Ancient Technology & the Great Pyramid Basalt Pavement | Ancient Architects

This year I was lucky enough to visit the Giza Plateau and explore the pyramids and their associated structures and stonework, and on the eastern side of the Great Pyramid, you can’t help but take note of the magnificent basalt pavement.
These paving stones are in fact all that remains of Khufu’s mortuary temple, which was likely destroyed at the same time the pyramid’s casing stones were removed, if not long before.
This basalt pavement is a favourite talking point for those that believe in a lost ancient high technology in Ancient Egypt. It’s a hard igneous rock and we can see specific cut marks on some of the rock faces. So how were they made? How was this rock cut and shaped? Was it possible with Ancient Egyptian materials and technology? Is this basalt pavement still hiding ancient secrets? Just how difficult was it to work?
In this video, I take a close look at the geology of the basalt and offer some suggestion on just how this ancient igneous rock could have been cut. What was the ancient technology used?
All images and video are my own, have been used with permission or have been taken from the below sources for educational purposes only. Please subscribe to Ancient Architects, Like the video and please leave a comment below. Thank you.
Channels Mentioned:
Scientists Against Myths: / channel
Sacred Geometry Decoded: / @sacredgeometrydecoded
Video Footage Used:
Basalt Lava Flow: • BASALTIC LAVA STRAIGHT...
Smashing a Diamond: • Can You Break a Diamon...
Sources:
gizamedia.rc.f...
www.jstor.org/...
www.penn.museu...
www.jstor.org/...
www.jstor.org/...
rruff.info/doc...
neoskosmos.com...
www.sciencedir...
gizamedia.rc.f...
www.penn.museu...
#ancientarchitects #greatpyramid #ancientegypt

[@AncientArchitects]

Thank you for watching and for being here! If you want to support the channel, you can become a KZbin Member at kzbin.info/door/scI4NOggNSN-Si5QgErNCwjoin or I’m on Patreon at www.patreon.com/ancientarchitects

[@francischambless5919]

I appreciate that you to this date keep an open mind with these things. There's still so much to learn about human history, especially in Egypt.

[@vincentstevens4194]

Great job!

[@peterdore2572]

YES! EMERY!! Thank you!!

[@trader2137]

whoever believes in ancient lost tech is just low IQ ignorant & contempt to history

[@far-middle]

I find it strange how hard it will be to fund an experiment cutting a few blocks as a proof of concept when Egyptians cut 2.5 million blocks for a single pyramid. Dr. Davidovitz is the only person that demonstrated his theory by producing full size blocks and stacking them within a reasonable time period.

[@OleHippy]

Every episode is a learning experience. Between this channel, History For Granite, and Lines in Sand it feels like we’re receiving a college level quality of education from pros who know how to make it fun! Thanks !

[@AncientArchitects]

Thank you 🙏

[@OleHippy]

@@Shelmerdine745 Get up on the wrong side of the bed today, did we?

[@jimmywrangles]

Uncharted X is another great one.

[@OleHippy]

@@stargate1555 Yes, I’ll second that!

[@OleHippy]

@@jimmywranglesYes, I look forward to and try not to miss any new episodes. As he has been getting more exposure on platforms like Rogan and with Randall Carlson, I have noticed some critiques popping up from other knowledgeable sources pointing out issues with his (at times) broad assertions about the Serapeum boxes, drill cores, and vases. They make quite a few good observations which I’m hoping he’ll address as time goes by.

[@jhonsmith6614]

I remember when you were on 2k subs been here since the beginning proud of the direction you have taken the channel it has got me through some ruff times when I was in hospital

[@AncientArchitects]

Thank you so much. And I hope you’re better now 🙏

[@johnatter5250]

Iv been here just over 5 years and it's been worth it. This is my best channel

[@jackelewish1568]

I found you through _History For Granite_ so glad theres people who genuinely want to know what happened and doesn't have a certain agenda they look for things to fit according to.

[@calvinritchot1649]

Matt I'm a stone mason in Canada and have multiple masonry saws, with assorted blades, masonry drills with the proper bits, grinders pull saws etc and I would like to use my old leftover stone to film test cuts on with every combination I can possibly try and send you the pieces to help you with your research. I have dozens of types of granite, limestone, marble, quartz as well as the locations they were quarried. I'm not sure if much effort has been done to recreate and cross examine the techniques the ancients used to shape their stones and am in a very unique position to help further the investigation into it. If this is something your interested in just let me know and I'd be glad to Help. Ancient Egypt was probably the main reason i became a stone mason. Anyways big fan and always look forward to your videos. Keep up the good work

[@gora-ji]

All of Matt’s videos are excellent, but this one was absolutely outstanding. I learned so much, and I so grateful you take the time to research and produce these videos with such high quality. Thank you so much!

[@tatelyle1]

There was a similar polished basalt pavement at the base of Mt Sinai, that looked like the night sky. Not surprising really. Because Mt Sinai is the Great Pyramid. See Tempest & Exodus. R

[@AncientArchitects]

This one took a lot of effort. I didn’t feel very motivated this week. Not sure why. But I got there!

[@vololudo4671]

​@@AncientArchitectsyou nailed it. Great job

[@thesonofdormammu5475]

Thousands of years of construction/evolution of technology and also thousands of years of contamination/looting of sites. I don't know if we will ever solve these mysteries. I can't even imagine what has been lost to time over the years. Good video.

[@Leeside999]

Delighted you mentioned SGD and Scientists against myths channels. They don't get enough recognition.

[@AncientArchitects]

They do great work

[@floydriebe4755]

​@@AncientArchitectsyes they do!

[@PatchouliPenny]

​@@AncientArchitectsagreed, I've watched them too. Two quick questions Matt, when you say emery, would that be what is used on emery boards to file nails? And secondly you said that some of the paving stones have magnetite in them - would that make them magnetic and if so, how strong would that force be and could this have been utilised by them, perhaps priests using "magic"? Sorry as I write more questions are popping into my head - are all magnets made of magnetite? Thank you for if you reply and thanks always for the fantastic videos!

