Analysis of the Ancient Pyramids at Giza - Term Paper Example

Blow, Joe & school: ARC 2701 – History of Architecture I On-line – Fall of School. Pyramids ofGiza, Egypt approximately 2569 BC. Tentative title: “Analysis of the Ancient Pyramids at Giza” Description: The ancient pyramids were constructed with such incredible precision that they have often caused observers to assume some kind of alien technological assistance. By examining what kind of precision has led to these assumptions, it can be seen that the accomplishment of moving the incredibly heavy blocks, their placement and the near perfect alignment of the pyramids’ footprints could have been achieved by normal educated men dedicated to perfection as a result of their political, social and spiritual realities. Although the perfection achieved by these men are still difficult to achieve even with today’s modern machinery and technology, the point the pyramids make is that human ingenuity, dedication and hands-on personal attention is still unequaled by the other machines that we make. Bibliography: Crozat, Pierre. “Origin of the Materials.” Engineering of the Pyramids. Paris: 6th Congress of Scientific Systems, 2005. Print. Levy, Janey. The Great Pyramid of Giza: Measuring Length, Area, Volume and Angles. New York: Rosen, 2005. Print. Romer, John. The Great Pyramid: Ancient Egypt Revisited. Cambridge: Cambridge GP, 2007. Print. Student name Instructor name Course name Date Analysis of the Ancient Pyramids at Giza Although only the top portions of them were left exposed above the desert sand 100 years ago, the ancient pyramids of Giza have long been structures that inspired wonder and puzzlement among those who knew of them. Built in an area of the world in which there are few building materials, including rock or trees, the stone pyramids were constructed with a level of precision placement that remains difficult to reproduce even today despite our advances in mechanical lifting technology and modern equipment. Once they were fully exposed to the modern world, the size of the pyramids fully revealed the tremendous achievement reached by the ancient Egyptians. The architectural feat accomplished coupled with their awe-inspiring size have made the pyramids object lessons for modern architects and others as they struggle to understand how and why these structures were created and how they have managed to persist throughout the centuries. Although we have created some very impressive structures in the modern age, it remains true that the Great Pyramid is one of the taller manmade structures on earth, standing as tall as most 50-story skyscrapers (Russell, 2005). This pyramid, and its attendant structures discovered on the Giza Plateau, is old enough to receive a mention in the Bible and impressive enough to have been included as one of the original seven great wonders of the world - the only one to still survive today. The pyramids, especially the Great Pyramid, are worthy subjects of architectural study because of how their construction, composition and style communicate the political, social and spiritual practices of the people that built them, demonstrating the ever-important link between architecture and society. Any study of the Great Pyramid should start with an analysis of the amazing technical details inherent in the structure. Surveys done on the pyramid have revealed that the length of each side of the structure is equal to all of the other sides almost exactly with the greatest difference in measurement equal to less than 1.75 inches (Levy, 2005). This same survey indicates that the base of the pyramid is almost perfectly level. It is hard to imagine how such a massive structure could have been created to such precise measurements in such a way that they would still hold true today, more than 4,000 years after it was constructed, and all without modern surveying equipment, earth movers or other advances in machinery. This is especially difficult to understand when one considers that the building blocks used for the pyramid weigh an average of 2.5 tons each. Actually, according to Bayuk, “the blocks toward the top decrease in size. Some of the casing stones at the base are very large, weighing as much as 15 tons. The heaviest blocks are the granite blocks used to roof the king’s chambers and the weight relieving chambers above the king’s chamber. These are estimated to weigh from 50 to 80 tons” (2005). While it may be possible to imagine ancient Egyptians carefully pacing off the distances on the ground and perhaps even managing to find some way of using string or other seemingly elementary means of achieving a level building surface, it is quite another thing to understand just how they managed to get the heavy stones placed to such exact specifications. One of the aspects of the pyramids scientists have struggled with for generations is understanding how they were created with such precision given the crude Bronze Age tools available at the time they were built. Miroslav Verner (2003) provides some indication that the blocks may have been placed through an elaborate system of sloping ramps made of brick and sand which could be increased as the pyramid grew and along which the blocks were dragged using sledges, rollers or levers. Support for this theory was discovered near the recently uncovered worker's village in which several ramp remnants were found (Handwerk, 2005). Even with the answer to how the blocks were brought up to the appropriate elevation, though, it is still amazing that the ancients were able to fit them in so tightly. According to Rusty Russell (2005), “The internal walls as well as the outer-casing stones that still remain in place, some of which weigh as much as 16 tons, show finer joints than any other masonry constructed in possibly the whole world. The casing stones were custom cut and set, one to another, with so much accuracy that you can’t get a knife blade in between the joints” (Russell, 2005). Although this precision has often led non-scientific observers to conclude that the ancient Egyptians must have had some form of highly technological alien intervention to achieve this degree of detail, it is far more likely that the stones, being hand-placed so to speak, could be chiseled and cut to specification right there on the spot by individuals with a fine eye for detail and a habit of working toward perfection. The alien theory has also been used to explain how the ancients managed to get so many heavy, large rocks dragged across the desert sands from great distances away because it was widely assumed there is no rock nearby that could have been used. There is some truth to this assumption as has been discovered by researchers such as Russell: “The fine white limestone came from Tura, about 8 miles away on the other side of the Nile. The granite came from quarries at Aswan, around 600 miles upstream. In some of these sites there are clear marks left in the rock” (2005). Note that both of these sites exist near waterways, presenting the possibility that the stone was somehow