Re: Scientist Says Concrete Was Used in Pyramids


"Tom McDonald" <kiltmac@xxxxxxxxx> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:1164936059.996896.322120@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
An actual study by an actual professor of materials management suggests
some of the stones in the Great Pyramid might have been cast. This will
be published in the December issue of The Journal of the American
Ceramic Society. Anyone have access?

From the New York Time article: http://tinyurl.com/un5lp (Free
registration might be required--but is really, really worth it.):

----------------------------
In new research on the Great Pyramids of Giza, a scientist says he has
found more to their construction than cut natural limestone. Some
original parts of the massive structures appear to be made of concrete
blocks.

If true, historians say, this would be the earliest known application
of concrete technology, some 2,500 years before the Romans started
using it widely in harbors, amphitheaters and other architecture.

Reporting the results of his study, Michel W. Barsoum, a professor of
materials engineering at Drexel University, in Philadelphia, concluded
that the use of limestone concrete could explain in part how the
Egyptians were able to complete such massive monuments, beginning
around 2550 B. C. They used concrete blocks, he said, on the outer and
inner casings and probably on the upper levels, where it would have
been difficult to hoist carved stone.

"The sophistication and endurance of this ancient concrete technology
is simply astounding," Dr. Barsoum wrote in a report in the December
issue of The Journal of the American Ceramic Society.

Dr. Barsoum and his co-workers analyzed the mineralogy of samples from
several parts of the Khufu pyramid, and said they found mineral ratios
that do not exist in any of the known limestone sources. From the
geochemical mix of lime, sand and clay, they concluded, "the simplest
explanation" is that it was cast concrete.

Dr. Barsoum, a native of Egypt, said in an interview that he expected
his interpretation to be controversial - and it already is.
------------------------------

While this is someone who one might think would have a clue about the
issue, here is his testimonial for Margaret Morris' two-volume work, _
The Egyptian Pyramid
Mystery Is Solved!_:

"In this Volume 2 of a 2 volume set, Morris answers the question of
how the Great Pyramids, and indeed much of the hard stone artifacts of
Ancient Egypt, were fabricated. In her first volume she methodically
addresses and demolishes the currently accepted theory - the
so-called carve-and-hoist theory - on how the Great Pyramids of Giza
were built. That such a theory still prevails over the much more
plausible alternate geopolymeric theory, first proposed by Davidovits
more than 20 years ago, is truly astonishing. These two volumes by
Morris are a must read for anybody genuinely interested in Egyptology."
- MICHEL W. BARSOUM, DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR,
DEPARTMENT OF MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING,
DREXEL UNIVERSITY
MARCH 17, 2004"


So any chance this guy might be on to something? I know anything on
this line I've read before about Giza pyramids has suffered from the
'Since I have a hammer, this problem is clearly a nail'ism. He says he
found stone compositions that do not match that of any of the limestone
in the region.

But he does seem to think it would be easier to build frames and fill
with concrete made of crushed limestone than raising the stones
themselves, which I thought ignored the fact that not only the mass of
the concrete, but the mass of the water, and the frames themselves,
would make more work in the raising.

My question would be, how much energy would be needed to burn the needed
amounts of limestone, where did the wood for burning come from and where was
the ash deposited.

have fun

Uwe Mueller



.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Scientist Says Concrete Was Used in Pyramids
    ... Building a pyramid was also about faith and devotion. ... I have a few remarks about the cost of a pyramid entirely made of quarry ... cost of hewn stone and concrete is identical, ... pyramid can't be compared to moving limestone concrete in bags. ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Scientist Says Concrete Was Used in Pyramids
    ... Building a pyramid was also about faith and devotion. ... I have a few remarks about the cost of a pyramid entirely made of quarry ... cost of hewn stone and concrete is identical, ... pyramid can't be compared to moving limestone concrete in bags. ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Scientist Says Concrete Was Used in Pyramids
    ... An actual study by an actual professor of materials management suggests ... some of the stones in the Great Pyramid might have been cast. ... found more to their construction than cut natural limestone. ... been difficult to hoist carved stone. ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Scientist Says Concrete Was Used in Pyramids
    ... some of the stones in the Great Pyramid might have been cast. ... found more to their construction than cut natural limestone. ... is simply astounding," Dr. Barsoum wrote in a report in the December ...
    (sci.archaeology)
  • Re: Scientist Says Concrete Was Used in Pyramids
    ... some of the stones in the Great Pyramid might have been cast. ... found more to their construction than cut natural limestone. ... been difficult to hoist carved stone. ... is simply astounding," Dr. Barsoum wrote in a report in the December ...
    (sci.archaeology)
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