[@macgonzo]

​@@PatchouliPennyMagnetite is magnetic, but Egyptians at this time were not using iron, generally speaking... It's possible that there may have been some meteoric iron objects (see Tutenkhamun's knife) which could possibly have been used in rituals, but as far as I'm aware, there's not enough evidence to be able to say for sure. Good thinking though!

[@_MikeJon_]

​@@AustinKoleCarlisleBehave Austin.

[@Akimos]

Mr. Rockman this is, to me, your best video this year. TY much.

[@AncientArchitects]

Thank you 🙏

[@SacredGeometryDecoded]

Thanks for the shout out, cutting basalt with copper hand saw and corundum I replicated the striations and the cutting profiles as shown by Petrie. 12mm an hour though that's with no pressure on the saw. Even then that's 40% the speed of modern gang saws using diamond blades. A properly weighted pendulum/swing saw that cutting rate would be even faster.

[@PatchouliPenny]

Especially if they had hundreds of the things going at once you could really shorten the time taken to produce this courtyard floor. Thanks for the experiments you've done!

[@AncientArchitects]

You’ve done some fantastic work mate. You’ve done this in a few years, so i can only imagine what the Egyptians could do after hundreds and hundreds of years of honing their skills and mastering their craft, passing it on from generation to generation.

[@SacredGeometryDecoded]

@@AncientArchitects Thanks and yes. So many little nuanced details for sawing and working the drill I could never have imagined. Each time increase productivity 5 or 10%. Stone and copper is very expensive indeed.

[@catman8965]

THANKS to both of you for helping to dispel the lost high technology myth.

[@DogsWallop]

Someome needs to make a giant pendulum saw

[@StephiSensei26]

Great Job Matt! You get a 10 on my hardness scale! You're a diamond in the rough!

[@mikelee9886]

I wish we could actually test some of your theories. The non-load bearing block in the King's Chamber that aligns with the box, for example. That could be the most important discovery in the Great Pyramid in a hundred years, but there's no way for us to test it (short of smuggling in heavy equipment and trying to pull it out of the wall). If that block is hiding a passage, it could actually lead to the other mysterious discovery, the opening in the side of the wall of passages leading out of the Queen's Chamber, or to the void above the Grand Gallery. It's so frustrating knowing that there is something so obvious that could lead to such a huge discovery... yet it's just not being looked into at all, and won't be.

[@mindsight9732]

That said i don't think quartz sand voids showed up well or at all on the muon scans. Implying even more might be found.

[@stevenkeck4761]

@AncientArchitects. Thank you for mentioning how some have replicated the fine stone cutting/work today on these hard rocks with material that would of been available to the ancients. It is nice to see that a reasonable explanation does exist.

[@Itsjustme-Justme]

Basalt is the most perfect stone for a pavement. It gets naturally polished by the feet walking on it and the wheels driving on it. It gets more beautiful by itself, nobody has to work for it. If the workshops can be found where hard ignious rock was worked, the sediments will reveal what kind of abrasive mineral was used. Judging by how roughly the pavement got reconstructed, it makes a whole lot of sense that many stones were cut during reconstruction, just for convenience because modern saws made cutting more easy than carefully selecting the stones.

[@standingbear998]

but they are not found neither are the tools

[@JonnoPlays]

I think this was one of your best episodes yet. Very factual with solid evidence presented and a narrative with a beginning and an end. I really enjoyed it and I think I learned a lot too. The point about smashing a diamond was really interesting. Could you do a thorough dive like this into the so-called scoop marks on the great obelisk. The documentation on how the scoop marks were made using super hot fires and chisel stones is all there ready to be turned into a video format. They are very well explained but they continue to be used as a smoking gun example of high technology.

[@AncientArchitects]

I’ll have a good look at this. It’s a good subject for sure. And yes, diamond is the hardest substance in the planet, nothing can scratch it, but an old rusty metal hammer can smash a diamond easily.

[@_MikeJon_]

SGD definitely does some good break down videos if you haven't already seen them.

[@ReclaimerX]

I'm so happy, and even thankful, that you have grown from supporting conspiracies to pushing back against them! Knowledge is power.

[@andrewkircher8261]

Always so excited when Matt has a new video!

[@AncientArchitects]

Thank you

[@holmavik6756]

This is not only good teaching, there is also something soothing about the presentations. It is an enjoyable channel for us who want to learn more and are open to change our mind if/when new evidence become available.

[@rtk3543]

Brilliant analysis Matt, nice to see an unbiased approach with no ulterior agenda, well done.

[@AncientArchitects]

👍

[@MartinScharfe]

This pavement is for heavy load. They needed a flat surface, to pull the granite slabs from the port to the construction site. Herodotus speaks of 40 years. 20 years for preparation of the construction site. 20 years of building. That's the preperation.

[@JMM33RanMA]

Thanks, Matt, for another amazing, detailed, fact-filled, thought-provoking analysis of the ancient basalt paving. The data and analysis thereof made the matter understandable, even to geology and science challenged viewers. I was not a stellar student in Earth Science class, but your explanation cut through the mental fog better than emery. If only the X-ites and Hancockatoos would take their thumbs out of their ears and the hands from in front of their eyes they might gain more from your videos. I look forward to every one of your outstanding posts.

[@nawhedawhe6905]

.. Matt is better than Emery... for cutting through to the truth

[@standingbear998]

someones analysis isn't facts.

[@JMM33RanMA]

@@standingbear998 And denial of an analysis doesn't change the validity of the facts any more than a positive analysis necessarily proves them.

[@WorldHistory_CE]

I have a request, since your background is Geology, is it possible to make an entire video on just geology of Giza? Like exdplaining the diffrent type of stones in construction and they geological formation where they are found, kinda like you did with the rock in this video, but all the rock types on giza. I think it could be a great resource for people in the furute and i have a slight intrest in it. this video's geological stuff was so facenating..