floated to the Giza site and one of these sites, Tura, is not the kind of great distances that would require space travel. Alan Winston (2005) believes all of the pyramids on the Giza plain were originally completely encased in the Tura limestone, giving them a shining appearance under the sun that would have been in keeping with the spiritual beliefs of the ancient people who built them and the purpose for which they were constructed. They no longer appear as the shining beacons they once were because this precious limestone material was plundered at some later age in order to help construct the nearby city of Cairo. However, the source of the majority of the foundational stones of the pyramids has been discovered lying just underneath the pyramids themselves. According to Pierre Crozat, “The blocks of limestone constituting the body of the [Great] Pyramid, according to our postulate, are taken from the plateau of Giza, at the closest, by directly exploiting the horizontal stratums of the plateau” (2005). One of the clues to this origin appeared in an aerial photograph of the south pyramid in which it is clear that the pyramid sits in an obvious depression as compared to the other pyramids. According to Crozat, this depression was made by the quarrying of stone from this site to collect the stones needed to create the pyramids themselves, including the one erected on the quarry site. In addition, the Great Pyramid sits directly on top of a natural rock outcropping underneath the desert sand, again using local materials and some of the interior support chambers are created by filling these pockets with sand. While the materials and construction techniques are important elements of the pyramids as amazing architectural achievements, these elements do not fully encapsulate the social, political and spiritual ramifications of these structures. According to Ian Shaw (2003), the pyramids were constructed to house the mortal remains of the Pharoahs who were thought to be living gods on earth. The Great Pyramid was built for Khufu, who was apparently well-loved by his people. Because they were gods, their final resting place had to reflect their divine origins. “The pyramids … by the immensity of the work and the skill of their construction strike those who see them with wonder and awe” (Greek historian Diodorus Siculus, 1st century BC, cited in Russell, 2005) as befitted the eternal home of a sleeping god. Since the gods came from heaven and would return to heaven, it was important for their tombs to be properly aligned with the stars so that they would know who they were once they achieved spiritual reawakening. According to Russell (2005), “the Egyptian astronomers had incredible skill lining up the sides of the pyramids on a particular star which causes the sides to face almost exactly north, south, east and west. Since the Egyptians were known for their ability in mathematics, they were familiar with triangles and that a triangle with sides of 3, 4 and 5 units would automatically yield a right angle and using squares similar to what builders and masons use today making sure that the corners were perfectly square.” It is interesting to note that researchers are quick to point out this skill when discussing the astral alignment yet tend to forget it when discussing the personal placement of the building blocks or the layout of the structure's footprint. The interior of the pyramids also present a mystery to modern day archaeologists and architects. In the case of the Great Pyramid, the original tomb was raided at some point in the distant past, destroying our ability today to understand what might have been located within, but some speculation has been made. Although it is the largest of the pyramids, most scholars believe that the Great Pyramid was only ever intended to house the remains of Khufu while smaller chambers in nearby pyramids were prepared to house his wives. To date, only two burial chambers have been discovered within the Great Pyramid which have been labeled by modern explorers the King’s chamber and the Queen’s chamber. However, the use of robotics has revealed other chambers and shafts hidden within the depths of the pyramid, particularly just behind what they call the Queen's chamber (Romer, 2007). Where these passages lead and what their purpose might have been remains a mystery for now. According to Shaw (2003), the pyramids were believed to be transportation devices that would return these earth-bound gods back to their heavenly homes. This is why it was so important that they be built to exact specifications and so perfectly aligned with the astral constellations. Evidence collected from other tombs that hadn't been raided indicates that this belief in the afterlife was very powerful. “Pharaohs made sure that all material possessions that had been cherished in their lifetime were placed inside. This was to insure the pharaoh that he/she would be as happy in the afterlife as in their previous life” (Shaw, 2003). Items they thought to take with them included pottery, jewelry, sculptures that sometimes were intended to represent the life-sized bodies of favorite servants, tools and even entire full-sized boats. This illustrates the extreme degree to which they believed in their transcendence as well as the tremendous political power and social organization that would be required to make these things happen. The ancient pyramids of Giza are astounding structures of precise construction and dedicated purpose. Their scale was unmatched until the modern period and the use of steel as a support structure, the effort involved far surpasses much of what has been accomplished since, the precision of planning indicates a highly sophisticated and educated culture while the mechanics developed and artifacts provided give clues as to the degree to which these people remained dedicated to their beliefs. While it is difficult for us today to imagine how these people accomplished such a tremendous job of organization and construction, precisely aligned with celestial bodies and cardinal compass points, the pyramids reflect what can be accomplished when enough people dedicated to a single ideal get together. Works Cited Bayuk, Andrew. “The Great Pyramid: The Pyramid of Khufu.” Guardian’s Giza. (2005). Web. September 7, 2011 Crozat, Pierre. “Origin of the Materials.” Engineering of the Pyramids. Paris: 6th Congress of Scientific Systems, 2005. Print. Levy, Janey. The Great Pyramid of Giza: Measuring Length, Area, Volume and Angles. New York: Rosen, 2005. Print. Romer, John. The Great Pyramid: Ancient Egypt Revisited. Cambridge: Cambridge GP, 2007. Print. Russell, Rusty. “The Great Pyramid at Giza.” Bible History Online. (2005). Web. September 7, 2011 < http://www.bible-history.com/resource/ff_giza.htm> Shaw, Ian. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2003. Print. Verner, Miroslav. The Pyramids: Their Archaeology and History. Ocala: Atlantic, 2003. Print. Winston, Alan. “The Labors of Pyramid Building.” Tour Egypt. (2005). Web. September 7, 2011 Read More