calculator era, so I never had to learn.
I’m just waiting until some kid gets into my Mustang and can’t find the button the lower the window.
Comment by Anthony — May 1, 2008 @ 12:33 pm
hahaha
It’s funny you’d mention that, because for some incredibly odd reason, instead of living in, say, my desk drawer or something, my slide rule is in the map pocket right underneath the window switches in my car.
Comment by Rusty — May 1, 2008 @ 5:19 pm