[@russellmillar7132]

Great job of covering the practical knowledge that helps to dispel some of the "mystery" about how the ancients were able to accomplish so much.

[@vancegilmore245]

I didn't know about the basalt paving stones until your videos.

[@_Schwartz]

Copper saws and chisels mixed with water/crushed materials used as an abrasive. I recommended people researched the romans and how they built megalithic monuments to have a better understanding of how you move large stone's. 👏

[@AncientArchitects]

Romans were geniuses. They also probably learned a lot from every nation they conquered.

[@DogsWallop]

Theres just so much that is crazy, cutting he accurate granite vases, moving millions of stones across country, cutting and raising granite slabs for the inner pyramid tomb, polishing to mirror finishes, carving into such stones so perfect, cutting millions of stones perfect, just crazy

[@jrockthecasbah]

With lots of time and manpower it could be done.

[@poughkeepsieblue]

Wow. Im really impressed how you use your geology background to explain how ancient architects would have used the natural tools available to them, to understand how harder materials broke softer materials. Thats just diabolical thinking, and my hat has come off to you sir.

[@samuelalvarez_art]

Unchartedx must not be happy with you 😅. Its amazing seeing your evolution over the years, I have certainly been enjoying your content for a long time. Thank you.

[@SurlockGnomez]

He's been looking into objects at the harder end (pun intended) of this subject area. I'd reckon he'd agree that any decent research at any level or location of Ancient Egypt is welcome. The more knowledge we have the better. The methods stated would and do clearly work yes; unfortunately the problem is when you try applying this to the pyramids themselves and things just don't stack up. Anyone who has gone beyond looking at things on paper or at small scales; knows in the real the word scaling up volume in construction is in no way linear. Even if you stay behind your desk in the land of theory and pretend that they are linear; the timeframes given cannot explain what is actually there.

[@_MikeJon_]

I think the time of the Lost High Technology conspiracies are close to an end.

[@mindsight9732]

Argeed, uncharted should have no qualms with AA, they agree on many points. AA has done and present a lot of what we do know and want to know. Uncharted merely points to things we don't know and ask why don't we know. To the point he has started looking into it. There is do able, and how did they. We have the basalt deposit, we have the pottery dating it at the site, and we have feasible mining. Uncharted and AA probably agree on this, we don't have the exact tools and mechanical advantages used, but both probably would agree nothing beyond a Davinci's or Archemedies' realm of design would be needed. They did have their own polymaths, artists, and royal/priests class in Egypt. The basalt is impressive, but not mind boggling.

[@valdasdr8432]

@@_MikeJon_ So there's an explanation for laser precision vases already? What is it?

[@jimmywrangles]

@@valdasdr8432 They used lasers.

[@araguilera78]

Amazing job done, thank you very much for your long research.

[@MajiSylvamain]

Excellent presentation, interesting and enjoyable video as usual.😺🐈😺

[@AncientArchitects]

Cheers 🍻

[@Dang3rMouSe]

Well done, this answers a number of questions

[@JonnoPlays]

Do the so-called "scoop marks" on the great obelisk next please! Great work!

[@AncientArchitects]

Wow - thank you so much 🙏🙏🙏

[@AncientArchitects]

Scoop marks - ugh. I get bogged down with these things 😂

[@_MikeJon_]

This!

[@johnnyxmusic]

Hollows from pounding? And the use of fire to crack the stone face? Yes.

[@customsongmaker]

​@@johnnyxmusicPounding with stones makes the same marks underneath? There's no difference when you're lying on your back and throwing a stone pounder upwards?

[@craigrmeyer]

Holy crap! That’s 20th century cement under those basalt pavers? That explains a heck of a lot. Thank you so much for this.

[@juniorballs6025]

I've seen very little on this subject, so thanks for this fascinating effort 👍

[@AncientArchitects]

Cheers! 🙏

[@timboslice980]

How have i never heard of Emery? Thanks again for all you do AA!

[@dragonfox2.058]

Being a stoneworker myself, I would almost bet that they used cords impregnated with abrasive on a bow. I doubt they used metal saws. It still would have been hella work to cut those pieces. Very cool Matt

[@AncientArchitects]

Thanks mate

[@AlbertaGeek]

Interesting, but the _Scientists Against Myths_ channel has confirmed that copper saws plus an abrasive slurry works quite well. Also, if you're not familiar with his channel, Mike Haduck, a stonemason of over 50 years over on his appropriately named channel _Mike Haduck Masonry,_ demonstrates the efficacy of stone and copper tools for carving and drilling into both limestone and granite.

[@dragonfox2.058]

@@AlbertaGeek I'm sure they know more than me. But the abrasive would protect the rope. Maybe for smaller blocks it would work faster???

[@SacredGeometryDecoded]

@@dragonfox2.058 In their most recent vase making experiment Scientists Against Myths team didn't use any copper as a rule, they do a cut diorite using rope.

[@dragonfox2.058]

@@SacredGeometryDecoded Really, all it takes is a good lathe and the right abrasive. I used to cut and polish on cloth. Once we invented the pottery wheel, it was smooth sailing as it were. LOL

[@Charlie-phlezk]

Now watching! 😇 ✌🏼 First comment on Facebook, haha.

[@AncientArchitects]

Cheers!

[@janerkenbrack3373]

We use abrasive powder to cut stone today. I don't see the problem with suggesting the ancients used it too. The idea that because we don't widely know about something doesn't mean the ancients were also ignorant. They would be familiar with whatever worked stone best.

[@customsongmaker]

So they could have used circular saws. Just because we don't know about their circular saws doesn't mean they were also ignorant.

[@janerkenbrack3373]

@@customsongmaker Do we have evidence of them using circular saws? Understanding that circular saws use centrifugal force, how would they have created that? And the circular saws would not exempt them from needing an abrasive. I have a tile saw that cuts stone, and it has a blade covered in diamond dust.

