Notes on the Films: Secrets of the Pharaohs and Obelisk

Secrets of the Pharaohs

The great pyramids at Giza are constructed of over 6 million blocks, each weighing as much as 2.5 tons.

One block was set every 2.5 minutes during their construction.

For many years, pyramid workers were thought to have been slaves. Hollywood movies added to this myth.

A recent discovery of a worker's tomb changed our ideas about pyramid workers.

The tomb was covered with colorful paintings, it was constructed with a vaulted ceiling, and it was very large. All of these showed the high social status of the worker. A hieroglyphic inscription said that the deceased was the head of the construction workers.

Hundreds of other tombs were found nearby, each for different workers. Many were filled with art and statues that showed the tombs' owners in life. The size and placement of the tombs reflected the workers' status.

Obelisk

Obelisks were huge granite columns that were often placed in front of Egyptian temples. Their form (like the Washington Monument) represented a ray of sun. They stood as much as 100 ft tall, and weighed as much as 400 tons. They were carved out of a single block of granite, a very hard stone. They were balanced on their pedestals and held in place by gravity alone.

No metal was used in the building of obelisks, as granite was a harder material than both copper and bronze, the metals used at the time.

A stone called dolorite was used to pound out the granite. This was backbreaking work. 10 percent of quarry workers died on the job.

One unfinished obelisk remains in the quarry at Aswan. After years of work, the stone cracked, and it was abandoned. It would have weighed more than 1,000 tons when finished!

Egyptian Geography

The Nile runs south to north and empties into the Mediterranean sea.

Welcome, Earwigs of Egypt

May our exploration of the mysteries of ancient Egypt begin!