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Stone shifting - was it just about effort?
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GordonP
474 posts

Re: Anything for an easy life!
Jan 21, 2004, 19:15
Hi Fitz
Thanks for the stuff, heavy reading for a simple carpenter, but I think I've got the gist.

What the papers seem to say is there is no solid evidence for heavy stone transportation over a distance of more than 5km. (Correct me if I'm wrong)

OK, whether the guy is right or wrong makes no difference.

The modern record for moving a really big stone, forty-tons, by brute force is 120 metres (excluding downhill) in one day. This was achieved by 130 men (200 plus had they not cheated and used modern Shell grease as the lubricant). From this single experiment the archeo concerned claimed in a paper to the British Acadamy that had a long enough track been available they could have moved the stone a distance of 1km up a slope of 1 in 20 in a single day. What a load of bollocks!!! Had the archeo concern been pulling on the ropes he may not have reached the same conclusion, he'd have been to knackered after 120 metres to write such tosh.

When they prove that dragging stones is a viable concept, that is actually move the stone a reasonable distance, I may have a rethink, this will take a fraction of a second, then I'll ask about "The Grande menhir Brise" and "The unfinished oblisk" at Aswan.

To sum up my thinking, it's "stone rowing", Merlin or aliens, take your choice.

Regards Gordon
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