A RIDDLE IN THE SANDS
Piecing together a giant jigsaw puzzle has revealed Giza’s secrets
To match the organisational discipline of the workforce, there had to be skill and precision in the planning and calculations required for such a tremendous project. Many of the questions still debated today revolve around the details of construction. While there is some accepted common ground, differences still remain. For those trying to solve the mystery, it has been essential to place themselves in the minds of those ancient designers and architects and ask some very fundamental questions, such as what are we trying to achieve and what knowledge do we have to achieve it?
We know that at the time of the construction of the Great Pyramid, the Egyptians didn’t have the wheel. Nor did they have pulleys or iron tools. What they did have, however, was the knowledge and instruments to measure level surfaces and angles, both essential for precision on an amazing scale, even by modern standards. As for tools, they had the know-how to use sand and other abrasives to turn a copper saw into a much more efficient instrument that could cut through relatively soft limestone, and even the larger granite blocks with surprising success.