[@customsongmaker]

@@janerkenbrack3373 Yes, there are many saw marks on stones in which the middle of the cut is deeper than the edges, consistent with a circular saw cut.

[@janerkenbrack3373]

@@customsongmaker That is not evidence of the use of circular saws in ancient Egypt, and could have been done in the 1940s, as was covered in the video. Some of the cuts shown in the video did not look as old, as they lacked the exposure wear one might expect. And the walkway was largely rebuilt in modern times, and without detailed records of that process. But in any case, the key here is the need for an abrasive that is harder than the basalt they were cutting. Whatever sawing method used, this was needed, and was readily available. There isn't a need for circular saws to produce cuts in basalt, and the time to consider such a tool is when we find some evidence that they had such tools, and not that cuts of unknown dating could be from a circular saw.

[@customsongmaker]

@@janerkenbrack3373 Do you have any evidence that circular saws were used in Egypt in the 1940s?

[@valdasdr8432]

What about the 100ton precision cut granite box and insane precision vases? Never heard anyone use basalt to claim ancient high technology civilization, but you got to touch on the good stuff - precision vases and granite box.

[@AncientArchitects]

The large sarcophagi at the Serapeum are from late period, when iron was being used, so technology had come on a long way.

[@Morechinlockvicar]

@@AustinKoleCarlislebut its not a guess, its well researched and proved by the evidence collected and gathered and even written about by the ancient egyptians.

[@Akimos]

@@AustinKoleCarlisle Hey Kale, how's everything on the social studies? Let me guess you are full of bull, right?

[@AlbertaGeek]

_"What about the 100ton precision cut granite box"_ What about it? Have you been listening to idiots who say it couldn't be done with hand tools? _"insane precision vases?"_ kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZTPaWWehtdrrsU

[@darrylnelson2952]

@@AncientArchitects Curious how you are dating them. Is it based on the shoddy inscriptions on one or two of the boxes, that are far inferior to the skill used to make the boxes? How can you be sure you know who actually made those boxes, and how old they are? Also, even iron tools would be quite a feat, esp. when working underground to finish them. And how did they move them into place?? Curious if you can also explain all this logically, but I haven't been convinced yet.

[@RichardGoth]

Another great video. You made the geology content very accessible for non-geologists. After watching I am even more convinced the Egyptians used big copper saws pivoted on A-frame supports for their bigger sawing operations. We just need some tech millionaires to fund the experiments

[@AncientArchitects]

Buying stone to experiment with would be expensive in itself. Then the Labour. Then the scientists. The analysis. It’s a full time job for a huge team. And it could be a lifetime of work.

[@shawnsanborn2057]

Copper saws? Lmao! I suppose you think the (pounding stones) theory?

[@_Schwartz]

​@shawnsanborn2057 Yes. That's how they were cut. It's still the same way they cut them today. That's what the scoop marks are from around the big obelisk.

[@PatchouliPenny]

​@@shawnsanborn2057did you watch the video?

[@Akimos]

@@shawnsanborn2057 Lmao. What is the air speed of unladen sparrow?

[@RaptorSeer]

Cute Anubis pooch at the end. Appreciate the geological analysis also.

[@_MikeJon_]

Such a fantastic presentation Matt, well done! The important work from SGD and SAM is grossly underreported. The rise and popularity of Lost High Technology conspiracies nowadays are very prominent. I fear people are being lied to and mislead by dubious characters for their money and time. The more push back, the better! Thanks!

[@MrAchile13]

These frauds also have a cult like following. There are already fanboys in this comment section, who got triggered by this video going against uncharted x's narrative...

[@AncientArchitects]

Thank you 🙏

[@_MikeJon_]

@@jeffsmith50001 The experiments have been done. Go watch SGD Sacred geometry decoded and see for yourself. He drilled into granite with a PVC pipe. Scientists against myths did it with bone. They also cut into it with rope. You don't even need Emery, granite and quartz will do the job just fine. Copper is a better tool and lasts longer than PVC or bone obviously. Even though it's a "soft metal" it does it just fine. And no, it doesn't disintegrate like many conspiracy channels say.

[@far-middle]

People are misleading on both sides, like we see in a lot of other current issues. Your 10 $ just went to pay him for another unproven theory even though I admit emery is a possibility. Also, the hundreds of years of stone working expertise that was lost by the Egyptians is by definition "Lost high Technology" and it doesnt involve aliens or other weird theories.

[@phoneguy4637]

a black basalt floor, red granite pillars, a white limestone ceiling and green diorite statues? KHUFU GOT STYLE.

[@AncientArchitects]

😂👍

[@maxiblair3419]

Also Uncharted X's recent video of the analysis of the vessels is very good evidence I would say for lost technology

[@Akimos]

I would say I wouldn't buy a used car from there

[@_Schwartz]

Except for the fact that he ignores all the facts showing how those were made.

[@Eyes_Open]

​@@AkimosNo no no. It would be safe to buy a car from UnsupportedX because it would be an amazing vehicle that was inherited from a Lost Civilization and impossible to build today. And there would be a precision button on the dash.

[@Akimos]

@@Eyes_Open Almost all the cylinders work pointing to a high precision intelligent alien technology?

[@GroberWeisenstein]

What is lost and by whom to who's detriment ?

[@surfman6230]

So where's the tool where the copper saws.

[@AncientArchitects]

Corroded most likely

[@Akimos]

Where the copper saws, you ask? Well let me ask you, if you had cash money where would it be? It's worth so much they prolly gathered even the shavings and made new tools from it. The copper was not in a pile where to get it in the first place.

[@surfman6230]

So there are no copper saws so How are sure they did it that way.

[@surfman6230]

Akimos you don't get it.

[@georgeharteman4083]

Thanks for this thorough honest and objective study. Also I appreciate your reference to the low budget smale scale experiment.

[@AncientArchitects]

Thank you for that. Glad you liked it

[@ellen4956]

Imagine how that black stone would have looked when the pyramid was covered in white stone! I've wondered before if the basalt might have been polished. I don't know if that's possible.

