Episode #118: Lost Technologies of Ancient Egypt - Part 1

We catch up on listener emails and comments and open a couple of 1up Boxes. Then Kyle reads a story about recent cattle mutilations in Oregon and we spend some time discussing the history of this strange phenomena and what the "popular" explanations are.

For the second half of the show, we dive into Christopher Dunn's excellent book "Lost Technologies of Ancient Egypt", looking at the Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan, an anomalous piece of granite with strange tool marks in Abu Roash, and the infamous "Core #7" found by Petrie. All of these objects hold clues as to the methods for working stone that were used by the ancients, and Dunn does an excellent job investigating them.

CLICK TO PLAY Brothers of the Serpent Episode 118 

Split-end on the sun

Obelisks

Detailed Hieroglyphs carved into the granite

Add caption

The glyphs are so similar they are like stamps

Very fine three dimensional work on the glyphs

Unfinished Obelisk, Aswan

The obelisk would have been enormous

Deep troughs and cut marks

Linear cuts along the side, with noticeable horizontal striations

Cuts in the trough

Cutting around corners?

Sharp inside corners in trough cuts

Cutting around corners

Diorite quarry stone

Modern quarry excavator saw. Imagine this, but with a chainsaw bar instead of a circular blade

"Unfinished Pyramid" at Abu Roash

Granite block with strange evidence of cutting on it

Curved in this direction

Curved in this direction as well

Broken edge, curved horizontal cut edge, and step indicating curved vertical cut

Could there have been enormous saws mounted in these?

Petrie's infamous "Core #7"

Cut marks, spiral or horizontal?

Wrapping the core with string along the cuts

Ancient stone vases, machined on a lathe

Vase made of diorite