Ancient tools intrigue author

Commercial-News ^ | August 15, 2010 | MARY WICOFF

[rosettasister]

The ancient Egyptian toolboxes didn’t have precise, sophisticated measuring instruments like we have today … or did they?

Christopher Dunn examines that question in his new book, “Lost Technologies of Ancient Egypt: Advanced Engineering in the Temples of the Pharaohs.”

Dunn has made nine trips to Egypt since 1986, and each time he’s amazed at the precision of the columns, tunnels and statues. He brushes aside conventional thinking, and suggests the ancient Egyptians used highly refined tools and mega-machines.

“There’s more going on here than meets the eye,” he said.

A manufacturing engineer by trade, Dunn works as human resources director at Danville Metal Stamping.

His second book, a 400-page paperback, came out in June, but it’s already getting five-star reviews on http://www.amazon.com

And, despite its intimidating title, Dunn said it’s not an engineering textbook. The average reader would be able to follow it.

Judd Peck, president of Danville Metal Stamping, has accompanied Dunn to Egypt three times, and wrote one of the forewords.

“It’s great,” he said of the book.

The traditional explanation of how the pyramids were built, for example — by men rolling 60-ton granite on logs — doesn’t fit the evidence.

“There are huge implications that just boggle the mind — what they were able to do and how sophisticated they were,” he said, referring to the ancient Egyptians.

The idea that the Egyptians had advanced tools disrupts people’s linear view of history, that civilizations get more sophisticated through the years, he said.

[Constitution Day]

Very funny!

[count-your-change]

The Egyptians most advanced tool was the Super Weight Extra Added Tonnage machine. It was used with the Great Roto Under Neath Tunneler. Fantastic stuff all!!

[flowerplough]

RE: lost me when he starts going into theories about the Pyramids being energy machines.

Yep. When the guy across the table starts on about “The Giza Power Plant: Technologies of Ancient Egypt,” and describes a holistic energy device that is harmonically coupled with the Earth, I start calling to the waiter, “Check, please!”.

[JimC214]

I quite agree with you on this. To many people belittle the ability of human beings to do things that seem impossible. All it takes is for some to be curious and to have a desire to try things with our dreams. And for the poster to post a link to anything by Edger Cayce only weakens there argument.

[I am Richard Brandon]

A dirt ramp

Problems with this theory

A. You need to get the dirt from somewhere and make it hold in place during construction - where are the 'dirt quarries'?
B. The volume of 'dirt' needed to build a low inclination ramp is many times the volume of the pyramid being built. Logistics problem!
C, After building the pyramid 'core' the outer skin of dressed stone was added top down which would require a ramp on all four sides, a different ramp shape, or a whole new theory.
D. After the Pyramid is completely built, you have to remove and dump the 'dirt.' Where are the dumps?

I know that there is evidence of ramps at some pyramids - probably less than ten - but the question remains for all the others. Back to you.

[TalonDJ]

A. You need to get the dirt from somewhere and make it hold in place during construction - where are the 'dirt quarries'?

Your kidding right? It is dirt. You just scrape some up. a few thousand years of Nile river flooding and any holes they dug it out of are long gone.?

B. The volume of 'dirt' needed to build a low inclination ramp is many times the volume of the pyramid being built. Logistics problem!?

Not that many times. the top of the ramp only needs to be as wide as one stone.?

C, After building the pyramid 'core' the outer skin of dressed stone was added top down which would require a ramp on all four sides, a different ramp shape, or a whole new theory.?

Er... no it would not. One ramp to the top and some ropes to lower the stones down to any side you are filling in.?

D. After the Pyramid is completely built, you have to remove and dump the 'dirt.' Where are the dumps??

It is dirt. You just spread it around and no one notices. Or you dump it back in the hole you dug it out of. Ever notice how houses with basements don't have a huge pile of dirt sitting next to them? Go look up the dirt mounds made by native americans near St Louis. It is not that hard to come up with a lot of dirt when you are in a major river valley.

[TalonDJ]

Sometimes engineers are victims of their own training. Anyone with a plum and something to sight with can do amazing things given enough time and effort. Basic geometry and even more basic tools can do amazing things when Pharaoh is prepared to kill you if you F it up. It does not take some magical tools to pile up some rocks. Even if you are doing it really nicely.

