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What the Ancients Knew - Egypt

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the deserts of Egypt I always in motion they roll and swell eternally shifting through wind and time  rising from the desert rock of the marks of man remnants of their tools remain but the intellect the conceived these Marvels shrouded in mystery you reset shed Adam some of the most persistent questions about what's the Ancients news  I've always been fascinated by ancient civilizations Fascination driven Above All by the grand monuments the Ancients of Left Behind the more I study those monuments the more I learn about them the moment mind keeps returning to the same sim the perplexing questions what was the science what was the technology that made these monuments possible where did it come from and what where's Legacy they say faith can move mountains well in the case of the ancient Egyptians it was there the made the move one mountain to build another  do that they invented no tools but clever techniques and methods mushroom to Egypt looking for remnants of their ancient past to uncover something new about the ancient Legacy following the legendary was like stepping back in time entering an ancient Maze of mystery that is letters to the tangible examples of the Ancients knowledge and insights the earliest Egyptians lived in a world without science in a world full of mysteries with Q explanation the Legacy began 7000 years ago when they sought to harness the Nile  every the River flooded following the snow melt in the Ethiopian mountains 1200 miles away  for the most part the flood was a blessing because drop time there was stuff Asian but the flood for ample crops and life  find you 97% of Egypt today does it and the Narwhals and is the main source of water thinking about their environment the ancient Egyptians began to develop methods utilizing nature to their advantage mimicking the natural basins the retained water when the river receded  they don't canals the natural flow even to distant Fields with an I left behind nutrient-rich soil once the water evaporated the Egyptians invented the world's first irrigation system Alan Alda came the key to their success what a time on their hands to think and wonder the ancient Egyptians to take to Natural rules and Cycles predominant force in their lives was the in the time before the era of hieroglyphs we know that the Ancients try to predict its flood Levels by Calvin Marquez the rocks  given the total dependence on the Nile the Egyptians needed a way to forecast Its Behavior eventually they built this designed to track the rising water they developed milometer as simple yet effective method you can take various forms but here on elephantine Island it as one it was a row of steps the heightened cubits carved into the wall from the height the river raged then you about the year ahead had installed height of ocean Cupid's metformin 24 Sundance and 27 photo disaster the milometer was a sign of life following the cycles of nature they formally divided the year into three seasons first came the flooding season when the outflowing season of sowing and harvest I'm finally being able to build route that lasted until the life cycle of the repeated itself the Ancients divided each season in two full months with the moon to finding each month as a cycle of 29 to 30 days from this Marion Neighbors the ancient Egyptians are already adopted the 360 day calendar but the Moon is America turned out not to be precise enough at least not when it came to protecting the flood  eventually they look for another solution that would have far-reaching consequences  step by step they tried to find ways to order their wealth while discovering the rules in cycles of the night sky the Egyptians noticed a particular star serious or set that as they called it was once a year in mid-july the beginning of the fat season from then onward this night Mark the Ancients New Year an annual cycle of 365 days just like I today they designed to divide the day and calibrate time motivated the Egyptians to create markers of Their Own I went to see the study 500 year old Maca in Cairo the cross Edge Obelisk like these were already in use 2000 years earlier  like giant sundials the Ancients could from the shuttle what time it was  how do you know what time it is with no Obelisk is nearby Ferran 1500 BC the Egyptians and invented a portable Sundial the principal was simple they pointed an L-shaped scale by 2 or the Sun how to create a shadow  for accuracy a plumb-bob helped keep the instrument level  is held horizontally and pointed directly at the Sun next match the width of the scale bar  who are the shut up old tells you what time it is you have in other words for the first time in history the ancient Egyptians formerly divided the day even though nothing to Alice but into 24 Parts just like we do today as they gained more insight into Nature's rules in Cycles there are made one mystery to unravel her son died in the evening could be reborn the following day the Nile flood of each year its borders what does the world has receded if a death from this natural cycle the Ancients must have concluded it was more to life than met the eye two sides to the coin on this side live on the other the afterlife but there was a catch just as you needed a buddy for this life can you do the body off today Lyon and intact and that would have a ripple effect genealogist Egyptians buried their dead