Construction Methods and Building Materials

Today visitors often approach the massive pyramids, temples, and obelisks of the ancient Egyptians with wonder and disbelief. The huge blocks of stone used to create these architectural masterpieces were quarried and moved without the aid of modern technologies, and it is difficult to image how such feats of engineering could be accomplished without the aid of cranes, bulldozers, trucks, and other tools of present-day building projects.

The resources in this section describe the methods of construction used by the Egyptians based on a study of the existing buildings at Karnak, ancient inscriptions, and depictions found in relief scenes. The guide and video feature building design, quarrying and building with stone, column construction, roofing and lighting, the reuse of building materials, obelisks, pylons and gateways, enclosure walls, and repairs