Posted on 08/17/2003 5:13:35 PM PDT by blam
Who Built the Pyramids?
Not slaves. archeaologist Mark Lehner digging deeper, discovers a city of privileged workers.
by Jonathan Shaw
The pyramids and the Great Sphinx rise inexplicably from the desert at Giza, relics of a vanished culture. They dwarf the approaching sprawl of modern Cairo, a city of 16 million. The largest pyramid, built for the Pharaoh Khufu around 2530 B.C. and intended to last an eternity, was until early in the twentieth century the biggest building on the planet. To raise it, laborers moved into position six and a half million tons of stone—some in blocks as large as nine tons—with nothing but wood and rope. During the last 4,500 years, the pyramids have drawn every kind of admiration and interest, ranging in ancient times from religious worship to grave robbery, and, in the modern era, from New-Age claims for healing “pyramid power” to pseudoscientific searches by “fantastic archaeologists” seeking hidden chambers or signs of alien visitations to Earth. As feats of engineering or testaments to the decades-long labor of tens of thousands, they have awed even the most sober observers.
(Excerpt) Read more at harvard-magazine.com ...
There is no reference to plagues bringing the empire to its knees, or any reference to an Egyptian army being swallowed up by the sea.
The empire never missed a beat.
Now, you can claim coverup, but that's not a very impressive excuse. You'll need to show evidence of the coverup.
King Tut (King Tut)
Now when he was a young man,
He never thought he’d see
People stand in line to see the boy king.
(King Tut) How’d you get so funky?
(funky Tut) Did you do the monkey?
Born in Arizona,
Moved to Babylonia (king Tut).
(king Tut) Now, if I’d known
they’d line up just to see him,
I’d trade in all my money
And bought me a museum. (king Tut)
Buried with a donkey (funky Tut)
He’s my favorite honkey!
Born in Arizona,
Moved to Babylonia (king Tut)
Dancin’ by the Nile, (Disco Tut)
The ladies love his style, (boss Tut)
Rockin’ for a mile (rockin’ Tut)
He ate a crocodile.
He gave his life for tourism.
Golden idol!
He’s an Egyptian
They’re sellin’ you.
Now, when I die,
now don’t think I’m a nut,
don’t want no fancy funeral,
Just one like ole king Tut. (king Tut)
He coulda won a Grammy,
Buried in his Jammies,
Born in Arizona, moved to Babylonia,
He was born in Arizona, got a condo made of stone-a,
King Tut!
Farm labor, but they only worked on it when the Nile was in flood!
Because I'd like to see some evidence that they were even there at the time of the Exodus, much less as slaves.
I don't care one way or the other. I've already rationalized the early books of the Bible as oral history passed down and written. It has nothing to do with my religious beliefs. If it turned out to be true that the Exodus story was exactly as written, it wouldn't bother me.
I think I'd be pleased.
But I do prefer the facts to speak for themselves, rather than for some traditional belief to be accepted as truth, just because it has been for years.
The Egyptians were Republicans. The main difference is they had the Pharoah system, but otherwise they were very conservative.
Without a doubt, they would seek a supernatural explanation, because nothing else could possibly make sense at the time.
I'm still curious why ancient people people felt compelled to build pyramids. We see it in virtually every ancient culture from Egypt to Peru, and north.
And Kings were casually skipped on the “Kings List” we know it to be so because we have found other references to them. And the list never missed a beat.
Sorry but the evidence that the Egyptians were very good at re-writing history to suit themselves is becoming more and more evident. Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, Userkare, all of these were almost erased from history. I personally believe that Hatshepsut is a very good candidate for being the pharaoh of the Exodus. Something happened at the end of her reign that shook all of Egypt. What exactly happened we might never know. Thutmose III did his best to erase her from history.
I would not go so far as to term it a cover up. But my faith in Egyptian record keeping is not as great as yours.
They were human and looking at serious errors in judgment is not something that humans are fond of doing.
I think this is another example of where biblical literalists are willing to believe in the absence of evidence. That's fine, but it's not particularly rational. Certainly Judaism and Chritianity do not depend on whether the Exodus story is factual.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.