WEEK 10 - Ancient Monuments Flashcards
1
Q
What are some famous stone monuments, and why are they culturally significant?
A
- Egyptian Pyramids: Built as tombs for pharaohs, they are marvels of engineering and symbolize Egypt’s ancient civilization.
- The Great Sphinx: A monumental statue with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh, symbolizing strength and wisdom.
- Easter Island Statues (Moai): Large stone statues representing ancestors, used for religious and cultural purposes by the Rapa Nui people.
2
Q
What are the Pyramids of Egypt, and why are they so famous?
A
- Egypt has 97 pyramids in total.
- The Giza Plateau pyramids are the most well-known and iconic.
- The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
3
Q
What were the burial traditions of early Egyptians?
A
- Early burials: Bodies were buried in pits with possessions for the afterlife.
- Mastabas: As time passed, mud-brick tombs (mastabas) were built for nobility.
4
Q
What is Djoser’s Step Pyramid?
A
- First stone tomb: Built for Pharaoh Djoser around 2800 BCE in Saqqara.
- Design: It’s an elaboration of the mastaba – multiple mastabas stacked on top of each other.
- Materials: Made from limestone blocks.
- Significance: Served as a prototype for later, larger pyramid designs.
5
Q
Why Build a Pyramid?
A
- Religious Symbolism: Some believe the pyramid shape represented the slanting rays of the sun.
- Spiritual Purpose: Others think the sloping sides helped the king’s soul ascend to the sky and join the gods.
- Astronomical Theory: Some suggest the pyramids are aligned with the three stars in the belt of Orion, which had significance in Egyptian beliefs.
6
Q
Khufu Pyramid
A
- Size: The largest of the Egyptian pyramids, nearly 140 meters tall.
- Location: Situated on the Giza plateau.
- Construction Time: Built around 2589-2566 B.C.E.
7
Q
How Many Workers Built the Khufu Pyramid?
A
- It’s conventionally believed that 100,000 laborers worked on the pyramid.
- Some argue that it could have taken as few as 20,000 laborers.
8
Q
Stone Blocks Used in the Khufu Pyramid
A
- The pyramid is made up of approximately 2.3 million stone blocks.
- Each block weighs about 2.5 tonnes.
9
Q
Building Method of the Khufu Pyramid
A
Crews may have dragged or pushed limestone blocks up mud-slicked ramps.
10
Q
The Other Two Great Pyramids at Giza
A
Two additional pyramids were built at Giza:
- Pyramid of Khafre (built 2558-2532 B.C.E.)
- Pyramid of Menkaure (built 2532-2503 B.C.E.)
11
Q
What Are the Interiors of Pyramids Like?
A
- Pyramids are not completely solid; they have chambers and tunnels inside.
- Chambers were designed to house the pharaoh’s and queen’s bodies, along with their possessions.
- The function of some internal structures remains unknown.
12
Q
What Rock Types Were Used in the Giza Pyramids?
A
- Granite was used for the cap stone (pyramidion) and to line internal chambers.
- The white casing was made of white, fine-grained limestone.
- The majority of the pyramid was constructed from buff-colored, fossiliferous limestone.
13
Q
What Is Special About the Limestone Used in the Giza Pyramids?
A
The limestone used in the pyramids is fossiliferous, containing nummulites.
14
Q
What Are Nummulites?
A
- Nummulites are large, chambered shells of foraminifera, amoeba-like organisms.
- They were abundant during the early Cenozoic, with some averaging the size of a loonie.
15
Q
Where Did the Stone for the Giza Pyramids Come From?
A
- Most of the stone (fossiliferous limestone) was quarried on the Giza plateau.
- The fine-grained white limestone casing came from Tura, across the Nile.
- Granite for the pyramidion and internal chambers came from Aswan.
16
Q
What Does the Great Sphinx Represent?
A
- The Sphinx is a human-lion hybrid statue.
- Some believe it represents Pharaoh Khafre in the form of Ra-Horakhty, the Sun God.
- There is no written record left by the builders explaining its exact purpose.
17
Q
What Are the Dimensions of the Great Sphinx?
A
- Length: 73 meters
- Height: 20 meters
- The Sphinx sits slightly below ground level and is surrounded by a trench.
18
Q
What Is the Material and Weathering of the Sphinx?
A
- The body of the Sphinx was carved from native limestone bedrock.
- The undulations on the front and sides of the Sphinx are due to differential weathering.
19
Q
When Was the Sphinx Built?
A
- The Sphinx was traditionally assumed to be built by the laborers of Pharaoh Khafre between 2520 and 2494 B.C.E.
- However, the age of the Sphinx is still a subject of intense debate.
20
Q
What does the limestone plaque between the paws of the Sphinx mention?
A
The plaque mentions Khafre, but its context is unclear due to surface damage.
21
Q
Who placed the Sphinx plaque and when?
A
Pharaoh Thutmosis IV placed the plaque around 1400 B.C.E. to commemorate the removal of sand from the Sphinx.
22
Q
Is the face of the Sphinx Khafre’s?
A
Many scholars believe the face represents Khafre, but there is disagreement.
23
Q
Could the Sphinx Be Older Than Khafre?
A
- Geological observations suggest the Sphinx’s body might predate Khafre’s reign.
- Erosion patterns don’t match what’s expected from a desert climate.
