It's a theory that gives indigestion to mainstream archeologists. Namely, that some of the immense blocks of Egypt's Great Pyramids might have been cast from synthetic material - the world's first concrete - not just carved whole from quarries and lugged into place by armies of toilers. Such an innovation would have saved millions of man-hours of grunting and heaving in construction of the enigmatic edifices on the Giza Plateau."It could be they used less sweat and more smarts," said Linn W. Hobbs, professor of materials science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Maybe the ancient Egyptians didn't just leave us mysteriousmonuments and mummies.
Maybe they invented concrete 2,000 years before the Romans started using it in their structures."That's a notion that would dramatically change engineering history. It's long been believed that the Romans were the first to employ structural concrete in a big way, although the technology may have come from the Greeks. A handful of determined materials scientists are carrying out experiments with crushed limestone and natural binding chemicals - stuff that would have been readily available to ancient Egyptians - designed to show that blocks on the upper reaches of the pyramids may have been cast in place from a slurry poured into wooden molds.
These
researchers at labs in Cambridge, Philadelphia, and St. Quentin,
France, are trying to demonstrate that Egyptians of about 2,500 BC
could have been thetrue inventors of the poured substance that is
humanity's most common building material - used in everything from
Rome's Pantheon to Boston's Big Dig.
At MIT, Hobbs and two
colleagues teach a course called Materials in Human Experience. Over
the years, undergraduates in the program have recreated from scratch
such artifacts as Samurai swords, tinkling Meso-American bells, and
even a swaying 60-foot plant-fiber suspension bridge like those built
by the Incas.
Now a scale-model pyramid
is rising in Hobbs's sixth-floor lab, a construction made of quarried
limestone as well as concrete-like blocks cast from crushed limestone
sludge fortified with dollops of kaolinite clay, silica, and natural
desert salts - called natron - like those used by ancient Egyptians to
mummify corpses.
The MIT pyramid will
contain only about 280 blocks,compared wit......
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Two mummified fetuses found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun will undergo DNA testing to determine their relation to the famous pharaoh, Egyptian officials announced today. The fetuses may also solve a longtime puzzle: the identity of King Tut"s mother. The young Tut, who reigned from 1336 to 1337 B.C., is controversially thought to be the son of Pharaoh Akhenaten and his wife Kiya. But some archaeologists believe he could be the son of Akhenaten"s otherwife, the powerful Queen Nefertiti. "The fe...Tutankhamen's 'beautiful' face revealed
Submitted by Stance: The true face of ancient Egypt"s boy king Tutankhamen was revealed to the public for the first time on Sunday since he died in mysterious circumstances more than 3000 years ago. The mummy was moved from its ornate sarcophagus in the tomb where its 1922 discovery caused an international sensation to a nearby climate-controlled case where experts say it will be better preserved. Tutankhamen"s body is entirely wrapped in strips of white linen, except for his face which, until n...Giza Pyramids Align Toward City of Sun God
Some of Egypt's most magnificent pyramids were deliberately designed to follow a pattern of invisible diagonal lines, an Italian study has concluded. According to Giulio Magli, professor of archaeoastronomy at Milan's Polytechnic University, these invisible lines would connect most of the funerary complexes raised by the kings of the Old Kingdom between 2630 and 2323 B.C. "Following these diagonals, it appears clear that the arrangement of the monuments was carefully chose...Egyptian temples followed heavenly plans
A new study covering 650 ancient Egyptian temples dating back as far as 3000BC has revealed that many were aligned with astronomical events so precisely that it was possible to setyour calendar by them. "Ancient Egyptian temples were aligned soprecisely with astronomical events that people could set their political, economic and religious calendars by them. . So finds a study of 650 temples, some dating back to 3000BC." View: F...Cave complex beneath Giza Pyramids ?
British explorer Andrew Collins has claimed to have discovered an extensive series of chambers and tunnels underneath the Pyramids of Giza that is being described as the "lost underworld of the pharaohs"."An enormous systemof caves, chambers and tunnels lies hidden beneath the Pyramids of Giza, according to a British explorer who claims to have found the lost underworld of the pharaohs." View: Full Article | Source: ...4,000-year-old necropolis in Fayoum contains dozens of mummies
Egyptian archaeologists have discovered an ancient necropolis containing dozens of beautifully preserved mummies dating back as far as 4,000 years. Excavations sponsored by Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities revealed 53 tombs cut into rock south east of the Illahun pyramids in the oasis of Fayoum.Antiquities chief Zahi Hawass described four of the mummies, dating to the 22nd Dynasty (931-725 BC), as among the most beautiful ever discovered. Sitting in wooden coffins, the mummi...Pyramid building secrets unlocked
A Norwegian University researcher believes he has unlocked the key to the pyramids" construction.For years experts have tried to figure out how the pyramids of Egypt were constructed, in particular how such heavy blocks were moved and placed with such precision. Ole J. Bryn believes he has the answer - ancientEgypt"s equivalent of the modern building grid. Scientists from around the world havetried to understand how the Egyptians erected their giant pyramids. . Now, an architect and re...Painted mummies found in ancient Egypt necropolis
Markings in a tiny chamber of the Great Pyramid have been seen for the first time in 4,500 years.What lies within the mysterious shafts has been a topic of debate and speculation for years, multiple attempts to send robots in to send back pictures have been met with more questions than answers. This time however a fresh attempt to unravel the secrets of the pyramid have yielded images of markings onthe tunnel walls that could be heiroglyphics or even the doodlings of workers involved ...Radiocarbon dating verifies ancient Egypt's history
Experts have used scientific dating techniques to verify the historical chronology of ancient Egypt. Radiocarbon dating was used to show that the chronology of Egypt's Old, Middle and New Kingdoms is indeed accurate. The researchers dated seeds found in pharaohs' tombs, including some from the tomb of the King Tutankhamun. They write in the journal Science that some of the samples are more than 4,500 years old.Radiocarbon dating of ancient Egyptian objects is nothing new. . But this t...
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Who was King Tutankhamun's mother ?
Tutankhamen's 'beautiful' face revealed
Giza Pyramids Align Toward City of Sun God
Egyptian temples followed heavenly plans
Cave complex beneath Giza Pyramids ?
4,000-year-old necropolis in Fayoum contains dozens of mummies
Pyramid building secrets unlocked
Painted mummies found in ancient Egypt necropolis
Robot enters secret pyramid chamber
Radiocarbon dating verifies ancient Egypt's history
