DOCSLIB.ORG

THE MECHANICAL TRIUMPHS of of Great Merit Is Mentioned Both in the B Ible H and in Josephus

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
THE MECHANICAL TRIUMPHS of of Great Merit Is Mentioned Both in the B Ible H and in Josephus THE MECHAN ICAL TR IUMPHS OF THE ANCIENT EGY PTIANS . THE M EC HA N ICA L T R I U M PHS OF THE N Y P IAN AN C I E T EG T S . M . F . 13 CO M MA N DE R ARBE R , ! ! N T T T N U I ED S A ES AVY , RETI RED LATE N AVAL ATTAcmS- A P N D . BERLIN, ROME, VIENNA, TOKIO, EKIN LONDON K TR B ER U N 8: CO . EGAN PAUL, TRENCH , , LTD . P O C G C ATERNOSTER H USE HARIN ROSS ROAD . ' dszswiqk tnEss : CHARLES wmn mc m AND co. moms OU T N ERY L E L N C R CH C N O DON . , A A , I NTROD U CT I O N . As a result of three visits to Egypt it has been x r my e pe ience that, notwithstanding the ulti mate paramount interest of travellers in the manners and customs of the ancient Egyptians i s s m m and the nature of the r tupendou onu ents , the question most fr equently asked with regard to the latter is not why did they create them , s but how . How did they tran port these great stones , and how did they lift them to the posi tions in which they are now found In many s r cases the cau e of this very practical inqui y is , m h perhaps , not far to seek , for this is a ec anical age, and it is probable that fifty per cent. of the people who visit Egypt to - day owe that privi lege to the mean s derived from some applica tion of the mechanic arts . With them the idea is instinctive but, indeed , with everybody it may be said that it is the physical problem which ae first attracts the mind , and not the sthetic , or h the et nographic , or the religious . It has been my object in preparin g this e ssm; to solve thisp roblem in a more comp\e te man n a LI ST OF I LL U ST RATI ON S . ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEX T. THE WEIOHING O F THE HEART THE PYRAMID PLATEAU STONE ON Ox SLEDGE PAEON IUS PAR EUCE LE FIN ISHED CASINO STONES A SHADOOF CRANE L or P MAUS OLEUH AR P AN A IS , SAQQ AH N P or W TRA S ORT A COLOSSUS ON A SLEDGE, ON ALL or Tom AT EL BERSHEN E E S ER INGPATAM OB LIS AT , INDIA METHOD or ERECTING VATICAN OBELISE METHOD or ERECTING SERIN GAPATAM OEELIS E . rawn from e scri ion ELEVATI ON . D D pt I METHOD OE ERECTING SER NGAPATAM OBELISE . w fr m ri ion PLAN . Dra n o De sc pt METHOD or ERECTI N O PARIS OBELI SE METHOD or ER ECTINO LONDON AND NEW YORK OEELisxs X LIST OF I LLUSTRATIONS . - FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS . THE SHADOOF THE S AQQUIEH ’ QUEEN HATAsoo s EXPEDITION TO PUNT ’ QUEEN HATAsoo s EXPEDITION To PUNT B B C . 1 600 A OUT . THE Y ! W P RAMIDS AT GI EH, SHO ING HEIGHT O F PLATEAU HERODOTUS INCLINED PLANE POLYSPASTON OF THE TIME OF VITR UVIUs UNFINISHED OBELISK AT ASSOUAN TRANSPORT OF OBELISKS TRANSPORT OF AN OBELISK TRANS PORT OF AN OBELISK TRANSPORT OF AN OBELISE F FIRST COLOSSAL IMAGE O AMENHOTEP III . AT THEBES SECOND COLOSSAL IMAGE COLOSSUS OF R AMES Es THE GREAT AT MEM PHIs To face 1 1 8 THE M ECHAN ICAL TR IU MPHS OF THE AN C IE NT EGY PTIAN S . CHAPTE R I . GYP AN K NOWL DG OF M C ANI C E TI E E E H S . A LL our knowledge of the ancient Egyptians goes to show that they were eminently a scie n i t fic and mechanical people . Thoth was the n and Tosorthros a God of Scie ce , or Nebk , . R C 66 second king of the I I I Dyn , 3 7 , was “ skilled in the art of erecting solid masses of hewn stone long before Cheops built the great i and pyram d , the art never died out . Though there were civil wars and almost a blank in i B . C . I B C 2 . 6 6 Egypt an history from 3 3 3 to 4 , still when history does reappear, we find U r B . 2 r se te se n C . I 433 , e ecting obelisks at H c eliopolis, and ea h king thereafter for a thousand years surpassing his predecessor. Moreover the ancient monarchs of all nation s were for some unknown reason much given to erecting monolithic monuments of enormous n t u size, and of using mo s ro s blocks in compo n i e re d a m ama site buildings . That it was co s d B THE MECHANICAL TRIUMPHS OF of great merit is mentioned both in the B ible h and in josephus . This passion appears to ave e reached its maximum in Egypt, and the th n . B . C . 1 600 known world, from the XVI I I Dyn , , . 