24
Q
What Kind of Erosion Is Seen on the Sphinx’s Body?
A
- The body and enclosure walls show gullies—typical of erosion by running water.
- This is unusual since Giza has been a desert since around 2500 B.C.E.
25
Why Don’t the Head and Paws of the Sphinx Show the Same Erosion?
- The head and paws are carved from harder limestone (same type used in pyramids).
- This limestone is more resistant, which explains the lack of gullies.
26
Has the Sphinx Always Been Exposed to the Elements?
- The Sphinx has been buried in sand for long periods.
- It was cleared by Pharaoh Thutmosis IV (~1400 B.C.E.) and again in the 20th century.
- This limits how much erosion could happen in recent millennia.
27
Could the Sphinx Be Much Older Than We Think?
- Some argue erosion happened before it was buried by sand.
- Egypt’s climate was wetter between 8000–5000 B.C.E.
- Suggests possibility that the Sphinx predates the pyramids.
28
Was the Sphinx Originally Just an Abandoned Quarry?
- Some believe the Sphinx began as a quarry for construction stone.
- The limestone may have been unsuitable and left unfinished.
- The leftover “hump” might have ruined the view from Giza.
- So, it was artistically carved into the Sphinx to beautify the landscape.
29
Where Is Easter Island and When Was It Discovered?
- Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is ~3,700 km west of Chile in the South Pacific.
- It was discovered by Dutch Admiral Jacob Roggeveen on April 5, 1722.
- That day was Easter Sunday—hence the name Easter Island.
30
What Is the Geologic Setting of Easter Island?
- Easter Island is part of the Sala y Gomez seamount chain.
- Formed by volcanic activity as the tectonic plate moved over a mantle hotspot (like Hawaii).
- Represents a chain of volcanoes created by this process.
31
What Are the Moai Statues of Easter Island Made From?
- Easter Island is made of basaltic lava and pyroclastic debris (volcanic ash) from mafic mantle material.
- The famous Moai statues were carved from volcanic ash (not solid lava).
- Most Moai are about 5 metres tall and weigh 20–40 tonnes.
32
Who First Settled Easter Island?
- Based on genetic evidence, Easter Island was first settled by Polynesian seafarers from the west.
- Settlement likely began around 700 AD.
33
What Was Early Life Like on Easter Island?
- The island remained an isolated paradise for hundreds of years.
- Islanders developed a distinct culture.
- They created carved terraces and small statues as part of their cultural expression.
34
When Did Islanders Begin Building Ahu and Moai?
- Around 1220 AD, islanders started constructing ceremonial stone platforms called ahu.
- These platforms were used to support the Moai statues.
35
How Big Were the Moai Statues?
- The largest Moai statues weigh up to 80 tonnes!
- Most were carved from volcanic ash and stood on the ahu platforms.
36
How Many Moai Statues Exist on Easter Island?
- About 900 Moai statues have been discovered.
- Many are in various stages of construction.
37
Where Were the Moai Carved?
- Unfinished Moai have been found in the cliffs of Rano Raraku, a volcanic crater.
- This suggests the statues were carved at that quarry site.
38
What Material Was Used for Moai Topknots?
- Red topknots on some Moai statues were made from scoria (iron-rich, porous basaltic rock).
- The red color comes from the presence of hematite, a weathering product.
- The scoria was quarried at Puna Pao.
39
What Tools Were Used to Carve the Moai?
Basalt axes (made from non-porous basalt) were used to carve the statues.
40
What Do the Moai Represent?
- The Moai were constructed as guardians of the island people.
- They were created by the ruling class, the "long ears."
41
What is the Symbolism Behind the Moai?
- Moai statues were made in the likeness of the person buried beneath the ahu.
- The obsidian pupil added to the coral eye symbolized the rebirth of the dead king inside the statue.
- The statues were carved without legs to prevent them from walking around.
42
Do the Easter Island “Heads” Have Bodies?
- It was commonly believed that the statues were just heads.
- Excavations in 2010 revealed that the bodies of the statues were buried.
43
How Were the Moai Moved?
- Old theory: Moai were moved using log skids or rollers.
- Recent experiments with life-size Moai models suggest that Moai were "walked" by rocking them back and forth.
- This method aligns with islander stories about how the Moai were moved.
44
What Led to the Demise of Easter Island's Society?
The collapse of Easter Island's population is believed to be linked to poor resource management.
Easter Island is small (22 km x 11 km), and resources were limited.
Pollen analysis shows that by about 1600 AD, trees (vital for fuel, housing, boats, and tools) became scarce.
Deforestation likely led to the breakdown of the island’s society and contributed to warfare between different groups.
45
How Did Soil Erosion Contribute to the Collapse of Easter Island?
- Loss of trees led to soil erosion, making farming difficult.
- With fewer resources, food became scarce.
- Archaeological evidence suggests that scarcity led to conflicts, including instances of cannibalism among the islanders.
46
What Led to the Final Collapse of Easter Island's Society?
In 1862, Peruvian slave traders captured 1,500 islanders (about 1/3 of the population).
Within a year, all but 15 islanders died.
Survivors returned with smallpox, killing nearly all remaining inhabitants, leaving only 111 people.
The loss of the native islanders' oral traditions means many details of their culture will remain unknown.
