5 Oldest Descriptions of the Pyramids

[Music] I write down these Egyptian accounts for whosoever believes in such stories I heard other accounts at Memphis and I visited Thebes too and heliopolis for my inquiries I have decided to record exactly the narratives that have been taught to me just as I heard them the priests told me that Egypt was well governed and prospered greatly from the time of King ramsanitus until the reign of his successor chaops for chaops reduced the people of Egypt to utter misery first he prevented their access to the temples so that no one could sacrifice in the sacred places then he forced all the Egyptians to labor on his tasks the extracted stone blocks from Mountain Quarries in the arabian-facing desert and were made to haul this stonework to the Nile the blocks were transferred across the river on boats where other work Crews received them the Egyptian populace worked in gangs of a hundred thousand men with each team tasked to work for three months for 10 years the people were very oppressed by this work first they constructed a paved roadway for the stones to be dragged along and the building of this approach was only slightly less arduous than the construction of the main pyramid 10 years of Labor went to the making of this road and the underground Chambers on the hill where the pyramids now stand King intended these Chambers to be his tomb and he directed a channel from the Nile River around his burial place took a further 20 years to construct the main pyramid its base was made to a square plan with each side 800 feet long then its height was raised to a further 800 feet the whole Outer surface is polished stone that is precisely fitted in place there is no block visible that is less than three feet in length [Music] this pyramid was constructed like a Stairway with successive tears or steps when this inner form was completed the Workman used levers made of short wooden logs to raise the rest of the stones into position first they heaved up the blocks from ground level to the first tier of steps then they raised the stone again to the next level above the first tier on each tier they used new levers or they reused existing devices to easily lift and convey the finished Stone to its required elevation and position I'm not certain about this account but this was the construction method has explained to me I remember what one Egyptian interpreter said to me said that the equivalent of sixteen hundred talents of silver had been spent on supplies of simple remedies and for onions and garlic to flavor their food if this were the case then think how much wealth was expended on the iron required for their tools or the provision of their food and clothing then think how much time was spent in the construction itself including the hearing and carrying of stone blocks then there was the excavation of the underground Chambers which I suppose must have been a prolonged and difficult project [Music] foreign what gift do you get for the god king who has everything every Coronation Day the people of Egypt would shower the Pharaoh with gifts it must have been hard to choose perhaps they should have waited a couple of Millennia to try bespoke post bespoke post is a monthly membership club delivering a box of awesome top shelf goods from under the radar Brands it's free to join and you can skip a month or cancel any time every month they introduce members to cool new products outdoor gear barware home and kitchen goods clothing and more based on a preference quiz that you fill out every box of awesome has around 70 dollars worth of goods inside it and costs you only a fraction of the value a great box to recommend is the Weekender it comes with a fantastic bag perfect for any occasion especially outdoor activities ninety percent of the products come from small Brands many of which are based in the United States for example the Damascus steel knife in the Forge box is made by Buck and Bear knives located in Pennsylvania you'll get a box of awesome assigned to you before it's shipped you'll get preview of what comes inside to decide whether you'd like to keep it swap it for a different box or skip the month entirely for no charge you only pay for what you want so to get 20 off your first box of awesome click the link in the description and enter voices20 at checkout or go to bespokeepost.com forward slash voices20 foreign when we visited Egypt the ruler was King Ptolemy but for most of its history Egypt was ruled by native Kings King chemis of Memphis ruled for 50 years he constructed the largest of the three pyramids which are considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World the pyramids filled the beholder with astonishment and wonder due to their immense size and the great skill displayed in their construction they say that more than a thousand years have passed from the building of this pyramid to our own lifetimes but other writers claim that the pyramids were constructed more than 3 400 years ago and after all that time the stones still remain in position preserving their original form in a structure that has not collapsed is said that the Stone from the pyramids was conveyed over a great distance from quarries facing Arabia it's also claimed that they built Mounds to raise the blocks into place since cranes had not been invented at that time these construction Works must have been on an enormous scale and yet the surrounding landscape consists of nothing but sand there's no choice of Mounds or evidence for the working of stones this is remarkable and it gives the impression that the pyramids were not produced by the slow labor of men there must have been some sudden creation they look as though some God had boldly set them down upon the empty Sands certain Egyptians make a Marvel out of these circumstances they claim that the construction ramps were built from salt or salt-like materials then upon completion the river was diverted to dissolve the Redundant Mounds the construction Works were therefore completely effaced without