1 200 . to the XX . Dyn , Whereas Cheops was content with stones weighing fifty to sixty his tons in pyramid , the two huge statues of s. r Amenhotep I I I . (fig xxi and w ought a 00 years afterward , and even fter 3 , 3 more years still sitting so solemnly in the great plain 800 t of Thebes , each weigh from to ons , and were only two of the many that formed the avenue leading to his mausoleum . A mble t found there dwells upon the magnificence of the temple and the siz e of the stone monuments he had erected in Thebes . I have filled her with monuments in my name from the hill of the wonderful stones . Those who show them in i i ” their place are full of great joy at the r s ze. Near by is the broken granite statue of Rameses a 00 the Gre t, weighing 9 tons, and at Tanis in . o f lower Egypt, Prof Petrie found the remains another statue of Rameses of which the grea t ’ u toe was the size of a man s body, and the stat e itself must have been 9 2 feet high and weighed more than tons . Baalbe c is I n Syria, at , a stone now lying h in the quarry w ich weighs tons, and u 6 x I x 1 meas res 9 7 4 feet, and there are three THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS . 3 more like it twenty feet up in the wall surround ing the Temple of the Sun a mile away . The I 200 B . C . date is approximately Solomon , who i 1000 B . C l ved . , placed a ninety ton stone in the outer wall of Temple H ill at Jerusalem 100 feet above the ground , and the treasury of Atreus, M ce nze l near y in Greece , bui t about the same time , has its portal covered with a stone weigh 1 ing 30 tons . I do not speak of the marvels Diodorus M crobius related by Herodotus , , y , Pliny and others . Those that I have me n tione d can be seen to - day with the exception of the Tanis statue of Rameses , which was Orsoke n cut up to build a pylon by I I . about B C . 900 . Ferguson , in his history of architecture, thinks that this handling of huge blocks was mere v anity but it must be admitted that in a com p osite buildin g it is a sound principle to have as few joints as possible, though modern archi t e e ts , except shipbuilders , are disposed to ignore f it, and in ancient times it was much more di ficult to destroy a wall or a temple that contained huge - blocks than it would be to day . Even so late as A D Hid oshi the end of the sixteenth century , , y at placed stones in the castle wall Osaka, Japan , 10 i which are 40 feet long and feet th ck , and no one knows how wide they are probably wider a l 1 0 fe e t w iAe th n they are thick , but even if on y 4 THE MECHANICAL TR IUMPHS OF they would weigh 300 tons . I t cannot be denied either that there is something more solem nly impressive about a huge stone statue than about a anything th t is merely joined together . The . 1 0 N Y Goddess of Liberty, 5 feet high , the 1 60 sleeping Buddh of Bangkok , feet long, are both beautiful and impressive ; but in spite of their artistic merit every one kn ows that they i t are hollow , and that sense of behold ng a s ub O born triumph ver natur e is lost . They need t re care to prevent decay, and hey will never main ofthemselves an everlasting monument of the godlike power of a king. But for man himself nearly every monument erecte d in Egypt - a and would be there to day . Earthqu kes floods a o h ve done little, but Cambyses and his success rs have done much . Two thousand statues we re off carried to Babylon , two obelisks to Nineveh, two more to Constantinople and a dozen to sam e s Rome, while we moderns have our own w of vandalism in Paris , London , and New York .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Ancient Egyptian Irrigation
    A Drop in the Bucket – Ancient Egyptian Irrigation Author Mimi Milliken Grade Level 6 Duration 3 class periods National Standards AZ Standards Arizona Social Science Standards GEOGRAPHY ELA GEOGRAPHY Element 5: Environment Reading Human-environment and Society Integration of Knowledge and interactions are essential 14. How human actions Ideas aspects oF human liFe in all modify the physical 6.RI.7 Integrate information societies. environment presented in different media or 6.G2.1 Compare diverse ways 15. How physical systems formats (e.g., visually, people or groups of people have affect human systems quantitatively) as well as in impacted, modified, or adapted to 16. The changes that words to develop a coherent the environment of the Eastern occur in the meaning, use, understanding of a topic or Hemisphere. distribution, and issue. Examining human population importance of resources Writing and movement helps Production and Distribution of individuals understand past, NEXT GENERATION OF Writing present, and Future conditions SCIENCE STANDARDS 6.W.4 Produce clear and on Earth’s surFace. NEXT GENERATION coherent writing in which the 6.G3.1 Analyze how cultural and OF SCIENCE development, organization, and environmental characteristics STANDARDS style are appropriate to task, affect the distribution and MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate purpose, and audience. movement of people, goods, and competing design ideas. solutions using a SCIENCE 6.G3.2 Analyze the influence of systematic process to LiFe Science location, use of natural resources, determine how well they 6.L2U1.14 Construct a model catastrophic environmental meet the criteria and that shows the cycling of matter events, and technological constraints of the problem.