inside the earth wrapped in linen beneath the shifting desert sand Stones regularly devastate their grave sites and Scatter the remains of the ancestors across the desert floor destroying the bodies they so desperately needed because without anandtech I believe there was no afterlife so they began to find other methods and dug deeper into the desert rock creating safer places that is for those who could afford them  construction for little basic design by Douglas shaft with one or more Chambers at the bar what's the deceased was placed inside the shaft was sealed with Sandra heavy Rock and the entrance covered with mud bricks this is one of the oldest mud-brick Tunes remaining well this is a large one they took on into what sizes and shapes  for the square OB have the covers Express the Egyptians idea of the Primeval Earthbound from which all life and once emerged from which the dead were Resurrected  so she became an issue they replaced my brick the Regal burials the Ancients now you stones still shaped like my brakes but they were more durable with stone the Egyptians build among the old superstructures in human history these are mustapha's flash rectangular Tunes an Arabic for stone bench mostafa's became a mark of status I noticed your keys at which time the stone blocks became larger and the tunes more elaborate this was a burial shaft I could see that the ancient cross when would true Masters  the high level of finish make hard to believe that 5000 years old at the end of the shaft imma stop it like this contains one or more burial Chambers depending upon wealth rectangular superstructure above the burial shaft contained a covered or a chapel and another important feature I said dub  Sanyo vizon I met with the chief Egypt ologist of the Giza Plateau Miss dementia to look inside of mastaba 7 over the door which leads to the chairman of the two that you could see how important this tomb was the level of finished list before the chapel the to McKenzie accurate or at least you will see that the vaulted ceiling massive stone blocks from the walls in the saddle roof cleverly applying the right triangle the engine engine is calculated the arch and then chipped away the stone add the vaulted ceiling it was one of the earliest uses of geometry trailer de Venta Telemundo paintings with the Daily Line scenes mr. men show pointed out that the entrance to Kitchen material belongings today grave but that wall paintings replaced all the lifting  these images where is good as the real thing depicting cherished activities like winemaking and details of their daily lives each picture a magical Eternal offering Express dinar  so what about this hole in the world what's happening here if you can't do this Sonic the trip contain statue of the Santa was empty but traditionally the statue that resided here of the Soul refuge in case the body was stolen  the where is this afterlife. The author life is here is a picture of the most holy inside the Dome can we have a  what would happen in the chapel this is the most sacred place in the the safest for each in any other tools which is comprises to Foster pasta why is it called a false tool following the Ancients love of images mr. mansur explained the fall storming to real door through which the deceased could return to his life to visit family and friends had received the elf rings  in an adjoining room I found a powerful presence the souls play and its resident statue along with the soul the Egyptians believe the person was comprised of the body the personality the immortality name body or at least a statue for the soul to inhabit a person didn't have a shadow and therefore didn't exist the belief however was not the only motivation politics for powerful Forces 2 it appears the time was right for someone to think outside the box  mostafa's were built to house the Buddy the Dead full time and with the passing of the years they became larger and moral night then someone had a new idea Mortal Kombat today's hunter 30% of Egyptian tile population be like in ancient times slush still revolves around the Nile  and farming Still Remains the central part of it stanchions used basic tools yet they developed creative and intelligent methods  like the world's first irrigation system reduce enough food to sustain an entire nation  the Egyptians capitalized on yet another gift from the Nile one that is left it monk in world history papyrus Can You Gyptian invented one of the first portable recording mediums in the ancient world Lancaster Papyrus they cut the in a piece of the stroke into strips then they took them and the range the pulp strips Ingles pounding Degan the fiber Fusion krosis heavyweights for the fuse to plant cells after forcing the air out reducing the thickness by about 75 vent a drain compress the fibers by another 5% much of what we know about Egyptian tomb construction comes Stars records to appreciate these Marvels there's nothing like seeing the real thing  so I went to sakkara Where it All Began run 2600 BC Imhotep physician an architect to the Sarasota came up with a tune was fit for King and cared for the fair was Buddy in this life that he building a home for the afterlife when it was considered a genius because he took mastaba design to the next level literally sparking a whole new era words that start with the mastaba witching expanded on two sides and built from the ground up full step pyramid around it while he was at it he superimposed another even bigger construction over the