Ancient Egyptian Forum

tnrees · Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:44 pm Post subject: Pyramids made of cast stone

If the pyramids were made of something like concrete why go to the trouble of casting separate stones then dragging them into position?

Some stones have been liad with their bedding plane vertical - shoddy workmanship.

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Osiris II · Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:17 pm Post subject:

The idea of cast stone in building the pyramids is simply someone's Bright Idea.
It is quite obvious that the blocks are natural stone--you can see the fossils of shells and other sea creatures in them, showing that they are sandstone. (originally the bottom of a sea)
Referring to shoddy workmanship. If it IS so shoddy, how could they last for four thousand years and counting? I can't think of any other workmanship that has lasted so long.

Heka · Tomb Robber Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Oz

i always thought that the pyramids were made of stone, that was then covered with a layer of concrete.

and i dont think they can be shoddy, theyve lasted so long, and have only been eroded. they must have done a good job
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Osiris II · Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:27 pm Post subject:

They went covered with a layer of anything, unless you consider the casing stone (now missing) to be a layer, but they were also stone. They are just naturally occurring blocks of stone stacked in the shape of a pyramid

tnrees · Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:32 pm Post subject:

The reason the pyramids survived despite shoddy workmanship is their size & also until relatively recently (i.e. medieval times I believe) they were protected by a layer of high quality tura limestone.

Osiris II · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 12:28 am Post subject:

I really don't think the term "shoddy" applies to the pyramids of Giza. I've never heard that they were covered with Tura limestone in the medeival ages. Tura was used, however, in the original casing of the pyramids. I found this site on touregypt. It describe the materials used in the building:
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/material.htm

tnrees · Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 12:49 am Post subject:

I understood the casing of Tura stone was stripped off to build medieval Cairo.
I was told you should lay stone in its original bedding plane - since the Egyptians did not that is shoddy workmanship in my opinion.

Heka · Tomb Robber Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Oz

i agree with Osiris II, they cant have been shoddy. theyve survived hundreds of years out in the windy desert and are still pyramids. how can this be shoddy??

and Osiris II, btw by concrete i didnt mean like, paving concrete, i meant a layer of 'stuff' cos i wasnt quite sure Razz

, concrete like stuf. thats for clearing that up for me though Smile

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