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Prehistoric Egypt.
Egypt contains some of the greatest structures in the
ancient world.
It is host to the last remaining wonder of
the ancient world, and is considered by many to be the centre point from
which modern civilisation arose.
Quick links:
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(Scroll down for more)
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Featured Items.
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Abydoss
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(The Osirion, Osireion, Strabo's Well). As well as being the home of the
great
Osireion (Strabo's
well),
which shows several strong resemblances to the valley temple at Giza, it is also
the location of the primary southern-Egyptian pre-dynastic to 2nd dynasty royal graveyard, which has
revealed some interesting artefacts and casts doubt on the traditional
explanation of early Egyptian history. The king-list (right), from the
Temple of Seti I above,
shows Seti I and his young son, the future Ramasese II
worshipping the cartouched names of 76 of their ancestors giving us one of the
foundations of Egyptian chronologies.
(More about Abydoss and the
Osireion)
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 Egyptian Pyramids: Form and Function.
- Egypt is renowned for its pyramids, but what exactly was their
function to the builders? A look at the
evolution of the pyramid shape, and its many meanings.
Includes the following: The alignment of
Egyptian pyramids to Heliopolis, the
complicated issue of Snoferu's
three
pyramids, cultural similarities with other pyramid builders and the
relevance of the alignment of the 'memphite' pyramids to Heliopolis.
(Click
here for more)
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Karnak
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(Thebes)-
This solar temple was first realised by Sir N. Lockyer, and dated by him
through archaeo-astronomy at 4,000 BC. The site originally included numerous
obelisks, four of which weighe up to 300 tons
each. The temple has been pillaged over the ages for its symbolic obelisks
and today only two remain standing with a third fallen.
Karnak was considered an 'Earth
Navel'
and Herodotus records a sacred connection
between Karnak and Delphi, The discovery of an
Omphalus
stone similar to that found
in
Delphi,
appears to support this connection.
(More about
Karnak)
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 The Sphinx -
(Hwran Horemakhet - guardian of the atmosphere)
We are unlikely to
ever resolve the argument over what the original form of
the Sphinx was or exactly when it was first fashioned,
but the essence of this ancient icon is perhaps partially revealed in its
ancient name. 'Hwran Horemakhet - guardian of the atmosphere'.
Evidence suggests that the Sphinx's face
has been re-carved at least once in history, (leaving it considerably
smaller than its body). The features of the Sphinx profile have been
described as both
negroid
and
female.
(More about the Sphinx) |
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The
Ghiza plateau (Giza, Geeza)-
Ghiza sits on the cusp of belief and
disbelief. It has evoked more debate than any other ancient site in the
world. Today, the remains of these spectacular constructions still evoke
a sense of wonder, with their sheer size and quality of masonry
still
beyond comparison.
The air
of mystery that surrounds Ghiza has built up several varying theories
about its origin and purpose. As such, much attention has been devoted
by this site to understanding it. The importance of Ghiza (and the Great
pyramid), hinges primarily on the geometric proportions of the
constructions themselves and an association to astronomy. The following
pages explores the complex in detail with a fully referenced series of articles
covering the most important aspects of the site.
(More about
the
Ghiza plateau). |
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 Extreme
Egyptian masonry:
Egypt has produced some of the most incredible examples of stone-carving
in the ancient world. Even Petrie became convinced that the early Egyptian
masons had to be in possession of machinery in order to create the tens of
thousands of finely carved stone vases discovered.
Features include: Machine tools, Core drilling, Mass-produced lathe-cut
vases, seamless joining and the use of concrete.
(Click here for more)
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 Egyptian astronomy -
A knowledge of astronomy is present from the origin of the dynasties.
The early
dynastic Egyptians created a unique blend of
astronomy and
mythology, although the
roots of the astronomical knowledge, and the division of the sky into
twelve equal parts is now known to have existed around the ancient world,
an astronomical knowledge extending to the knowledge of the
procession of the equinoxes is recorded in
myths, texts and structures around the ancient world.
It is
an interesting fact that with the Exception of one example, there are
no megalithic remains in Egypt. This singular megalithic site is the
Nabta
stone circle, which is significantly located on the Tropic of Cancer.
(More about Egyptian Astronomy) |
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 Egyptian
Geometry - Apart from the obvious example of the pyramids themselves,
the
Harris
papyrus amongst others, clearly demonstrates the advanced level of
Egyptian mathematics at (...BC). It includes formula for .....
It has been suggested that the placing of
the most significant Egyptian temple complexes such as at
Karnak and
Giza were
based on a knowledge of geometry and the concept of a spherical world. This
idea has support from Herodotus, who links sacred Egyptian sites with their
Greek and Libyan counterparts the 'Oracle centres',
which also show the same accurate placement according to observation of
longitude and latitude.
