1
00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:37,179
What you're looking at is one of the colossi
of Memnon.

2
00:00:37,179 --> 00:00:44,299
One of the most amazing features of this is
the fact that that entire seated figure is

3
00:00:44,299 --> 00:00:47,379
one piece of stone.

4
00:00:47,379 --> 00:00:58,579
The stone is quartzite and it weighs 700 tons
and came from the quarry for this is in Cairo

5
00:00:58,579 --> 00:01:02,939
which is at least 200 kilometers away.

6
00:01:02,939 --> 00:01:13,079
So the conventional story is that these were
made during the 18th dynasty of the pharaonic

7
00:01:13,079 --> 00:01:22,259
period of Egypt and that means that these
were supposedly sculpted about 1500 BC.

8
00:01:22,420 --> 00:01:28,460
The dynastic Egyptians didn't have steel of
any form or at least volume or quantity

9
00:01:28,460 --> 00:01:30,800
until about 800 BC.

10
00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,939
Quartzite is a super hard stone.

11
00:01:33,939 --> 00:01:37,020
Quartzite as in it contains quartz.

12
00:01:37,020 --> 00:01:42,420
Quartz is seven in hardness out of ten on the
Mohs scale with diamond being the hardest

13
00:01:42,420 --> 00:01:44,540
thing we know which is ten.

14
00:01:44,540 --> 00:01:51,340
So if they didn't have at least steel how
could they possibly have shaped these things?

15
00:01:51,380 --> 00:01:57,579
The other thing again is that the seated
figure weighs 700 tons.

16
00:01:57,579 --> 00:02:04,020
So the original block if it was carved here
in position probably weighed 1000 tons and

17
00:02:04,020 --> 00:02:10,740
how could they have moved it at least a
minimum of 200 kilometers from the quarry...

18
00:02:10,740 --> 00:02:12,740
in the Cairo area.

19
00:02:21,340 --> 00:02:42,140
So a quick correction I was just told by our
guide Mohammed Ibrahim that in fact the

20
00:02:42,140 --> 00:02:49,860
quarry is called the Red Mountain in Cairo or
the Cairo area 700 kilometers away which

21
00:02:49,900 --> 00:02:51,900
is more than 400 miles.

22
00:02:51,900 --> 00:02:54,660
How were these things moved?

23
00:02:54,660 --> 00:02:55,660
On tree trunks?

24
00:02:55,660 --> 00:03:00,660
So what are you thinking Susan?

25
00:03:00,660 --> 00:03:03,660
Well that is kind of odd.

26
00:03:03,660 --> 00:03:10,180
I mean that is how they exfoliate but this is
kind of odd in that it's coming off in

27
00:03:10,180 --> 00:03:11,180
such a thin layer.

28
00:03:11,180 --> 00:03:16,180
It's like it's a little skimmer on the
outside of it.

29
00:03:16,180 --> 00:03:23,180
Can you hold your head up?

30
00:03:23,180 --> 00:03:30,180
Well here too if you look at these ones.

31
00:03:30,180 --> 00:03:33,180
Potentially.

32
00:03:33,180 --> 00:03:42,180
Yeah and look at the crystalline structure
here.

33
00:04:12,180 --> 00:04:21,579
So what you were looking at is one of the
largest sculptures ever made in the history

34
00:04:21,579 --> 00:04:23,139
of the world.

35
00:04:23,139 --> 00:04:30,019
The base itself weighed 400 tons and either
the combination of the sculpture and the

36
00:04:30,019 --> 00:04:35,699
base weighed 1000 tons or maybe the sculpture
weighed 1000 tons.

37
00:04:36,219 --> 00:04:42,699
Now the quarry is likely at least 200
kilometers away so how did they move it?

38
00:04:42,699 --> 00:04:55,699
Looks like someone has had a good gallop
sawing the top off doesn't it?

39
00:04:56,699 --> 00:04:59,699
He's not happy with you up there.

40
00:04:59,699 --> 00:05:00,699
No.

41
00:05:00,699 --> 00:05:07,699
I'm going to get some good pictures from up
there.