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

...symmetry of the Ramses II statues. His computer analysis reveals that the left and right sides of the faces are precise mirror images of each other....

Like you'd get from a mold. There was a book by someone named Davidovits I think, theorizing that the Egyptians used a kind of concrete or some aggregate they poured into molds.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

2560 BC. Over the course of 4000 years, I’m not terribly surprised that all but the most scant evidence is long gone.

Certainly there are still many arguments about how things were done, but a simple and realistic mechanical theory is very hard to disprove.

[TXnMA]

"What manner of engineer becomes a human resources anything?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let's see...an engineer whose efforts on

“The Giza Power Plant: Technologies of Ancient Egypt,” which describes a holistic energy device that is harmonically coupled with the Earth."

turned his brain to mush -- making him the worthless mental equivalent of the typical HR puke...?

[TXnMA]

Dunn talks about it and draws sketches. This guy

http://www.theforgottentechnology.com/newpage3

Builds his own wooden fixtures and moves things -- BIG things!

Watch the little movies on the above webpage.

This guy specializes in using counterweights, paired fulcrums, and the mechanical advantage provided by using paired inclinled planes -- with different slopes.

Of course, seeing him roll a square-section stone block eight feet down his sinusoidal "round road" -- with just a single push of his hand -- is impressive, too...

[SunkenCiv]

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic · subscribe ·
	Gods Graves Glyphs	Thanks Pontiac. Christopher Dunn is (IMHO) a loon. He claims that the ancient Egyptians had modern automated tools such as drills, and powered them using the Great Pyramid. This made it possible for them to build the Great Pyramid, and, uh, whoops! :') Still kinda interesting, so here goes a ping! To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
·Dogpile · Archaeologica · Mirabilis.ca · LiveScience · Biblical Archaeology Society · · Discover · Bronze Age Forum · Science Daily · Science News · Eurekalert · PhysOrg · · Nat Geographic · Texas AM Anthro News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · Google · · Archaeology · The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists · · History topic · history keyword · archaeology keyword · paleontology keyword · · Science topic · science keyword · Books/Literature topic · pages keyword · ·

[ThanhPhero]

This fellow knows how it might well have been done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD-EMOhbJ9U&feature=search

[happygrl]

Helen Thomas pre-dates the Pyramids:-)

[Reeses]

The idea that the Egyptians had advanced tools disrupts people’s linear view of history, that civilizations get more sophisticated through the years, he said.

40 years ago NASA could send men to walk on the moon and bring them back safely. Today NASA couldn't punch their way out of a wet paper bag.

[bert]

The Tompkins book is all about mensuration and the quest for the standards used in the Egyptian construction. It also questions much of the scholarship that has the pyramids to be merely tombs.

He describes the geodesic capabilities of the ancients that includes several Navels or geodesic monuments, one of which was at the site of the Kaaba in Mecca.

I will have to buy the book to see what is added to the pile,

Tompkins mixws his own work with that of many others who got lost in the Academic shuffle.

[bert]

Egypt..... not Babylon.

[ZULU]

That’s AWESOME!!

Thanks for the link.

[TXnMA]

You're welcome! I don't know why the guy isn't better known.

He used to have a bunch of larger videos on his site -- then he decided to fund his work by selling DVDs. Now all you get free are the few small vids.

His most impressive mechanism is the use of two "fulcrumits" to "walk" 20,000+ lb stones along. You saw the "walking" principle when he moved the counterweight a few inches along atop the large stone by 'spinnning' it horizontally. He shifts the counterweight from end to end to tip the stone's weight up on alternate fulcrums, then he "spins" the big stone -- moving it forward the distance between the two fulcrums with each "step". It's sorta like 'walking' your hand along on two (separated) fingertips by twisting your wrist back and forth...

He supposedly moved a big pole barn across a field -- by himself -- by using the "walking" principle.

The guy makes a lot of sense -- and his stuff works. If you get his DVD, please let me know if it is worthwhile...

[Doomonyou]

True, but she still is an ancient tool!