great human effort however I do not believe a word of these accounts the entire material for the Mounds was obviously brought in and raised by a massive labor force therefore the same labor force could have removed and taken these materials back to their place of origin they say that 360 000 men were employed in constructing this pyramid and the entire structure was completed in 20 years when King chemist died his brother kethron succeeded the throne and ruled for 56 years while writers agree that kefiran built the second pyramid at this site to emulate his predecessor this structure equaled the first pyramid in the skill of its design but it was smaller since the length of its base was only a star day on each side an inscription on the larger pyramid gives figures for the sum expended on its construction the writing records that the sum equivalent to 1600 talents was spent on vegetables and remedies for the workmen a smaller pyramid has no inscription but has some Stone steps cut into one side these two kings built the pyramids to serve as their tombs but when the time came neither of them were buried in these structures for the multitudes had suffered great hardships in the building of these monuments and they were filled with anger towards their kings due to many cruel and violent acts therefore they openly threatened to tear apart the bodies of those who had made them suffer and cast their remains out of their tombs consequently when each ruler laid dying he beard his close Kinsmen to bury his body secretly in an unmarked place the third pyramid is far smaller than its predecessors but it faster passes them in the skill of its construction and the great cost of its stonework the base length of each side of this pyramid is three plethora on the north side of this pyramid there is an inscription stating that its Builder was mycerinus they say that this ruler was indignant of the cruelty of his predecessors and therefore aspired to live an honorable life devoted to the welfare of his subjects he built the first 15 tiers of the outer edifice from the Ethiopian dark stone which can be seen at thieves but he filled out the rest of the structure with the same stonework used in other pyramids there are also three more pyramids Each of which is one plethorum long on each side these pyramids each follow the same general construction as the larger examples except for the smaller Dimensions the Egyptians say that these three pyramids were built for the wives of the three rulers that I have mentioned foreign ly agreed that the pyramids far surpass all other Construction in Egypt this is not simply due to their massive size but to the great skill displayed by their builders in fact they say that the architects of these monuments are more deserving of admiration than the Kings Who provided the means for their construction for The Architects use their genius and ambition to achieve the project while the Kings merely employed great fortunes they had inherited and committed other men to Grievous labor in the build laughs when ideas gallus was the prefect of Egypt I accompanied him on a journey along the Nile as far as scyene and the frontiers of Ethiopia and they visited these places with gallus while he was in the company of numerous friends and soldiers leaving Alexandria we came to Babylon where there is a Roman Fortress belonging to one of the three Legions that now guard Egypt there is a ridge extending down from the encampment to the Nile where water is conducted up to the camp from the river using wheels and screws more than 150 prisoners are employed in this work and from this fort the pyramids can clearly be seen for they are positioned on the far banks of the river near Memphis Memphis was the royal residence of the Egyptians it's close to Babylon and only three shueni from the Nile Delta Memphis contains temples one of which is devoted to apis it was the same deity as Osiris this place is very Sandy due to the dunes that continually being heaped up by strong winds at this place I saw some of the sphinxes that have been partially buried by the dunes one was buried up to its head while the others were only half visible from this site a traveler could guess the power of the sandstorms and understand the dangers that might befall the man traveling on foot towards the temple the city of Memphis is large and well populated it is second only to Alexandria in its size and significance there are many different races and people living intermixed in this city just like Alexandria [Music] 40 stadia from the city there is a ridge on which numerous pyramids have been constructed these are the tombs of Kings three of the pyramids are noteworthy and two are even numbered among the Seven Wonders of the World these two pyramids are about a stadium in height they are quadrangular in shape and their height is a little greater than the length of each of their sides high up on the outer surface of these pyramids there is a removable block this slab is approximately midway between the sloping sides or the North Face of the pyramid when this stone is pulled out it reveals a long-slanting passage leading to an inner vault these two pyramids are positioned close together and were constructed on the same level but further up the sloping ground there is another pyramid which is much smaller than the other two this Pyramid has a reduced size but its construction involved much greater expense from its foundations almost to the middle of its facade the pyramid is constructed from Black Stone this is the stone which mortars are made from it comes from the mountains of Ethiopia and is therefore transported across a great distance it is sought after and expensive because it's an extremely hard stone that is dense and difficult to work into shape one of The Marvelous things I saw at the pyramids must be mentioned there are many heaps of chipped Stone lying in front of the pyramids some of these stoned fragments have the same shape and size as lentils but other heaps formed from splinters that resemble