first until he had created a two with six steps reaching over 200 feet into the sky the Subterranean Chambers he connected by a three and a half mile long Maze of shafts and tunnels really unbelievable think about it  we have no record of what went on in imhotep's head but is innovative design really speaks for itself putting up created an image of the sun's Rays what was it a staircase leading Zoe's assault heavenwood towards his afterlife hotep step pyramids stunned the ancient world and Roses tomb became Egypt's first pyramid Cloudera success and failure Forever Learning Curves in hotep successes under when we don't know fact is he Sparta gold trend  how many attempts failed will ever know Comfort Inn razor are the king junio king snefru to Pyramid designed to new heights  experts don't know which one was responsible to build higher demented with the square base at my Doom  what the sky was the limit and after relocating the grave site to Dutch snefru start of the new even more ambitious project at first it seemed to work except one third into the construction sniffers ambition could buy the slope why don't Siri is that the tremendous static wife may have caused cracks on the interior walls so they lower the angle but enemies project bent pyramid  experts believe it was because of this imperfection that snefru older than you paramed talk about ambition and determination  for The Red Pyramid they copied the square base in the new angle of the bent pyramid but overall better proportions it may look like trial-and-error but over time they learned carefully calculate bake instructions  the Run proposed dates from 6 50 BC while it's a copy from an earlier document it may still be older because the air of pyramid construction it ended around 150 years earlier it's a 15-foot long scroll this part shows that the engines came up with a formula to calculate the perfect proportions of a pyramid and that they had a basic understand what's the principles underlying the Pythagorean theorem a thousand years before Pythagoras was even born what's nephew Hector what's the first true pyramid for a cool triangles on a square base  now I to see how the head solve the white issues in the interior a cartilage into two Chambers in one burial chamber they located in the center about 90 feet below the entrance given the size and weight of these blocks the Precision with which the Egyptian set them is really impressive so this was how they distributed the massive weight they built Ford Architects kolekole belt ceiling this one is over forty feet high htaed projects out just a few inches from the one below until they meet at the top wow  then the Commodore Sims for a few yards leading into the burial chamber here in the middle of the pyramid you've got millions of pounds of Rock all around you it's like you're buried alive the robins have long since clean this place out at the air in here was like it hasn't changed in thousands of years  nutrition getting through this narrow passage although the ceiling is 50 feet high stuffy I'm close it will over 90 degrees in the bats in headlights the air with a strong smell of ammonia. I can't tell you how good it feels to be out in the open air again today this is called The Red Pyramid but originally it was what covered in the glistening Limestone casing to price of 340 feet but the sky was the limit soon the father would be done by the Sun you may know the Expressions if you can dream it you can do it attorney the sky's the limit when I visited the ancient sites of Egypt also just how true these after reasons were a long long time ago the ancient Egyptians created some of the most endearing structures in human history especially once they mastered the six major construction aspects to the consistent. Pyramids they built the first principle is the square base to get a perfect square they mock the four corners of the pyramid something that probably did with strings Precision is important because if the sides aren't exactly even you'll run into problems higher up in a second phase they build a rough stick cool like here is diesel outside Cairo where it's possible to see the various layers much of what remains say is the score this one is the biggest pyramid of the mold it is the tomb of pharaoh kills who ruled Egypt in the middle of the 25th Century BC Rising almost 500 feet above the desert floor this was the tallest building in the world the nearly 5,000 years  nobody tell us exactly what their techniques were because of the time the traces of their construction methods of being a raised eternally sparking you theories the third feature is the location at orientation of the pyramid since King snefru old pyramids now faced East-West equating the from Death of the king to the rising and Setting Sun  arranging the pyramid in the right direction seems to have been no problem for the Ancients because the mean arrow on most tournaments is less than 1 degree  selecting the location also included the aspect of sufficient construction material for the foundation in the Unico that uses many Limestone blocks as possible from the immediate site expose have done the math you like this required nearly two-and-a-half million stone blocks of virtual Mountain here in the pyramid Quarry you can still see where they cut the coal blocks out of the Bedrock even today wearing his hard work and takes a lot of muscle human and mechanical comparison between a modern equipment and techniques makes their accomplishments that even