Educated people have long argued about how the Egyptian temples were built. Many theories have been formulated and yet there is still no consensus on how the pyramids were constructed. There are, however, a few theories that are generally agreed upon.
Quarried Stone
One prevailing theory regarding the construction of Egyptian temples suggests that the massive stones were cut at a quarry and transported to the site. Workers would have used copper chisels, drill, saws to cut the stones. The harder stones that were made of basalt, granite, syenite, and granodiorite needed to be shaped by drilling, sawing with an abrasive like quartz sand, and pounding them with dolerite. Once the stones were at the site, the gaps between them had to be filled. This was done with a gypsum mortar.
Transportation of the Stone
There are several theories about the moving of the stones from a quarry to the construction site. One theory suggests that there was a sledge-type of carrier. This would have required at least 45 workers to just get it started going. Another theory is a cradle-type machine that needed fewer workers. Many Egyptologists agree this would have worked well for stones weighing up to 2.5 tons but not for heavier ones. A problem arises because there has been no evidence found that supports any theory about moving heavier stones. There are no signs of big machines that could have lifted or transported the larger stones.
Limestone Concrete
Professor Dr. Joseph Davidovits from the French Geopolymer Institute made an interesting discovery. He found a hair sticking out of one of the stones in the Khufu pyramid in Giza. There are only two ways a hair could have gotten there: either it was very old and the rock formed around it or the stone was manufactured. This supports his theory that the huge stones were made out of geopolymer cement called cast stone. Another fact that points to this theory that the stones were made of this limestone concrete is the high moisture content of the stones. The content is similar to the moisture content of concrete. Further examination showed some minerals and air bubbles that do not occur naturally in limestone.
Ramps and Levers
Ramps were definitely used in construction, and there is archaeological evidence that attests to that fact. However, just ramps would not have been enough. They had to be accompanied by another device of some kind. Most agree that a levering system of some kind was used. One theory says the pyramid was build like stairs, and workers would use levers to make a row then continue building on top of the previous row. Most archaeologists agree that levers would have been crucial in moving the materials to the top third of the pyramids.
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