Obelisks in Egypt
There have been many claims by scholars, anthropologists, historians and amateurs claiming supernatural powers and mystical forces behind the creation of the obelisks in Egypt. But are these claims substantiated? For many thousands of years, Egypt has been a place where the answers to secrets lay hidden. Because the answers to how the Egyptians constructed and created their architecture remains elusive to most, throughout history, people misconstrue how they believe these creations came to be. Ancient Alien Theorists believe that aliens created many Egyptian structures because of their sophistication and skilled craftsmanship. There have been mysteries linked to the Freemason Society. Some believe that their society influenced future members of the society as well as brought influence to the ancient Egyptians and cultures to follow. People have long since been trying to uncover the mysteries of the Nile. What have they uncovered about the Obelisks in Egypt?
Why an Obelisk?
Ra
Ancient Egypt was well known for its polytheistic worshiping. There were gods that looked over the crops of the field as well as the flooding of the Nile. But the most famous of all of their gods was the sun god Ra. Ra was the father of the gods and the most coveted and worshiped of all other gods by the Egyptian. He is famously depicted all over Egyptian architecture, tombs and writing. With the body of a man and the head of a bird, Ra wore the sun above him and gave life to all of Egypt. Historians have claimed that the Egyptians created their obelisks as a tribute to their most powerful deity.
Pharaohs
The pharaohs that ruled were said to be divine and in touch with the gods. They were revered over the common people and respected and worshiped like gods. To show the people and future people their great power and strength, they would construct monuments in their or their gods honor. Obelisks were just one way they did that. With the workforce of thousands of workers, they would chisel at quarry stones harder than granite and erect a square pillar as tall as 400 feet and weighing up to 500 tons. During this process, the workers would carve hieroglyphics in tribute to their pharaoh and their gods.
Osiris
To some ancient scholars, the myth of Osiris explains the creation of the pyramids for the Egyptians. Osiris was a pharaoh who was considered to be one of the greatest pharaohs of the time. His brother, Set, was jealous of his great rule and to get him off the throne of Egypt he killed him and sent him down the Nile river in a wooden box. Osiris' wife Isis found him and with the help of a ritual she brought him back to life. Set then killed his brother for a second time, chopped up his brother into 14 pieces and scattered his remains all over Egypt. Isis searched all of Egypt for her husband and found every piece of her husband except for his penis because Set threw it into the Nile and it was eaten by the fish. She set forth to bring him to life once again. The myth states that the ritual she performed was the beginning of the Egyptian's mummifying their dead. She bound him in mummification wraps and fashioned rudimentary genitals on him. From then on, the obelisks were created as a phallic symbol with the thought of the pharaoh Osiris.
Ancient Egypt was well known for its polytheistic worshiping. There were gods that looked over the crops of the field as well as the flooding of the Nile. But the most famous of all of their gods was the sun god Ra. Ra was the father of the gods and the most coveted and worshiped of all other gods by the Egyptian. He is famously depicted all over Egyptian architecture, tombs and writing. With the body of a man and the head of a bird, Ra wore the sun above him and gave life to all of Egypt. Historians have claimed that the Egyptians created their obelisks as a tribute to their most powerful deity.
Pharaohs
The pharaohs that ruled were said to be divine and in touch with the gods. They were revered over the common people and respected and worshiped like gods. To show the people and future people their great power and strength, they would construct monuments in their or their gods honor. Obelisks were just one way they did that. With the workforce of thousands of workers, they would chisel at quarry stones harder than granite and erect a square pillar as tall as 400 feet and weighing up to 500 tons. During this process, the workers would carve hieroglyphics in tribute to their pharaoh and their gods.
Osiris
To some ancient scholars, the myth of Osiris explains the creation of the pyramids for the Egyptians. Osiris was a pharaoh who was considered to be one of the greatest pharaohs of the time. His brother, Set, was jealous of his great rule and to get him off the throne of Egypt he killed him and sent him down the Nile river in a wooden box. Osiris' wife Isis found him and with the help of a ritual she brought him back to life. Set then killed his brother for a second time, chopped up his brother into 14 pieces and scattered his remains all over Egypt. Isis searched all of Egypt for her husband and found every piece of her husband except for his penis because Set threw it into the Nile and it was eaten by the fish. She set forth to bring him to life once again. The myth states that the ritual she performed was the beginning of the Egyptian's mummifying their dead. She bound him in mummification wraps and fashioned rudimentary genitals on him. From then on, the obelisks were created as a phallic symbol with the thought of the pharaoh Osiris.
Protection
Obelisks were almost always found in sets of two standing side by side. They were placed outside of the entrance of temples and other holy places. They were thought to be protection by the Egyptians. Obelisks could be found in the center of cities and the people would worship and make sacrifices to the gods in return for their protection and appeasement. A large number of the obelisks that were created in ancient Egypt were erected in Heliopolis. Heliopolis was the center of the city. It had temples, obelisks and many other places to worship the Ra and other Egyptian gods. The Egyptians worshiped these gods with the intention of securing a path to the afterlife.