    [Show full text]
  • Irrigation of World Agricultural Lands: Evolution Through the Millennia
    water Review Irrigation of World Agricultural Lands: Evolution through the Millennia Andreas N. Angelakιs 1 , Daniele Zaccaria 2,*, Jens Krasilnikoff 3, Miquel Salgot 4, Mohamed Bazza 5, Paolo Roccaro 6, Blanca Jimenez 7, Arun Kumar 8 , Wang Yinghua 9, Alper Baba 10, Jessica Anne Harrison 11, Andrea Garduno-Jimenez 12 and Elias Fereres 13 1 HAO-Demeter, Agricultural Research Institution of Crete, 71300 Iraklion and Union of Hellenic Water Supply and Sewerage Operators, 41222 Larissa, Greece; [email protected] 2 Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California, California, CA 95064, USA 3 School of Culture and Society, Department of History and Classical Studies, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark; [email protected] 4 Soil Science Unit, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain; [email protected] 5 Formerly at Land and Water Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations-FAO, 00153 Rome, Italy; [email protected] 6 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Catania, 2 I-95131 Catania, Italy; [email protected] 7 The Comisión Nacional del Agua in Mexico City, Del. Coyoacán, México 04340, Mexico; [email protected] 8 Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi 110016, India; [email protected] 9 Department of Water Conservancy History, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100048, China; [email protected] 10 Izmir Institute of Technology, Engineering Faculty, Department of Civil
    [Show full text]
  • Reducing Poverty Through Investments in Agricultural Water Management
    WORKING PAPER 101 Reducing Poverty through Investments in Agricultural Water Management Poverty and Gender Issues and Synthesis of Sub-Saharan Africa Case Study Reports Barbara van Koppen, Regassa Namara and Constantina Safilios-Rothschild International Water Management Institute Working Paper 101 Reducing Poverty through Investments in Agricultural Water Management Part One Poverty and Gender Issues Barbara van Koppen Constantina Safilios-Rothschild Part Two Synthesis of Sub-Saharan Africa Case Study Reports Regassa Namara Final Report Submitted by International Water Management Institute August 2005 IWMI receives its principal funding from 58 governments, private foundations and international and regional organizations known as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Support is also given by the Governments of Ghana, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Thailand. This Report has been produced as part of the Executing Agency Agreement between the African Development Bank and the International Water Management Institute for implementation of the Collaborative Program on “Investments in Agricultural Water Management in Sub Saharan Africa: Diagnosis of Trends and Opportunities.” Van Koppen, B; Namara, R.; Safilios-Rothschild. 2005. Reducing poverty through investments in agricultural water management. Part 1. Poverty and gender issues. Part 2. Synthesis of Sub-Saharan Africa case study reports by Peacock, Omilola and Kamara et al. Colombo, Sri Lanka: IWMI. xii, 71p. (Working paper 101) / irrigation / poverty / water management / investments / water development / productivity / cropping systems / gender / labor / economic growth / land productivity / Africa South of Sahara / ISBN 92-9090-615-4 Copyright © 2005, by IWMI. All rights reserved. Please direct inquiries and comments to: [email protected] ii Table of Contents Table of Contents ..........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Agricultural Implements and Water Lifting Devices in Medieval India
    www.ijcrt.org © 2018 IJCRT | Volume 6, Issue 1 February 2018 | ISSN: 2320-2882 Agricultural Implements and Water Lifting Devices in Medieval India Sukhwinder Kaur Research scholar (Faculty- Arts) Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014 Abstract This article is focused on the different types of agricultural implements and water lifting devices used in Medieval India. Medieval period started with Islamic era over the ruin of Hindu sovereignty. This was the big change from political, religious, social, economic and cultural point of view. Everything was in the control of Muslim rulers. In the field of economy, the agriculture was the source of revenue. Muslim rulers much paid attention on the