Chapter 1
The physics of moving mountains
Chapter 2
The great ramp debate
Chapter 3
Aligning with the stars
Chapter 4
The water-powered elevator at Saqqara
Chapter 5
Pyramids around the world
Ch 3 · Aligning with the stars
007skaty Workers carved bedrock trenches, filled them with water, and cut away excess stone to prep the thirteen-acre Giza foundation.
007skaty Tracking Mizar and Kochab allowed builders to find north without a single pole star.
BETA
007skaty Align the gnomon's shadow to learn how ancient Egyptians perfectly positioned the pyramids.
Fun Fact
Pyramid alignment precision: The Great Pyramid's sides align almost perfectly with true north, off by less than one-tenth of a single degree.
Glossary
merkhet (noun)
An ancient Egyptian surveying and timekeeping instrument consisting of a horizontal bar and a plumb line. Ancient Egyptians used this device to track circumpolar constellations, orienting the Giza monuments to True North.
An ancient Egyptian surveying and timekeeping instrument consisting of a horizontal bar and a plumb line. Ancient Egyptians used this device to track circumpolar constellations, orienting the Giza monuments to True North.
Quiz
In the 'Indian Circle' method, what geometric shape is drawn on the ground around the vertical shadow-casting stick?
Quiz
Across the 13-acre base of the Great Pyramid of Giza, what is the maximum deviation from being perfectly level?
Quiz
Which British Egyptologist proposed the 'simultaneous transit' star method to explain how the pyramids were aligned to true north?
Quiz
What is the name of the ancient Egyptian surveying instrument consisting of a horizontal bar with a hanging plumb line?
Quiz
Which two circumpolar stars were allegedly used by ancient Egyptian astronomers to find the exact direction of true north?
Quiz
What is the name of the vertical stick used in ancient astronomy to cast shadows and determine cardinal directions?
Quiz
What organic material was typically used to make the split sighting tool that accompanied the merkhet?