[@_MikeJon_]

That would've been amazing! I didn't even consider that.

[@leahcimwerdna5209]

Paul Cook was just there talking about this

[@palladen1933]

It's all about the detail, every time I think you finished with the detail you're throwing in more, always clear and precise no dramatic exaggerations, I think wer'e over the ancient technology and just see a lot of really hard labour as you've shown here, great show 👍 your the man 🎸

[@AncientArchitects]

Thank you

[@TankUni]

Damn shame the mortuary temples were destroyed. They would have added so much context to the Giza Pyramids.

[@AncientArchitects]

Would have looked amazing!

[@nw932]

I would love to see a podcast with you and Ben from UnchartedX. I think it would be quite informational/educational to hear ya'll bouncing ideas/theories/evidences off of each other.

[@GroberWeisenstein]

Really ? BEN is bunk and a waste of time for anyone with serious intentions.

[@dazuk1969]

@@GroberWeisenstein I agree, unchartedx lost me a long time ago. Especially when he started implying that computers and 5 axis CNC machines were used to produce ancient stone vessels. What load of old tosh and Matt should steer well clear.

[@customsongmaker]

Unlike Ancient Architects, Ben from UnchartedX has visited ancient sites around the world many times. Without people like Ben, Ancient Architects wouldn't be able to make videos like this.

[@GroberWeisenstein]

@customsongmaker looking at something while not knowing what it is you are looking at does little. You can apply the same partiality to Ben's insights and disqualify him for not knowing since he's never been involved with actual stonework. Ancient Achitects' work is as valid as anyone who puts forth real data for honest, informed discussions. The same cannot be said for Ben's one man pony show.

[@customsongmaker]

@@GroberWeisenstein Ben's videos have appearances from at least 20 different experts in various fields.

[@justahuman2244]

Another very informative video. I appreciate your perspective.

[@AncientArchitects]

Thank you

[@conniebenny]

Another excellent video and analysis, Matt. Many thanks for spotlighting this often overlooked part of the Great Pyramid 🙂

[@AncientArchitects]

Thank you for watching

[@synchro-dentally1965]

I can imagine that a lot of the missing details were in the library of Alexandria before it burned down.

[@mcburcke]

Ok, this is a possibility. Has anyone done any experimental work to duplicate the tube drill holes and spiraling saw blade cut marks using copper tools and emery grains. Hardness is one thing to propose; actually duplicating the visible results with contemporary tools is quite another.

[@AncientArchitects]

That’s what Gorelick and Gwinnett did - the ones mentioned in this video - in the 1980s. Scientists against myths did too I believe. Have a look on their channel.

[@Leeside999]

There's plenty. Check out the two channels he mentions: sgd and scientists against myths.

[@customsongmaker]

​@@AncientArchitectsScientists Against Myths failed miserably. They took 3 years to make a vase that looks like it's already been chipped and damaged.

[@FunkyAzzProductions]

@@customsongmaker From what I've seen from these channels they are so intent on debunking that sometimes they seem to be misleading. For example I saw a video where he tried to make a vase from rock but he used a softer type rock and still the result was not impressive.

[@gerretw]

Their use of emery is a great idea. I question whether it could make the spiral striations in the core drill holes such as found in Petrie's core or the ones prevalent in many sites in Egypt. For that to happen, they would need a method to bond the grains of emery to the copper tubes. Otherwise, how does one account for the uniformity of the striations? Loose grains won't leave such markings. The other problem to explain is the angle of attack exhibited in the striations which show a rapid rate of cutting.

[@Leeside999]

Core 7 doesn't have a continuous spiral. The striations are far from uniform. They are very messy and are consistent with a loose abrasive. kzbin.info/www/bejne/foLMZaynoZyMqck

[@gerretw]

I am wondering if teeth cut in a copper tube would hold the emery grains in place or if is too soft. Franz Lohner believes they had access to iron which would be more feasible.

[@Leeside999]

@@AustinKoleCarlisle A spiral, in sections, is created randomly depending on where the loose abrasive particles attach themselves while being drilled. We have replicated this phenomenon and we understand why it happens. It has nothing to do with an "advanced cutting rate". Dunn erroneously claims that the "advanced cutting rate" is calculated by the distance between the striations. His lack of an engineering degree is all to see in that very claim.

[@Leeside999]

@@gerretw the abrasive was loose. That explains the lack of uniformity. Watch the video I linked above. All aspects of drilling are explained. Traces of copper as well as corundum have been found in ancient cuts and drilled holes

[@AncientArchitects]

Latest research shows it isn’t a spiral. Check out the Scientists Against Myths channel, they recently analysed it.

[@Za7a7aZ]

Its the over cuts that question the use of copper tools and abrasives ..As always thanks for the research and sharing your findings with us..

[@_Schwartz]

Why? Copper chisels work and can be made when warn down

[@Kitties-of-Doom]

@@_Schwartz you don't know what youre saying. Over cuts imply high speed feed rate aka powered machinery.

[@GroberWeisenstein]

​@@Kitties-of-Doomno it doesn't you or I can easily over cut any piece of wood with a hand saw. There is no definite implication here to be made in support of hi-tech machinery.

[@Ignat449]

I belive these pavements started out as the floor of stoneworking workshops. You need a solid straight floor to manufacture the special stones in high quality that is needed for passageways and the casing stones. It is black to make chalk marking stand out. When it was no longer needed, it was made into a temple floor.

[@MichelleHunt-zh6lt]

22:27 ah yes the famous saws that are not depicted anywhere and none survive to this day

[@johnmason6213]

No tools and no record of the methods. Not even a drawing anywhere that shows the process. We know how they did many other things but the most advanced parts of their lives are completely hidden.