the husks of winnowed chaff it is said that these Mounds are the remains of fossilized food left by the ancient Builders of the pyramids and this certainly seems possible the Quarry which provided stone for the pyramids is located within sight of the structures it is on the far Arabian side of the Nile next to a rocky mountain called the Trojan height [Music] I must mention the pyramids of Egypt but only for the sake of curiosity for they are Superfluous and foolish display of wealth on the part of the Egyptian kings generally thought that these rulers only built the pyramids to deny funds to their successors or to hinder those who are plotting against them or else to keep the Common People occupied the Kings displayed great and meaningless vanity in these Enterprises and the remains of several unfinished pyramids are still in existence there is a Great Pyramid in the district of austinaway and there are two at Memphis not far from the Labyrinth which I will describe two more pyramids stand at a site that is now filled by Lake moweris this artificial lake is merely a vast excavation but the Egyptians claim that it is one of their most remarkable and memorable achievements the points of the pyramids at Lake moweris are said to Tower above the surface of the water the other three pyramids are at Memphis and their Fame has reached every part of the world these structures are immediately visible to people traveling along the Nile in either direction they stand on a rocky elevation in the desert on the African side of the river nearby is a village called busiris where the local people are well practiced at climbing up the pyramids these Sphinx stands in front of the pyramids this object deserves to be described more than the pyramids yet the Egyptians pass over it in Silence the inhabitants of this region regard it as a deity they believe that King harmeas is buried inside it and the entire Stone edifice was transported to this site but the Sphinx was in fact carefully fashioned from the Native Rock the face of this monstrous creature is painted with red ocher as a sign of reverence the circumference of the head when measured across the forehead is 102 feet the length of the monument is 243 feet and its height from its stomach to the Cobra on top of its headdress is 61 feet the largest pyramid is made of stone taken from quarries on the Arabian side of the Nile it is said that 360 000 men took 20 years to build it the time taken to build all three pyramids was 88 years and four months the following authorities have written about these structures Herodotus ahuamorous duris of Samos aristagarus Dionysus antistanis Demetrius demotalis and Appian not all of these writers agree which Kings were responsible for what constructions Justice is therefore intervened and the Kings who aspired to the greatest displays of vanity have had their names confused or forgotten some of the writers recalled that 1600 talents were spent on radishes garlic and onion for the workers no traces survive that reveal the purpose or operations of the pyramids built around the site are scattered far and wide Stone fragments shaped like lentils these objects resemble the gravel found in Africa on the rocky edge of the Sahara The crucial problem with the pyramids is how the masonry was lifted to such a great height some think that ramps of soda and salt were piled up against the structure as it was built then after its completion those ramps were dissolved flooded by water from the river others believe that elevated Bridges were built of mud bricks and when the work was finished the bricks were taken by people to build their houses but another method is thought to be impossible the idea that the Nile could have flooded the site and blocks were floated into place this is because the River Flows at a much lower level there is however a well-like passage in the largest pyramid that is 86 cubits deep it is said that water from the Nile was conducted into this passage via a Channel thales of melitus devised a method to measure the height of the pyramids he realized that the shadow cast by a structure indicates its relative height such should the wonders of the pyramids but the last and greatest of the pyramids prevents any further speculation involving the wealth and Grandeur of Kings for the third pyramid which is the smallest and most admired was built for a mere prostitute named rodopus and why should we admire the pyramids of these ancient Kings when Julius Caesar paid 100 million sister sees merely for the ground where his great form was built [Music] of course I was already acquainted with the land of Goshen from the time when I first went to Egypt for it was my purpose to see all the places which the children of Israel had encountered on their Journey from there to the Red Sea as they went forth from the land of Ramses Memphis still contains the palace that Holy Joseph often used to visit six miles from there on the banks of the Nile is the Throne of Moses and Aaron these Thrones are positioned on a High Ridge and many steps lead up to the two turrets one of these turrets has a roof that Moses used to climb upon when he addressed the children of Israel during their oppression the other turret has no roof and it was used for prayer all around this site is the plane where the children of Israel made bricks about a mile away close to the riverbank is the village where Holy Mary stayed with the Lord when she went into Egypt there are many pyramids in the 12-mile stretch between Memphis and Babylonia these buildings were constructed by Joseph for the storage of grain heliopolis is 12 miles from Babylonia and at its Center is a large piece of ground which contains the Temple of the Sun The Garden of the sun is in this place and the great column called The Beaumont this is where the Phoenix used to settle after 500 years of life [Music]

Channel: Voices of the Past

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Length: 19min 53sec (1193 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 17 2023