irrigation works. They constructed wells and canals for irrigation. Agricultural implements were same as used in Ancient time. A little change was, plough used with iron share and sowing of seeds was done with the use of dibbling. In the field of irrigation, Persian wheel, Charasa, Shadoof was the water lifting devices in the Medieval India. Keywords: Agricultural Implements: Plough, Hoe, Leveler, Sickle, Sugarcane crusher Water lifting Device: Persian Wheel, Charasa and Shadoof Introduction: Agriculture is the mainstay of Indian economy and livelihood of the Indian people. Our historical sources list the various agricultural implements used from the ancient period. Our economy was dependent on agriculture and our society revolved around the cultivator. There are so many work in agriculture like ploughing, sowing, harvesting, threshing and winnowing etc, were done with different agricultural implements, which are described here. Intensive ploughing was done with Plough. Hoe and Kudal (spade) which is used even now was also used in those days for cultivation.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution of Water Lifting Devices (Pumps) Over the Centuries Worldwide
    Water 2015, 7, 5031-5060; doi:10.3390/w7095031 OPEN ACCESS water ISSN 2073-4441 www.mdpi.com/journal/water Review Evolution of Water Lifting Devices (Pumps) over the Centuries Worldwide Stavros I. Yannopoulos 1,*, Gerasimos Lyberatos 2, Nicolaos Theodossiou 3, Wang Li 4, Mohammad Valipour 5, Aldo Tamburrino 6 and Andreas N. Angelakis 7 1 Faculty of Engineering, School of Rural and Surveying Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki GR-54124, Greece 2 School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechneiou 5, Zographou GR-15780, Greece; E-Mail: [email protected] 3 Faculty of Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki GR-54124, Greece; E-Mail: [email protected] 4 Department of Water Resources History, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), Beijing 100048, China; E-Mail: [email protected] 5 Young Researchers and Elite Club, Kermanshah Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran; E-Mail: [email protected] 6 Department of Civil Engineering, University of Chile, Santiago 8370448, Chile; E-Mail: [email protected] 7 Institute of Iraklion, National Foundation for Agricultural Research (NAGREF), Iraklion GR-71307, Greece; E-Mail: [email protected] * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +30-2310-996-114; Fax: +30-2310-996-403. Academic Editor: Miklas Scholz Received: 14 May 2015 / Accepted: 8 September 2015 / Published: 17 September 2015 Abstract: The evolution of the major achievements in water lifting devices with emphasis on the major technologies over the centuries is presented and discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • Inventions and Technology in Egypt the Egyptians Are Known to Be One
    Inventions and Technology in Egypt The Egyptians are known to be one of the first civilizations that ever ruled in the world. They had many different technological advances and inventions, some that we use today. List of Ancient Egyptian Inventions Buildings Medicine The Sickle Ship building The Calendar Clocks Papyrus Sheets Surgical Irrigation Writing Instruments The Police Mathematics Black Ink Shadoof Makeup The Ox-drawn Wigs Tooth care Plough Mummification Buildings Some of the most important technology that was used by the Egyptians was when they built architecture. They built pyramids, palaces, tombs and other things and in order to do this, they would use machines such as levers and ramps. They were able to build some of the fanciest buildings and they perfected their building by adding arches and other architecture that we can see in different areas even today. Ships The Egyptians weren’t just good at building buildings and tombs, they were also great at building ships. They would take papyrus reeds and would build small boats that they could use on the Nile River so that they could trade with other areas. They later were able to build larger ships by using woods such as cedar that were shipped in from Lebanon. These bigger ships allowed them to transport people and to make bigger trades. Papyrus Papyrus was a plant and the plant was able to help them to make wood to build ships, but it also was used to make paper. The Egyptians would use the paper to write things such as religious ideas and books.