[@wbergs3658]

I would suggest that people could have used granite blocks with a hardness of 7 on the mohs scale to abrade and flatten the softer basalt. Placing a large granite block on top of a almost fully buried basalt slab and moving it around would have worn down irregularities on the basalt but also over time smoothed the granite surface, since about 50% of granite comprises feldspar, hardness 5 to 6. Thus both rock types would have eventually attained smooth planar surfaces. This process seems to me to be more efficient than using loose rolling quartz sand grains, and could be used to produce quite large smooth surfaced blocks.

[@garyhenderson9303]

Have been watching the channel now for several years because I am interested in Ancient Architecture with a focus on Egypt. This one was more of a geology lesson to me. I have stood on this floor before and due to the elephant in the room (the pyramid) I did not look down enough to notice the details of the floor, like the pillar sockets, that I am now seeing whilst sat at my desk. I would not call this a Pavement, as my definition of a pavement is different. For me it would be a courtyard floor. However the illustration shown at the beginning @1:26 does not look right. It would be like an oven stood in there on the Black floor with sheltered walls around stopping any cooling winds. Even in Winter months in Egypt it would be unbearable on or inside the courtyard. I wonder if they had a specific reason to use a black stone which will make the floor so very hot in the sun. Maybe some kind of shade was above. I get that the temple would have been for VIPs so the best materials got used, but no VIP is going to want to stand in a temple which gets so hot. VIPs being of course Very Important Pharaohs.

[@CheezMonsterCrazy]

I would assume they would have had a combination of floor coverings and non-permanent shade structures within the courtyard that could be set up for various events.

[@JMM33RanMA]

Now that is a very interesting comment! Dark stone, slate maybe, is used in sun rooms here in New England because they retain and release heat. That's useful in the wintertime in a cold climate, but in Egypt in the Summer! If, as suggested, the surrounding walls were white that would reflect and possibly intensify the heat, wouldn't it? I wonder if you could bake bread on the stones, or have a sauna, or could it be hot enough to bake pottery. Those would not seem to be suitable uses for a mortuary temple, as the Egyptians didn't use cremation, but I wonder if it could be used to dry mummies?

[@garyhenderson9303]

Not just the surrounding walls of the temple were white, but also the pyramid itself with the casing stones must have reflected a lot of sun light. Walking barefoot on the floor would not be an option. This temple would prevent people without shoes getting to the entrance of the pyramid. There must be a reason why Black stone was used.@@JMM33RanMA

[@mmll7012]

Food for your thoughts: Basalt must have been chosen because these plazas would be high traffic areas & despite basalt's relatively high absorption rate, you can install it in intermittent wet areas.

[@garyhenderson9303]

I think temples close to the Pyramid would have been for the upper class, and automatically less people. @@mmll7012

[@dexmal158]

I truly enjoyed this episode. The source of the various stones In and around Giza is of great importance.

[@jobloggs6528]

Even with today’s technology we cannot make the inside 3 axis 90 degree corners of the 12 black diorite/granite sarcophagus deep inside one of the pyramids, or the ‘H’ blocks at puma punku

[@jrockthecasbah]

The granite boxes have been shown to not be perfectly 90 degrees.

[@savannahshepherd2283]

This video is extremely important information. I keep running across vids where people keep saying we dont know how they were able to do this and say theirs a lacl of evidence.

[@themoviesite]

Won't the emery chew up the saw before the rock?

[@AncientArchitects]

Not according to the experiments by Scientists Against Myths and sacred Geometry Decoded. Obviously it does shave off some of the copper, but their experiments, they used it to cut and drill through granite, which is harder than basalt. Maybe every so often a team would change the blade and sharpen it and get it ready, and then when the next one is blunt, take it off, sharpen it and so on. It’s all guesswork unless money goes in to proper experiments

[@CheezMonsterCrazy]

The softness of the metal I believe would actually benefit the saw in this case. As the cutting medium grinds away at the much harder, brittle stone, it would be more likely to impress into the metal than grind it away. So in effect the saws are functioning more like sandpaper wrapped around a wedge. Also keep in mind that these "saws" would not have been toothed blades like a wood saw, but rather smooth and dull. So while the metal would have worn down eventually, it should last rather a long time.

[@SacredGeometryDecoded]

The copper gets embedded with the grit which protects it, by volume the granite cuts worn 10 times faster than the copper. By depth it's 4 to 1 in favour of the copper. No copper is actually lost though as it's caught in the mud and can be retrieved by panning like looking for gold dust.

[@SacredGeometryDecoded]

@@AustinKoleCarlisle Yes they have, many copper saws find in Karnak for examples, copper tubes used for jewellery. It's just a copper sheet rolled over, very easy to make and unmake to be used again later. Though there has been one found crushed , sketchy on the details but mentioned by Denys Stocks.

[@Akimos]

@@AustinKoleCarlisle All you do is say anything argumentative. Quote unknown english authors? Maybe you should leave asking the questions to Ben, you cannot march in and ask questions without understanding the basics. So let's test this: My basics include the following: copper and abrasive can cut stone now it's your turn

[@davids5080]

Anyone else miss Chuck@cf-apps? RIP Chuck. Hed have loved the recent research.

[@AncientArchitects]

I do miss Chuck. We didn’t always get on but there was a mutual respect. A decent, honest guy, passionate about the subject.

[@floydriebe4755]

hey, Matt! another great video showing that aliens or high tech were not necessary to make the buildings, statues or vessels of the ancients. brain and brawn along with trial and error and experimentation over thousands of years were all that was needed. sure, basalt and granite and diorite are hard but, there are harder materials that were available to the ancient stone masons, as you show. more people need to watch videos like SAM and SGD put out. they are VERY instructive as to what is possible with primitive tools and methods. keep up the good work, Matt! you certainly have a handle on ancient stone work.

[@whalhard]

I would love a vr experience showing all of this like it probably was at its most pristine condition.

[@customsongmaker]

A channel called Kevin Eslinger is doing 3D model videos like that

[@PatrickWithington]

Thank you for your work. This is wonderful.

[@AncientArchitects]

Thanks

[@jaybrodell1959]

Evidence also is lacking of the use of meteor metal, although such material has been found in a later burial. One could speculate that stone cutters guarded their techniques and iron-based tools. I would speculate that the western desert was a likely source.