more amazing Dimension Quarry in US1 the south of Egypt I came to appreciate that determination lucky dollar ride and believe it or not it was only Egyptians needed to Corey huge blocks of granite that isn't much like a sledgehammer pounding away to the Head holes like these and then play that have a trench do it must have been extremely tedious but it was very effective it's just a question of doing the work and other people holding their blocks away to put them inside I met with Dennis stocks and exposing server book on Stone working technology in ancient Egypt it's a question of a grid pattern to isolate blocks to extract them to put into the pyramid explained how they move these blocks to build the Pyramid call the different sizes they probably use various methods in some cases they probably drag the blocks fall another's they use slaves in wooden rollers who's Simple Wood latest I most likely set the largest locks in place  at the top The Rock how much smaller and could probably be set by hand  the full size of construction play field in small distance to shape the actual pyramid the trick was not so much classic shape of each block but the overall height of each course which had to be absolutely even and level as you can see the pyramids battiston's of all different shapes and sizes some as large as a truck how does the size of a fridge old fitted exactly together if that wasn't hard enough Builders had to maintain a constant angle from one cause of stones to the next only that way could they give the facade the smoothness of a piece of glass and maintain the angles with a razor-sharp precision  the fifth aspect of pyramid can what was the right angle the slope and it's proportion to the square base this was crucial in terms of durability  finally they will do smoothly finished Limestone casing blocks for most cases they've been Stripped Away as the pyramids themselves became quarry's  the cap on Kia turn key phrase to him is a remnant of that  I need the dentist at done some research on the casing blocks I miss him at the Chevron Village Inn Pizza where did set up a workshop to demonstrate ancient stone working techniques  can I arrive Dennis was just sitting Limestone block  the tools he prepared was surprisingly simple I was curious to see how the news them shark come and have a look at this over here what if we got here Dennis Stone is similar to the type that they would use in the Great Pyramid sickly for the casing book how did they get the block smooth enough to serve as a casing we would use a tool like this this is a copper chisel and the copper came from copper oil which comes from the Sinai Dennis told me that they ain't Peachtree naturally-occurring materials Kapaa flint and sand  from couple of them a chisels edges borders and drills I was told the coffee was the first soft metal how can you cut stone with copper golden steel chisels The Edge if it's left to naturally okay and then you can cut this done yes it is quite simple to do just got the Chisel put the edge on and then gradually chipped Away by altering the angle of the Chisel you know once I get to clean cook along the stove smooth enough to build the casing Stone Flint scraper has a sharp edge along that I can be used like this just anglet out the stone and gradually scraper weigh the points myself why don't you have a go yourself you can come down to the smooth well let me show you  first of all they needed an accurate tool to test the surface is to see whether it was Barcelona really what's your mouth you if you just hold out for me in stretch that out tights on the surface like that now all the same length is extremely important so when the screen is toll you can check underneath the string with the road the sea  if there any high spots like so we touch the string we know that there's a bump right there like that you know that is a bump unbelievable this technique was really clever but if you think of the millions of stone blocks that required such detail skeptical as to how effective it would be in the field so I challenged Dennis to a little experiment along this way you'll see the blocks Arena wine and they seem pretty level with each other  how did they keep from saliva they have to use a means of testing them so we'll test them and see how good they are let's use pull up link to like I'm sure on that block and I'll try this book here I will follow block first with the testing Rod really isn't it pretty oh yes you got to have nothing but admiration for them to look at it exactly right I'm solutely right so the level but that wasn't enough for the pyramid to remain stable the blocks had to be horizontal Dennis had brought another engine to  now we can use this a frame to check where does the block is truly horizontal horizontal surface of water check the frame is accurate and we do this by marking a line behind the hanging Plum line that initial always have somebody physically and then you know the rock is horizontal it's very good very good play Hot another tool for this purpose and it was only one place to test it  location of the casing blocks the ones the entire pyramid that's right jack because he's casing block has to fit to his neighbor the vertical face has to be play vertical and they could test it with this particular to which is called an A-frame and by the way this is the only place on the plateau the weekend the weather casing block see if it's truly vertical this distance is equal to this distance why is touching both the ends