Obelisks were almost always found in sets of two standing side by side. They were placed outside of the entrance of temples and other holy places. They were thought to be protection by the Egyptians. Obelisks could be found in the center of cities and the people would worship and make sacrifices to the gods in return for their protection and appeasement. A large number of the obelisks that were created in ancient Egypt were erected in Heliopolis. Heliopolis was the center of the city. It had temples, obelisks and many other places to worship the Ra and other Egyptian gods. The Egyptians worshiped these gods with the intention of securing a path to the afterlife.
Aliens
The ancient Egyptians are notorious for their extravagant creations. From the pyramids to their pottery and hieroglyphics, they never cease to amaze. The creation of obelisks were a great feat by man, especially 6,000 years ago. There are those who are not convinced that men created these monuments because of the intense labor that is needed and the intricate carvings on all four faces of the obelisks. They believe that because of the power and precision needed to create an obelisks that aliens are the reason for their construction. Which raises the question, why? Why would aliens construct an obelisk? Some theorists lay claim that the obelisks contained inside of them properties that allowed them to conduct and transmit electricity much in the same way that modern day power lines work, without the the cables. Ancient Alien Theorists believe that obelisks contained conductive metals or crystals which could conduct electricity. Which brings up another question. Why did the aliens, or even the Egyptians need electricity? According to Ancient Alien Theorists, they believe that because of the obelisks shape and size, it was used to power the alien mothership that resided just outside of Earth's atmosphere.
Evidence of Aliens
There are people who believe they have sufficient evidence to prove that aliens helped the ancient Egyptians create the obelisks. Because of the complex and precise cuts made on the sides of the obelisks and the precise shape of the obelisk itself some believe the Egyptians did not have the tools needed to create such detailed cuts and precise measurements. This is their evidence to support the alien hypothesis. In fact, the Egyptians were very adapt at creating their monuments and utilizing the resources available to them.
Evidence of Aliens
There are people who believe they have sufficient evidence to prove that aliens helped the ancient Egyptians create the obelisks. Because of the complex and precise cuts made on the sides of the obelisks and the precise shape of the obelisk itself some believe the Egyptians did not have the tools needed to create such detailed cuts and precise measurements. This is their evidence to support the alien hypothesis. In fact, the Egyptians were very adapt at creating their monuments and utilizing the resources available to them.
Electricity
Some Egyptian scholars believed that the Egyptians harnessed the power of electricity and used this power inside of their obelisks. These scholars are basing this claim solely on glyphs in one temple that they believe to be rudimentary incandescent lightbulbs. There are in fact, detailed accounts of Egyptian mythology that explains the picture that has been misinterpreted. A creation myth of the Egyptians states that the god Horus, embodied as a snake, came out of the locus blossom and gave life to the world. The snake in the image is clearly depicted, as is the lotus blossom. Many Egyptian stories corroborate these images. Some, however, are still intent on proving that the Egyptians had electricity. They believe that if they can prove that the Egyptians had electricity, they can prove and back their claim that aliens visited the ancient Egyptians and gave them tools and resources they needed to construct the monuments, sculptures and carvings.
Some Egyptian scholars believed that the Egyptians harnessed the power of electricity and used this power inside of their obelisks. These scholars are basing this claim solely on glyphs in one temple that they believe to be rudimentary incandescent lightbulbs. There are in fact, detailed accounts of Egyptian mythology that explains the picture that has been misinterpreted. A creation myth of the Egyptians states that the god Horus, embodied as a snake, came out of the locus blossom and gave life to the world. The snake in the image is clearly depicted, as is the lotus blossom. Many Egyptian stories corroborate these images. Some, however, are still intent on proving that the Egyptians had electricity. They believe that if they can prove that the Egyptians had electricity, they can prove and back their claim that aliens visited the ancient Egyptians and gave them tools and resources they needed to construct the monuments, sculptures and carvings.
Cult Worship and the Freemason Society
The connection between the Freemasons and the ancient Egyptians is very elusive. The Freemason society has supposedly been around before the days of Christ. They were involved in many different cultures and societies since then, including the Egyptians. The Masons went to ancient Egypt and became transfixed by their architecture and wanted to incorporate it into their beliefs and customs. Like the myth of Osiris, the Freemasons believed the obelisks to be phallic symbols. The Masons have also been called Priests of the Sun because of their transfixion with worshiping the sun and their Heliopolis of sacrifice. While the Freemason Societies are still popular even today, the truth of their existence, purpose and intentions remain largely hidden from the public and thus creates a difficult barrier to surpass when investigating their link to ancient Egypt.
How were the Obelisks Created?
For decades, historians have tried to piece together how the Egyptians created and erected the obelisks. Where have been tools and other physical evidence to prove how it was done. The Egyptians first began to chip away at a solid piece of red granite with rocks made out of an very hard substance called diorite. This was a tedious and lengthy process for a very small gain. Hundreds of workers would chip away at their own section until it only stood on a small sliver of granite. The workers would then rock it back and forth until it broke free. The Egyptians smoothed the edged using sand in between their diorite rocks. The small, hard materials in the sand made a good smoothing tool for the four faces of the obelisk as well as for carving out perfectly cut hieroglyphics. For this task they would also use copper tools. While copper was an effective tool, it required constant sharpening. All of this was done before the obelisk was raised off the ground. It is at this point when some historians disagree. The way that the Egyptians raised these 400 ton blocks of granite is up for debate and speculation.
