Through the Eras

Architecture and DesignThis painting of The Watering of Plants in a Garden with Help of a Shaduf from the tomb of the sculptor Ipui is the only existing illustrationshowing the use of this lever. BILDARCHIV PRESUSSICHER KULTURBESITZ/ART RESOURCE NY.1,000 tons. In almost every period of Egyptian history,there is ample evidence that engineers devised methodsof moving massive stones long distances. The gradual increasein the weight of construction-use stones fromKhufu’s time to Ramesses II’s time suggests that Egyptianengineers continued to improve their methods formoving stone. Thus in the Middle Kingdom the engineersof Senwosret I (1919–1875 B.C.E.) and AmenemhetIII (1818–1772 B.C.E.) devised methods ofmoving blocks twice as large as Khufu’s Great Pyramidblocks. The kings of the early Eighteenth Dynasty(1539–1400 B.C.E.) moved blocks three times heavierthan the blocks moved in the Middle Kingdom. AmenhotepIII’s (1390–1352 B.C.E.) engineers doubled theweight of construction-use blocks yet again over the earlierEighteenth Dynasty, only to be topped by RamessesII’s engineers, who moved blocks thirty percent largerthan those moved at the end of Dynasty Eighteen.Ramesses II’s reign seems to mark the end of these gains.Yet kings of the Late Period such as Psamtik II (595–589B.C.E.) and Amasis (570–526 B.C.E.) moved large-scalemonuments weighing as much as 580 tons. The Romanhistorian Pliny (23–79 C.E.) provided the best descriptionof the transporting of an ancient Egyptian obelisk.According to Pliny, workmen dug a canal from the riverto the resting spot of the obelisk, actually tunneling underthe obelisk, allowing the ends of it to rest on eitherbank of the canal. Two vessels traveled up the canalloaded with blocks of stone double the weight of theobelisk, causing the boats to submerge slightly. Theythen stopped under the obelisk and removed the stonesfrom the boats. Free from the weight of the stones, theboats rose in the water until the obelisk balanced betweenthem. Though long-distance hauling of heavyloads was primarily by boat, transportation from thequarry to the boat and from the boat to the building siteforced the Egyptians to develop methods for overlandhauling of heavy loads. A relief sculpture in the tomb ofDjeheutyhotep dating to Dynasty Twelve (1938–1759B.C.E.) at Bersheh in Middle Egypt depicts the Egyp-56 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)