    [Show full text]
  • Essential Highlights of the History of Fluid Mechanics
    Session 2661 Essential Highlights of the History of Fluid Mechanics K. A. Rosentrater USDA, ARS, NGIRL, 2923 Medary Ave., Brookings, SD, 57006, USA Phone: (605) 693-3241; Fax: (605) 693-5240; Email: [email protected] R. Balamuralikrishna Department of Technology, Northern Illinois University, 206 Still Hall, DeKalb, IL, 60015, USA Phone: (815) 753-4155; Fax: (815) 753-3702; Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT To achieve accreditation, engineering and technology programs throughout the United States must meet guidelines established by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). One of these requirements is that departments demonstrate that they provide students with an understanding of engineering in a broad, societal context. Examination of engineering history can be an essential element to this endeavor, because the development of modern theories and practices have diverse and complex evolutions which are often intimately intertwined with the development of societies themselves. Fluid mechanics is a key field of engineering, whose body of knowledge has had a significant influence on the design and operation of many products and systems over the centuries. Because of this, fluid mechanics coursework is often required for many engineering and technology majors and can, in fact, represent a key component to these programs. Toward these ends, this paper will discuss highlights from the history of fluid mechanics, and will provide several timelines that summarize key scientists, theories, events, equipment and machines. Considering fluid mechanics in this manner can achieve the goal of placing this branch of engineering in an appropriate societal context. It is always a challenge for educators to find useful and interesting material on history; therefore, a summary list of conventional and online resources will also be included.
    [Show full text]
  • Machine Evanjali Pradhan * *Department of Microbiology, Utkal University, India
    OPEN ACCESS Freely available online e a Journal of ISSN: 2168-9873 Applied Mechanical Engineering Editorial Machine Evanjali Pradhan * *Department of Microbiology, Utkal University, India EDITORIAL A machine is a mechanical structure that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an intended action. Machines The term "fabric, structure" has a broader meaning in classical Latin, can be driven by animals and people, by natural forces such as wind but not in Greek. This meaning can be found in late mediaeval and water, and by chemical, thermal, or electrical power, and French, and it was translated into English in the mid-16th century include a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to from the French. achieve a specific application of output forces and movement. In the hands of a human, the hand axe, which is created by chipping They may also include mechanical systems, which are computers flint to form a wedge, converts the tool's force and movement into a and sensors that track output and plan movement. transverse splitting force and movement of the workpiece. The ratio of output force to input force, known today as The first example of a wedge is the hand axe, which is the oldest of mechanical advantage, was determined by Renaissance natural the six classic simple machines on which most machines are built. philosophers by identifying six simple machines, which were the The inclined plane (ramp) was the second-oldest simple machine, basic devices that placed a load into motion. and it has been used to move heavy objects since prehistoric times.
    [Show full text]
  • Adoption of Small-Scale Irrigation Farming As a Climate-Smart Agriculture Practice and Its Influence on Household Income in the Chinyanja Triangle, Southern Africa
    land Article Adoption of Small-Scale Irrigation Farming as a Climate-Smart Agriculture Practice and Its Influence on Household Income in the Chinyanja Triangle, Southern Africa Nelson Mango 1,* ID , Clifton Makate 1 ID , Lulseged Tamene 2, Powell Mponela 2 ID and Gift Ndengu 2 1 International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), P.O. Box MP 228 Mt. Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe; [email protected] 2 International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), c/o Chitedze Agricultural Research Station, P.O. Box 158 Lilongwe, Malawi; [email protected] (L.T.); [email protected] (P.M.); [email protected] (G.N.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +254-722270913 Received: 31 January 2018; Accepted: 10 April 2018; Published: 14 April 2018 Abstract: This article is concerned with the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming as a climate-smart agriculture practice and its influence on household income in the Chinyanja Triangle. Chinyanja Triangle is a region that is increasingly experiencing mid-season dry spells and an increase in occurrence of drought, which is attributed largely to climate variability and change. This poses high agricultural production risks, which aggravate poverty and food insecurity. For this region, adoption of small-scale irrigation farming as a climate-smart agriculture practice is very important. Through a binary logistic and ordinary least squares regression, this article determines factors that influence the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming as a climate-smart agriculture practice and its influence on income among smallholder farmers. The results show that off-farm employment, access to irrigation equipment, access to reliable water sources and awareness of water conservation practices, such as rainwater harvesting, have a significant influence on the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 2: Ancient Egypt
