5 ‘Impossible’ Engineering Marvels of the Ancient World
by Zeljko D.
Learning Mind
Through the engineering marvels of the ancient world, we learn the most about the civilizations that existed thousands of years ago.
Structures that consist only of one stone can be traced all the way back to the Neolithic era. So-called monolithic structures are what their name suggests, one large rock that can weigh hundreds of tons positioned vertically. This practice became common in the Egyptian empire, but instead of using the term monolithic structure, the term obelisk is more appropriate. All obelisks are monoliths in a sense that they all consist of one block of stone.
The term originates from the Ancient Greek word obeliskos and means a nail or a pointed pillar. All obelisks have four sides and a pyramidion, a pyramid-like shape at the top of the monument. The ancient Egyptians used the term ‘tekhenu‘, but through The Greek language, the term obelisk became common in European languages. These engineering marvels originally stood at the entrances of ancient temples in Egypt, but as the Euro-Asian civilizations developed through centuries, almost all cultures of the ancient times built them, but with different purposes and in different locations.
Red granite stone and other easily treatable kinds of stones were frequently used for the production of these monuments. Despite all the information we have, there are still many unanswered questions related to these engineering marvels. How were they able to treat such large stones without breaking them? How did they transport large blocks of rocks to the construction sites?
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Source: http://www.riseearth.com/2016/06/5-impossible-engineering-marvels-of.html