then we can say that the surface is truly vertical so how's he doing then we can show that the surface is vesicle  but who were they the ancient Egyptians were four most famous hit the Pharaohs were able to assemble a massive Workforce until now it was believed that the source of that man was slavery but new evidence suggests otherwise the pyramids will not feels on the backs of slaves with Radha on devotion and commitment today Ashwell the ancient capital of Nubia in southern Egypt is destination for old who are eager to explore the Nile in ancient times that's one was first and foremost closest special stones for a special purpose inside the tunes even today the stone found his prize 5000 years ago Granite blocks like Freedom Ship down the river pull the Corey Gaines totaled away moving one mountain to build another other Crews worked here at the pyramid Hub it was cold because it was believe it or not full of water connected by Canal to the Nile it was a scene of heating activity like a modern container Port Road was here Feinstein's arrived by boat hear the stones were unloaded and then hold up the hill to the pyramids Vengeance news at the angle of the ramps was crucial between 6 and 7 degrees was defy gravity slave to the hold up the hill lubricated with powdered lime and water reducing the friction by 90% this is not **** you want to hold a rock off I wondered who the people were who dragged heavy Stones up to the pyramids day off today during the 20 to 30 years of construction that it took to build these Giants so I went to the foot of the Giza plateau the graveyard is being excavated what is the resting place of those who worked on the pyramids nearby  The Grange provide clips of the workers lifestyle and hinder the social and economic importance pyramid construction held for the entire nation talk to the tunes is the first time actually that we know about the life of the week man who built the pyramids before that we know a lot about Nobles and official and kings and Queens but nothing about the common people who represent 80% of the nation in that time and it is only howrse secretary-general event who sings between to share the latest discoveries  how was it that the Egyptians managed to get so many people working on such a colossal Enterprise system of false labor of coercion was it more system of cooperation that the which of the whole nation the 1 million and 600000 who actually was the number of population in Egypt and in that time did Wake the Dead life to that pyramid because it is for the king who is actually the god no we believe that the number of the word Commander was only 10,000 Workman maybe 1/3 was actually a permanent women who work looking feminine cake will be welcomed and young people who came through the support of the household in the Delta and then operation countries what is being assumed evidence emerges that the basic Workforce the muscle power in the construction of the pyramids were not slaves but the Thomas every family had to send the shirt you don't like today if you go to any Village in apparition the time of building the Panama if you try to build your house you'll find that every day every family in the village would bring you food building what time it was the same like that what about the Nile in the annual flooding that occurred that affect the work on the pyramids it does but it can get complete recovery ship there's no work for anyone what is described here is really a small City 10,000 people is a lot of people how did they organize that a crew Quincy 2000 Workman and they divide the crew to gank consist of 1,000 Workman the name like offense of hopeful main color eyes drunk each group had an Overseer in the whole thing organized by groups by Guns by small groups in this organization could be very easy  the Hat got area like a container for feeling all the women you have all storage facilities to store all the equipment the tools which would come in on a tool the tools were owned by the government  bad people who take care of their clothes there be able to take care of their food play prepare everything for them like a pyramid all the time about bending defenestration of building is more serious to anyone than 3 building the pyramid itself and this why the tournament  belt Egypt because experiment Midland to know about technology and science Family Dollar  I came to realize how much of what the Ancients New River lights across time while walking through modernist one I happened to pass by a construction site with the techniques was strikingly similar to the ancient methods rental tools muscle power and knowledge passed down for Generations what will they needed to in case of soap  strings of Steel use to keep the surface level dad like a slice out of time I so wasn't may have look like thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt Satan enough to last Stewart not only Science and Technology but Comas like more than Karen the work is really to Aquatic huge amount of supplies on a daily basis new new Minnesota fill those needs little I don't got to command their belief radiated out beyond the Royal gravesites in touch every aspect of Egyptian daily life old people turn to supplying the demand or generating a demand of Their Own  undertaking an old aspects associated with it became an industry  incense Palms in Whitman's therapy in the king's prerogative will now also decide by the masses set an alarm one direction for a few inches around 6 Sharp  I want to say