(This section is currently under
construction- Sorry for the delay).
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The Worlds Oldest Paved
Road in the World -
Geologists
have found a seven and a half mile stretch of road covered with slabs
of sandstone and limestone. They have also found some logs of petrified
wood. The site was dated by pottery fragments to between 4,600 - 4,200 B.P.
The road was on average six and a half feet wide and ran across the desert
about 45 miles from modern Cairo. It ran from a quarry of dark volcanic
basalt to the northwest shore of the ancient lake Moeris - which no longer
exists.
The geologists
said that there were no deep grooves or other marks on this stone road,
which has led them to suggest that wooden logs may have been used to 'roll'
the stones along the road from the quarry to the shoreline. (2)
(Article from the New York
Times - May 8, 1994)
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Pre-dynastic Egypt
(Development into dynastic super-power).
Pre-dynastic Nile-valley culture was
pastoral and agricultural, and shows no evidence of the expected gradual and
progressive development to the knowledge and skills of the fourth dynasty builders of Giza. Instead, many of these skills, along with religious, cultural and artistic
developments appear, seemingly overnight.
The development from 1st to
5th dynasty can be compared to progress from the industrial revolution to
present day.
Mendellsohn (3) says of
this :
'...most Egyptologists are
inclined to think that at about 3,400 BC a large scale invasion of Egypt
took place. Where the invaders came from is not known. Burial customs and
certain architectural features are similar to the earliest Mesopotamian
civilisation but striking differences make it unlikely that this was the
origin of the invaders. It seems more probable that the rulers of Egypt and
of Mesopotamia had a common ancestry from which they derived common
traits...'
The answer varies according
to source, but it is reasonably accepted that this process did not take
place without some direct influence from one or many sources, such as Mesopotamia (Sumeria),
for example :-
Three Mesopotamian cylinder
seals of the later Uruk or proto-literate period have been found in Egypt:
One was from Naqada. From then onwards the Egyptians used the cylinder
seal - a Mesopotamian invention. (1)
Mesopotamian motifs appear
in Egyptian art. On the ivory handle of a flint knife from
Abydoss, there
is represented the Mesopotamian hero Gilgamesh, subduing two lions, and
the same theme is repeated on a wall painting from Hierakonpolis,
belonging to one of the earliest brick buildings in southern Egypt.(1)
There appeared suddenly in
Egypt the monumental style of building based on mud-brick, and we find the
ancient Egyptians abandoning reed, papyrus, palm branches and rush matting
in favour of sun-dried bricks made in wooden rectangular moulds. And in
using bricks in their buildings they also incorporated recessed facades
and pilasters such as were used in early Mesopotamian buildings. (1)
Hieroglyphic writing is
first found on the slate palettes of late pre-dynastic times; where it is
already well advanced and is using ideograms and phonograms. This first
Egyptian writing must surely have derived from another, as yet,
unidentified source such as earlier Mesopotamian writing. (1)
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The Great 'Labyrinth' of Egypt.
- It has been recently
announced that the lost labyrinth of Egypt at Hawara has been
re-discovered by an expedition funded by
NRIAG,
Ghent University/Kunst-Zicht
& Louis De
Cordier, with the cooperation of the
Supreme Council of Antiquities, Horus Foundation &
Isel Foundation.
This colossal temple was
described in the past by authors such as Herodotus and Strabo, and
was said to contain 3,000 rooms full of hieroglyphs and paintings.
Long thought of as another legend without foundation, it seems
that the building, lost for over 2000 years, has been recently
re-discovered.
 The
sand of Hawara was scanned Earlier this year (February-March 2008),
by a Belgian Egyptian expedition team in an effort to research the
'quarry theory' suggested by Petrie in 1889, following his finding
of a great artificial stone surface (304m by 244m). Petrie
interpreted the enormous artificial stone plateau he discovered at
the depth of several meters, as the foundation of the labyrinth,
concluding that the building itself was totally demolished, as a
stone quarry in the Ptolemaic period. However, the “foundation”
impenetrated by early expeditions, never lost the possibility of
being the roof of the Labyrinth, described by Strabo as a great
plain of stone. the following is from the official
report of the dig:
Underneath
this upper zone, below the artificial stone surface appears (in
spite of the turbid effect of the groundwater) at the depth of 8
to 12 meters a grid structure of gigantic size made of a very
highly resistant material like granite stone. This states the
presence of a colossal archaeological feature below the labyrinth
“foundation” zone of Petrie, which has to be reconsidered as the
roof of the still existing labyrinth.
Should this
discovery become substantiated as Herodotus famed 'Labyrinth',
(and the roof rather than the base), then it will rank alongside
other great discoveries of our times, and will become one of the
architectural jewels in Egypt's crown. Congratulations to Monsieur
de Cordier and all involved.
(Click here for the full report and
updates) |
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