_How the Great Pyramid was Built_, Craig B. Smith
rms
If you are a poetic soul who prefers that the mysteries of ancient Egypt
remain mysterious, this definitely is not the book for you! With little
preamble this experienced construction manager places himself in the
position of the Pharaoh Khufu's vizier Hemiunu, and discusses in detail the
design and construction of this last surviving member of the Seven Wonders
of the Ancient World.
With the eye of an engineer, Smith covers the evolution of pyramid making,
the design lessons learned by Hemiunu (who likely was involved with earlier
pyramid construction) -- for example, to lay horizontal courses to better
distribute loads; use a mix of large blocks with small for greater
structural stability; use corbelled ceilings for strength and beauty; etc.
Next discussed are the tools and mathematical methods available to the
Egyptians: Did they have the ability to make the precision measurements that
are evident, and cut and move the millions of giant stone blocks? Well, yes.
No aliens required, alas.
Then follows an overview of site choice, the structure that will be built,
design choices, and an outline of how the building will proceed, in light of
good 'critical path' project management practices, which Smith argues
Hemiunu very definitely followed.
Succeeding chapters go into detail on the major building phases, including
site preparation, tool making and materiel acquisition, worker support
infra-structure, the ramp system used to transport blocks to the work site,
the construction of the interior passages, etc. These chapters are the meat
of the book and make for interesting reading.
Lastly Smith analyzes the likely size of the workforce (much smaller than
commonly thought, and backed up by archaeological digs in the attached
worker village). Indeed Smith gives plausible straight-forward answers to
several pyramid "mysteries", and to other questions simply says the answer
is unknown.
Such as: the 51.9degree angle of the sides of Great Pyramid: it's likely an
approximation of a 3-4-5 triangle, which the ancient Egyptians were aware of
(though Smith is a bit wishy-washy on this point); the 26.4degree angles of
the interior passages have no spiritual significance, but were simply the
result of using practical 1:2 grade measurements by the onsite masons; that
giant stone blocks are in fact manageable using teams of human laborers with
simple sledges and ramps.
So. A very practical book written by an intelligent engineer, who argues
that his ancient counterpart, the Vizier who actually built this pyramid for
his Pharaoh, was just as practical and just as intelligent. And that his
workforce, far from being millions of driven slaves, were some tens of
thousands of paid workers motivated by national and religious pride. A good
book, though I felt the longing for more photographs and drawings, which a
more visually-oriented 'touristy' book would provide. Look for such a
picture book to supplement Smith's at the library :)
rms