    034-037 Ch2 CO-824133 3/9/04 4:37 PM Page 34 Ancient Egypt 34–35 Brian Lawrence/Image State Sphinx and pyramid in Giza, Egypt 3500 B.C. 2500 B.C. 1500 B.C. 500 B.C. c. 3100 B.C. c. 2540 B.C. c. 1500 B.C. 728 B.C. Narmer Great Queen Piye of Kush unites Pyramid at Hatshepsut defeats Egypt Giza built reigns Egyptians 034-037 Ch2 CO-824133 7/14/04 6:50 PM Page 35 Chapter Overview Visit Chapter Preview jat.glencoe.com for a preview While the people of Mesopotamia fought wars, people of Chapter 2. along Africa’s Nile River formed rich and powerful civiliza- tions. Read this chapter to learn how the people of Egypt and Kush built large monuments that still stand today. View the Chapter 2 video in the World History: Journey Across Time Video Program. The Nile Valley The fertile land along the great Nile River supported the Egyptian civilization. Egypt’s Old Kingdom During the Old Kingdom period, Egyptians built cities, great pyramids, and a strong kingdom. The Egyptian Empire Many changes occurred during Egypt’s Middle and New Kingdoms. It expanded into a great empire as art, literature, and architecture blossomed. The Civilization of Kush South of Egypt a new civilization arose called Kush. Kushites adopted Egyptian ways and eventually conquered Egypt itself. Organizing Information Make this foldable to help you organize the key events and ideas from ancient Egypt and Kush. Step 1 Stack Step 2 Fold down the top edges of the paper to Reading and Writing two sheets of form four tabs.
    [Show full text]
  • Farmer's World
    FARMER'S WORLD PERSPECTIVE: VALLEY TO VALLEY, COUNTRY TO COUNTRY Valley to Valley y BOND WITH THE EARTH Country to Country MIGRATIONS AND AGRICULTURE hy WAYNE D. RASMUSSEN QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED NUTRITIONAL STATUS CIVILIZATION began when man planted his first seed and tamed his first animal OF THE WORLD about 10 thousand years ago. Before that, for a million years, people lived WORLD SOURCES precariously on the fruits and seeds the OF PROTEIN women gathered and the small animals the men killed. In the few years since— few, as history measures time—agricul- POPULATION, INCOME, ture and civilization have advanced AND FOOD from valley to valley, country to coun- try, hemisphere to hemisphere as men POTENTIALS FOR have shared seeds, tools, skills, knowl- edge, and hopes. FOOD PRODUCTION Very likely one of mankind's greatest achievements—planting and harvest- SOIL CONSERVATION, A ing crops—came about through a prim- WORLD MOVEMENT itive woman's observation while she was gathering seeds. She may have WATER HAS A noticed that the grain-bearing grasses grew up where seeds had been spilled KEY ROLE or stored. Then she herself placed some seeds in the ground and saw them grow. ENGINEERING IN Animal husbandry probably devel- AGRICULTURE oped when men succeeded in taming animals that they had wounded or driven into enclosures for slaughter, THE NEED FOR but it also is likely that women saved FERTILIZERS and tamed young animals. Farming and animal husbandry de- CHEMICALS IN veloped together for a long period. The herding of livestock came later. CROP PRODUCTION Agriculture originated first in the Middle East, perhaps in the grassy up- THE PLACE OF lands where the wild grains and the INSECTICIDES wild animals first to be domesticated were found.
    [Show full text]
  • Construction of the Top of the Egyptian Pyramids: an Experimental Test of a Levering Device
    CONSTRUCTION OF THE TOP OF THE EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS: AN EXPERIMENTAL TEST OF A LEVERING DEVICE By ROBERT SCOTT HUSSEY-PAILOS A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2005 Copyright 2005 by Robert Scott Hussey-Pailos To Carl Sagan, whose work helped me recognize fraudulent and fallacious arguments, gave me the means to construct and understand a reasoned argument, and serve as a model for good prose. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank my parents, my family, girlfriend, friends, Rinker Inc., Dr. Properzio, Glenn Ketcham, Dr. Sassaman, Dr. Wagman, and Dr. Schmidt. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1 2 OVERVIEW OF THE EGYPTIAN PYRAMID SUPERSTRUCTURES...................5 3 HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS OF LIFTING THE PYRAMID BLOCKS ....................9 4 RAMP METHODS.....................................................................................................11
    [Show full text]