Ancient Egyptian Fail The monuments of Ancient Egypt often create a sense of awe and wonder because

Ancient Egyptian Fail The monuments of Ancient Egypt often create a sense of awe and wonder because of their size, beauty, and precise engineering.  The Great Pyramid of Giza for example, was the largest structure built until the late middle ages.  It took thousands of workers decades to create such a huge structure.  Another example would be Egypt’s stone obelisks, large tower like structures that weighed scores, if not hundreds of tons.  Even today, the methods used by the Egyptians to create such monuments are a mystery among modern scholars and engineers.  This has led to many wild theories such as alien intervention, secret lost knowledge, and various forms of mysticism.  However, one thing to keep in mind is that the grand monuments that make it on Discovery Channel documentaries and history books are Egypt’s greatest successes.  The creation of such monuments was the culmination of hundreds or thousands of years of engineering experience, often acquired through trial and error.  So while Ancient Egypt’s successes are often showcased, little mention is ever given to Ancient Egypt’s mistakes.The Pyramid of Meidum Built around 2580 BC, the Pyramid of Meidum was an attempt to transition from the step pyramids created by the legendary engineer Imhotep, to a true pyramidal structure.  The plan was to build a large tower-like step pyramid as a center.  Then an extension or outer shell would be built around the tower creating a 51 degree angle pyramid.  However, the pyramid had a fatal flaw.  While the step center was built upon a proper foundation, the outer layer was built directly on sand.  As a result, during the final stages of the pyramids’ construction, the outer layer of the pyramid collapsed, leaving a large tower like structure surrounded by rubble.  I imagine the pharaoh was not very pleased.The Bent Pyramid of Dashur Created shortly after the collapse of the Pyramid of Meidum, the Bent Pyramid was another attempt to create a true pyramidal structure.  The most unique feature of the pyramid is its weird shape, the lower part of the pyramid was built at a 54 degree incline. However, midway through its construction the angle of inclination was changed to a 45 degree angle.  The most commonly held theory is that halfway through its construction the pyramid began to show signs of instability.  With the collapse of the Medium Pyramid fresh in their minds, architects and engineers agreed to play it safe and change the pyramid’s angle of inclination.  There is good evidence that Pharaoh Sneferu, the king who the pyramid was built for, was not satisfied with the work.  He ordered the construction of another pyramid, known as the “Red Pyramid” directly beside the Bent Pyramid.  The Red Pyramid has a 45 degree angle of inclination.The Unfinished ObeliskA large obelisk that was abandoned near the end of its construction, the Aswan Obelisk would have been the largest Ancient Egyptian obelisk ever built, weighing in at 1,200 tons.  Today the obelisk is a goldmine for archeologists and historians as it still has tool marks left from it ancient workers, giving clear insights into how the Egyptians quarried and carved granite stone.  The obelisk was carved straight out of bedrock.  Carving was done with stone balls made of a hard rock called diorite.  The workers would have pounded the balls against the granite, roughly forming it into the shape of an obelisk.  As the work continued, the shape of the obelisk would slowly begin to take form.  Forming the obelisk would have a year of continuous back breaking and tedious labor.  Unfortunately for the weary Egyptian workers, the obelisk formed a large cracks near its top, caused when tension was released as the stone was carved from its bedrock. The project was abandoned, it must have been heart breaking. A real bummer man!The Pyramid of Amemehamhat IIIDuring the Middle Kingdom Era (2055BC-1650BC), Egypt began to suffer from serious turmoil.  Among these were a series of famines, attacks by foreign powers, civil wars, and general weakening of central power.  As a result, the quality of Egyptian structures also declined during this period.  Pyramid builders turned to cheaper materials such as mud and clay brick instead of stone.  These “budget pyramids” were built all over Egypt during this period.One of these structures was the Pyramid of Amemehamhat III.  Like other pyramids of its time it too was made of mud/clay brick.  What is most astounding is that the builders of the pyramid seemed to have made incredible blunders in construction.  Firstly the corridors of the tomb were made way too wide, wider than what was recommended to support the structure.  Secondly the pyramid was constructed at a horribly chosen location at Dashur which was about 10 meters below sea level.  At such a low sea level, groundwater would seep into the foundations of the structure, and as a result the pyramid sunk into the ground and collapsed. OOPS -- source link
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