stop now okay tell me the scent of the Gods perfumed oils were applied to the skin for both cosmetic and medicinal purposes and also used in the mummification process so you could say the perfume was yet another invention we owe to the Egyptians belief in the afterlife they also created one of the world's most enduring fascination in the Byron Museum I saw some of the stunning results of the ancient Undertaker's and science so they are shocking in this stock reality the mummy's provide an invaluable record the police the signs in the lives of the ancient Egyptians 6 feet tall 90 years old the father of a hundred children Lorraine is 70 years the legendary Ramses II surpassed all Egyptian rulers location process during Queen ninja Matt's time included the tucking of Metron a naturally occurring salt in packages Under the Skin and into the body's Hollows when she was I want to transfer it up to now to Cairo the natural knitted once dehydrated her body absorb the moisture on the river causing a dried skin to burst 2nd and Rose mommy tells of a violent weld which he left following a head wound sustained in battle Diamondhead the first his grandson is resting in the shrouded old with flower garlands just like today flowers were a token of love please tell us that the Egyptian set broken bones performed amputations and suffered like many of us from arthritis the silent Messengers bear witness to a Mastery of technology and an astonishing depth of knowledge hey by I found another ancient Marvel a hollowed-out granite block the Ancients coffin will sarcophagus the surface was astonishingly smooth cleverly they cut the lead from the same block  an amazing piece of expert craftsmanship and precision it really makes you wonder working Granite requires a lot of mechanical force where we usually magic equipment for the Egyptians needed simple yet Nifty technique  the baron environment of the change by the ancient Egyptians to create colorful images. For this life or the afterlife  is there a weld flowers took on a special meaning records from 2200 BC show that it was an ancient Egypt with a first ornamental Gardens were created more than 1,500 years for the fabled Hanging Gardens of Babylon  show me perogative of royalty some say the Ancient Gardens were an expression what's it called King's mind so powerful he could grow flowers with nature did not  but the ancient Sumer in them they were an image of rebirth and regeneration tokens of love and worship for the passage from this life to the afterlife  place with Chinese inside the coffins flowers were believed to protect them for an eternity and granite so they believed provided the ultimate insurance on the style of 1 to 10 Granite is a 7 making it at least as hard as steel just how they were able to hollow out a piece of rock this hard was a question for ancient expert Dennis stocks  you know one of the most difficult things that the gyptians to do the very mystifying process is how good they drill holes in solid rock this is the way that they did it first of all they had Shafter would written part way into it so that there's a space in the tube underneath then they could get in position and the coaching gauge Spanish just common does it sound so that's you just pouring sand in this under the company has a as a sharp edge to cut yes no a longbow here with a rope on which is been given a double turn around the shop now there's only one component supporting place can we put the what's going on now this is just support position for the shaft to rotate rotating while the bustle rotates in so if you'd like to take hold of this to this is what the trail the sound is now steadily and slowly but surely cooking way right through the stove and the only limiting factors play I'm the life of the property technique looks very very economical is really the circumference of the tube and the cool coming outside later and you left her a whole surface technology really is which basic tools but masterful application the ancient Egyptians created fundus  do all the knowledge and experience crew the Crosman ship at the pyramids went is Industries expandable Diversified social classes emerged that would no longer the tell me about family  some historians also believe that was famines in the power shift to the South contributed to the decline but it took another thousand years before the ancient Egyptians were dealt the final blow a new faith of I want to acknowledge the concept of life after death argue that you didn't need a buddy to enjoy it  Christianity swept through Egypt goodbye other religions a raising another 3000 year old tradition in only a few centuries eclipsing a culture and a lifestyle that have been shaped by the pyramids in a quest for an eternal life they leave behind a legacy of basic geometry rudimentary sons and similar Technologies preparing the ground intellectual growth elsewhere  when we think of the great intellectually and scientifically Advanced cultures of the ancient Western weld we tend to come right on Greece and Rome both coaches achieved greatness thanks in part to what the ancient Egyptians knew can spit Spilled Out into the wider World beyond the shows of the Nile from where it eventually reached us reminding Us in light of our own achievements in Tech algae in science that we standing on the shoulders of giants known as the Egyptians

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What the Ancients Knew - Egypt

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