[@peterwarner8541]

Thanks this was very interesting. Given the potential manpower and time available to the builders I don’t doubt their ability to be about to make straight cuts etc. You often refer to specific periods in history in your videos, I’m not familiar with most of the terms so it would be great if you could do a video to explain them all at some point if you haven’t already.

[@mindsight9732]

check World of Antiquity for a video on egyptain chronology.

[@IBORTAD]

Great episode as always. I have to be honest, when you said the basalt pavement was a reconstruction from the Forties my heart sank. I look forward to the next episode on this subject. Just saying.

[@greenr369]

Totally agree with you on the ancient stone cutting. Also there are mamy acids that can be used to dissolve certain stones or minerals. Ether for cutting or carving. I worked for a while making stone and man made slabs and acid would remove softer parts or the stone giving a more pleasing look. I think acids could answer a lot questions about stone work and carving.

[@GroberWeisenstein]

Only for calcite stone not practical for silicates and only slightly practical when used to etch surfaces.

[@TonyLeith]

Excellent video as always. Thank you for all of your hard work.

[@barrywalser2384]

You gave us the full benefit of your geological knowledge on this topic. Great info. Thanks Matt!

[@AncientArchitects]

Cheers Barry!

[@jamesn.economou9922]

Here is the big mystery at the plateau. How did the ancient builders, map the substrate surface, and create the reverse image on the bottom, of the basalt blocks? Thousands of them. Here is workable theory. The basalt, was crushed into granular size, bagged up, and transported. From there, it was made into a basalt slurry, and poured like concrete, over the substrate. Sound crazy? Not as crazy, as accepting, that slaves, or forced laborers, where to carve a reverse, relief image, onto the underside, of every one of the pavers! Now that, is crazy.

[@Ziri0615]

Yes it is possible to cut a block of even very hard rock with a simple saw and water, tests have been done, yes it is true that it takes time but it is very effective, the Egyptians of antiquity surely made them with copper

[@AncientArchitects]

As I agree. But please watch :)

[@Ziri0615]

@@AncientArchitects Yes that's exactly what you say towards the end of the video I should have finished it before commenting, thank you for your work

[@nikos6220]

Great video!! When will you do one on the old kingdom vase scans done by Uncharted X?

[@AncientArchitects]

I don’t have anything to add to the conversation. I have no idea how they were made. They are incredible artefacts, they were created by Egyptians, but how? No idea.

[@davidhenneberg2661]

​@@AncientArchitects Have you seen their video on the vases that they scanned?

[@bobhead6243]

Great video Matt , well done on the science and geology , excellent study my friend.

[@AncientArchitects]

Thanks mate

[@baccy81]

the famous saw cuts are modern work to me 100%

[@AncientArchitects]

They're just too fresh

[@michaelc424]

I am very sure you are familiar with the UnchartedX channel. I watched their detailed analysis of old dynasty vases and was shocked with the precision of these vases. Perhaps you could comment. Does emery explain this precision? Just curious if you have an opinion. I did subscribe to your channel after watching this video.

[@AlbertaGeek]

UnchartedX is sensationalist, unscientific misinformation for the credulous: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZTPaWWehtdrrsU

[@cerebralm]

Emery explains the ability to remove material but not the precision in what material is removed.

[@GroberWeisenstein]

​@@cerebralmincorrect. Abrasive Grits are graded into mesh size categories such as coarse medium fine etc. It's the Abrasive grain sizes that determine and provide control of the surface abrading action.

[@GroberWeisenstein]

I was shocked at how imperfect it really was and how ignorant they are of stone manufacturing standards in claiming the vase was somehow precise beyond explanation.

[@customsongmaker]

​@@GroberWeisenstein🤡

[@WhosAmI]

They liked Basalt for the same reason we like “Space Black”…. it looks dope…

[@MrAchile13]

Good work! I would love to see more videos regarding stone working/ancient technology. There is too much pseudo-science out there.

[@BEATINGYOU]

Learning about parbuckles makes all the sense in the world

[@QuestionsStuff]

I am a geology nut with no qualifications... More geology MATT lol

[@itsnot_stupid_ifitworks]

finally someone has said it!...anyone could've cut the stones in anytime period. It was a quarry!

[@jgzambel5261]

Bom dia , Mais um vídeo espetacular , parabéns pelo belíssimo trabalho !!! Estas informações sobre os pontos onde foram realizadas obras de restauração , intervenção de outros períodos como também o que é original ou não atualmente é muito importante ! Óbvio , não desmerecendo os trabalhos de restauração e os fatos que ocorreram durante a história mais sim buscando o entendimento da situação como um todo , muito interessante ... sabendo que o pátio do templo foi reconstruído altera qualquer perspectiva sobre a originalidade de posicionamento das pedras e estruturas . Realmente este local deveria ser fantástico ! A pirâmide os templos e estátuas ... Um sonho celestial ... Parabéns pelo seu trabalho , este material é uma joia rara nos tempos atuais , a internet está saturada de mistificação sem sentido sobre todos os aspectos , infelizmente . Você está nos proporcionado o verdadeiro entendimento sobre o assunto ! Muito obrigado , Parabéns , felicidades e sucesso sempre !!!

[@AncientArchitects]

Thank you for such a lovely comment 😃

[@johnnynielsen3006]

Question: When making a copper chisel. Is it melted copper poured into a clay mold like with copper axes? What if the bottom of that mold was laced with a layer of abrasive material like Emery? The tip of the copper chisel would then be harder than the stone, than a pure copper chisel. The big seesaw stone cutting saw 21:15 should not have teeth, if it had a laced Emery edge when poured in its mold. Hollow tube copper drills made in molds like the chisels could also have a laced layer of Emery on the bottom edge. With this in mind I see no problem with ancient Egyptians cutting bassalt rock and shaping it at will. Now we only have the hauling lime stone and bassalt rock from quarries to worry about... Have you ever seen Wally Wallington move Stonehenge sized concrete blocks? You should...

