"The key difference between Karnak and most of the other temples and sites in Egypt is the length of time over which it was developed and used. Construction of temples started in the Middle Kingdom (between 2055 BC and 1650 BC) and continued through to Ptolemaic times (from 305 BC to 30 BC). Approximately thirty pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity, and diversity not seen elsewhere. Few of the individual features of Karnak are unique, but the size and number of features are overwhelming. The deities represented range from some of the earliest worshiped to those worshiped much later in the history of the Ancient Egyptian culture."One famous aspect of Karnak, is the Hypostyle Hall in the Precinct of Amun-Re, a hall area of 50,000 sq ft (5,000 m2) with 134 massive columns arranged in 16 rows. 122 of these columns are 10 meters tall, and the other 12 are 21 meters tall with a diameter of over three meters."The architraves on top of these columns are estimated to weigh 70 tons. These architraves may have been lifted to these heights using levers. This would be an extremely time-consuming process and also would require great balance to get to such great heights. A common alternative theory about how they were moved is that there were large ramps made of sand, mud, brick or stone and the stones were towed up the ramps."
in my second photo, you can see some of the mud bricks (behind the palm trees), still in place after all those years. . .
I met my old lover on the street last night
she seemed so glad to see me, I just smiled
and we talked about some old times
and we drank ourselves some beers
still crazy afler all these years
I'm not the kind of man who tends to socialize
I seem to lean on old familiar ways
and I ain't no fool for love songs that whisper in my ears
sStill crazy afler all these years
four in the morning, crapped out, yawning, longing my life away
I'll never worry, why should I? it's all gonna fade
now I sit by my window and I watch the cars
I fear I'll do some damage one fine day
but I would not be convicted by a jury of my peers
still crazy after all these years, oh, still crazy still crazy still crazy after all these years
PAUL SIMON
she seemed so glad to see me, I just smiled
and we talked about some old times
and we drank ourselves some beers
still crazy afler all these years
I'm not the kind of man who tends to socialize
I seem to lean on old familiar ways
and I ain't no fool for love songs that whisper in my ears
sStill crazy afler all these years
four in the morning, crapped out, yawning, longing my life away
I'll never worry, why should I? it's all gonna fade
now I sit by my window and I watch the cars
I fear I'll do some damage one fine day
but I would not be convicted by a jury of my peers
still crazy after all these years, oh, still crazy still crazy still crazy after all these years
PAUL SIMON
3 comments:
70 tons?
Right. Lever. Ramp?
Yaknow...I have a tough time buying those theories.
I'm okay with it still be a mystery. Impressive, awe inspriring places. THIS one musta taken your breath away.
Does that for me and it's only in photos.....
Wow! That photo of the architrave is something else.
what was even more amazing, and sadly it hasn't really come out in the photo, is the fact that the colour was still there after all those thousands of years. . .
. . .they made their colours out of pigments and then sealed them onto the stone with wax. . .
. . .still so vivid
incredible
Post a Comment