Granite Use in Ancient Egypt
Timeless Granite We have been using natural stone for millennia. As early as 2890 BCE, the ancient Egyptians used red granite to make the tekhenu (obelisks in greek) more than four thousand years ago. Ancient Egyptian granite quarries were mined remarkably similar as they are today, albeit without the technology we have today. The ancient granite tekhenu were made to honor the gods and commemorate events and pharaohs of the time. It is quite amazing that four thousand years ago, without the machinery that we have today, they were able to mine granite. Now, granite isn't sandstone, it is very hard. This is due to the large percentage of quartz contained in granite. Granite "grows" in horizontal beds. Between each sheet of granite lies a thin layer of quartz or sinter. When the granite is cut, it must be cut all the way down to the next sheet of granite. The ancient Egyptians cut granite with hammers and wrought-iron chisels. This task usually required 4 men. One would...