The NOVA Team
In 1995 a team of engineers, historians and other Egyptian architect experts attempted to raise an obelisk. They wanted to prove how the Egyptians did it using only man power and rudimentary technology. The team used modern technology to carve out a two ton granite obelisk and using the tools of the Egyptians, tried to raise it. Some clues were left behind on the original obelisks that gave the team clues as to how to manage such a feat. The two ton obelisk was taken from the quarry, loaded onto a boat and shipped down the Nile where it would be raised. Using a moderate incline and wooden rollers that were similar to the trees that were used by the ancient Egyptians they attempted to raise the obelisk. Unfortunately, there were some complications with the wooden structures that they used to erect the obelisk and it caused them to run out of time for the project. Five years later, a second attempt at raising a 35 ton obelisk was started. This time the NOVA team was successful.
The NOVA Team
In 1995 a team of engineers, historians and other Egyptian architect experts attempted to raise an obelisk. They wanted to prove how the Egyptians did it using only man power and rudimentary technology. The team used modern technology to carve out a two ton granite obelisk and using the tools of the Egyptians, tried to raise it. Some clues were left behind on the original obelisks that gave the team clues as to how to manage such a feat. The two ton obelisk was taken from the quarry, loaded onto a boat and shipped down the Nile where it would be raised. Using a moderate incline and wooden rollers that were similar to the trees that were used by the ancient Egyptians they attempted to raise the obelisk. Unfortunately, there were some complications with the wooden structures that they used to erect the obelisk and it caused them to run out of time for the project. Five years later, a second attempt at raising a 35 ton obelisk was started. This time the NOVA team was successful.
Raising an Obelisk
How the NOVA Team did it
The experiment that the NOVA team conducted in raising an obelisk was an attempt to show that the the Egyptians were capable of raising up to 400 ton obelisks with rudimentary materials. While there are no specific direction on exactly how the ancient Egyptians completed this task, the NOVA team showed the most likely way given the tools and resources available at the time. Without the use of modern technology, the help of aliens or any outside aid, the Egyptians were able to shape, design and raise a granite obelisk.
Other Theories
Wind Power
Maureen Clemmons
Dr. Maureen Clemmons, was interested in the field of Egyptian history.Maureen Clemmons is a business woman with a college background in physics. Her goal was to see if the Egyptians could have had another method of raising obelisks. She had seen experiments being done to try to explain how obelisks were raised. Her interest in the obelisks was to see if there was a way that they could have been lifted using the power of the wind. The Egyptians harnessed wind power in their travels up and down the Nile river. Her experiment was to test to see if it was possible to lift an obelisks into the air using kites to grab the wind and lift the obelisk off the ground. The series of attempts took place in 1998; this was after the first NOVA attempt to raise and obelisk in 1995 but before their final and successful attempt in 2000.
Her experiment consisted of using parafoil kites and the power of the wind to lift an obelisk. With all of her own funding and friends as her volunteer crew she created the scenario. She was able to, with the use of two 24 foot kites, raise smaller obelisks and logs in the initial experiments. They were never able to lift an obelisks of any substantial or comparable size to the ones that the Egyptians raised. Because their experiments did show that the kites and the wind are able to lift heavy objects, Clemmons believes it is a likely scenario that should be considered further. However, there are many in the field of egyptology who do not find her hypothesis plausible as a method that the ancient Egyptians implemented to raise obelisks. Many thing she is a crazy fanatic and she has failed to convince the leading experts in the field of egyptian architecture and history.
Dr. Maureen Clemmons, was interested in the field of Egyptian history.Maureen Clemmons is a business woman with a college background in physics. Her goal was to see if the Egyptians could have had another method of raising obelisks. She had seen experiments being done to try to explain how obelisks were raised. Her interest in the obelisks was to see if there was a way that they could have been lifted using the power of the wind. The Egyptians harnessed wind power in their travels up and down the Nile river. Her experiment was to test to see if it was possible to lift an obelisks into the air using kites to grab the wind and lift the obelisk off the ground. The series of attempts took place in 1998; this was after the first NOVA attempt to raise and obelisk in 1995 but before their final and successful attempt in 2000.
Her experiment consisted of using parafoil kites and the power of the wind to lift an obelisk. With all of her own funding and friends as her volunteer crew she created the scenario. She was able to, with the use of two 24 foot kites, raise smaller obelisks and logs in the initial experiments. They were never able to lift an obelisks of any substantial or comparable size to the ones that the Egyptians raised. Because their experiments did show that the kites and the wind are able to lift heavy objects, Clemmons believes it is a likely scenario that should be considered further. However, there are many in the field of egyptology who do not find her hypothesis plausible as a method that the ancient Egyptians implemented to raise obelisks. Many thing she is a crazy fanatic and she has failed to convince the leading experts in the field of egyptian architecture and history.