[@jeffreyhull6821]

Thank you. While I knew what emery boards and papers were, I always thought they were just regular sand paper. I had no idea that emery was a rock, nor that it was hard. Presuming your info is accurate Which I trust it to be, this solves, in my mind, how a lot of the stone work was completed. I am an electo-mechanical technician, I know a lot of things are done weirdly to someone who does not know the process.

[@AncientArchitects]

I have a Masters in Geology, but that still doesn’t make me an expert. Emery is a rock made up predominately of corundum, hardness 9. But due to the other minerals inside the rock, emery is generally at 8 on the MOHs scale, meaning it’s harder than a steel file, glass, quartz, a knife blade etc. it was mined in the Cyclades Islands near Greece, with mines found on Naxos. What’s interesting is the 4th dynasty Egyptians were trading with the Cyclades, so there was a possible way for them to get it. We just need to find the evidence.

[@michaelholt7994]

The art and design wouldn't be out of place today.can you imagine the aesthetic look at the time, how many people even today do you see anthracite paint and sandstone coloured houses.to say it was ahead of it's time would be more than an understatement.

[@BaskingInObscurity]

Thank you, I'd long wondered if there were a sand that could have been used in this way. I'm familiar with emery boards, but I was not aware that it was a thing besides that. The "sarcophagi" galleries make more sense in this light.

[@PB-nn2dh]

If you refer to the stone boxes in Serapeum then one must first acknowledge the precision of their making and the tool marks left in them

[@swirvinbirds1971]

​@@PB-nn2dhthere is no precision in the boxes. Not a single one is precise.

[@srednaac]

Userkaf had an ekspedition to Lebanon - importing sand from there. All my questions about why, might be answered here - thank you and keep the geology rolling

[@xkissax1]

As a classically educated geologist, current stone sculptor and artist, as well as a hobbyist machinist i can say this… while all your previous videos were full of good arguments, you made the mistake in crossing over the practical application line and repeated the same old argument without trying to replicate it, try to cut stone the way you described it, try it for yourself, it is extremely difficult to achieve any practical cutting progress, let alone precision. Just because emery is harder doesn’t mean it makes it easier to cut, even if we consider diamonds as the cutting medium, having the diamond sand loose in between two surfaces, both surfaces will experience abrasive effects and the softer material such as copper saw will disintegrate much faster than even softer of the building stones used, and most certainly basalt, granite and other such stones. in order to make progress with loose abrasives, they need to be fixed into a matrix such as as glued to a paper, making “emery paper” stop being a sheep, read Petrie, the only true scientist, of the bunch speaking on the topic. Watch the analysis of the pre-dynastic vases presented by Ben from UnchartedX channel, if that doesn’t make you see the truth that mainstream is trying to hide, then you are another sheep in the bunch, and it is below any intellectual and free thinker to listen to you. archaeologist and egyptologist degree needs to be switched from science to arts or philosophy and such.

[@_MikeJon_]

Calling him a sheep while promoting a charlatan is laughable.

[@GroberWeisenstein]

Your idea about how copper functions in abrading applications is incorrect. It's malleable grain structure work hardens favorably embedding abrasive grains very well. Then there are the thermal advantages of coppers conductivity. As a percussive impact tool (chisels) copper has excellent tensile strength beyond primitive iron and low carbon steels.

[@_MikeJon_]

@@GroberWeisenstein Don't even need to elaborate that far man. SGD did it with a PVC pipe lol. The abrasives are the key.

[@mmll7012]

The basalt pavement would have been severely damaged as the casing stones were removed. Imagine a basalt flooring being pummeled by casing stones coming down to the ground. My hypothesis is that the slabs were originally all very large and well ordained. Later on, any large remaining pieces of basalt would have been taken out for other more modern project. What would be left today would be these broken pieces left behind as having little value. This is what I see when looking at the restored portion of flooring.

[@dysonsquared]

Yes, more geologic terms and phrases, please!

[@DeDunking]

Can I take a break from making a vid to watch Matt? Derp.

[@AncientArchitects]

Go on then! No longer than 26 mins!

[@_Brohan]

3:55 yeah, because they aren't. they did not have the tools to make the granite vases, or the massive identical statues, or the gigantic PERFECT surface (on the finished ones) on the boxes. we just don't know yet how *ahem-when* they were made.

[@SacredGeometryDecoded]

Amongst the experiments I posted as how to videos I show how to do most of that and moving into vase making. The statues are not symmetrical though, nor are the surfaces of the boxes. the distortions in the reflections alone give that away without even needing to mesasure, but people have and no surprise they aren't perfect or even very good. I do much better. My surfaces are in single digit micron surface roughness (even into the nanometre scale) plus they are actual precision flat in that the stone "floats" over each other. I have a very long playlist of experiments and invite people to repeat them to confirm it for themselves. There are certain channels that insist impossible, Scientists Against Myths and myself responded to them but they heavily censor the comments section and will never refer to us by name. Open challenge remains for them to do in a real time live stream, not only can it be done it can be done relatively fast and I'll put big money on it.

[@mindsight9732]

Could you do a video explicitly on everything known about the well shaft Grotto, and if it was ever truely emptied/explored in totality. Everything i have seen implies it is packed with gravel, but not where the grave could have come from, or how much. Let alone how the block found there in, could logically have manuevered into the shaft, or why it was walled up. Feels more like it was bricked up? from inside the grotto, then from the wellshaft. A Geologist in the grotto with a large vaccuum or normal excavation seems like a good way to clarify why the anomaly was accessed to begin with.

[@ZILLION4EVER]

all ur questions answered on the AA partners website: history for granite ;)

[@BUY_YOUTUBE_VIEWS_d0dd19]

Wathcing your videos makes me happy

[@jimgillert20]

Excellent video like the science.

[@AncientArchitects]

Thanks 🙏