DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.15#0127
THE PROBLEM OF THE PYRAMIDS. 117
space cut out in the solid rock. A difficult and
costly task, doubtless, in itself, but a mere nothing
Considered with reference to the labour and cost to
which the builders were prepared to go. For this
purpose, the descending passage would have to be
temporarily plugged ; and as soon as the water-
level had been marked at several stations on each
side of the base, the plug could be removed, and the
water run off into the pit which had been exca-
vated underneath. A depth of a few inches of
water all over the base would have sufficed for this
purpose, but more probably a mere channel all
round the base was prepared.
After thus orienting the base by aid of the
pole-star, and levelling it by using a property of
liquids which was, of course, well known to them,
the architects would place layer after layer, carry-
ing towards the north the passage for observing the
pole-star, so that as each layer was placed, the
work of orienting, and possibly of levelling, might
be repeated, and an ever-increasing exactitude
secured.
But they would know that ere long the direct
pole-star observations would fail them ; for the
passage would presently reach the northern face of
the pyramid. By again using a well-known pro-
perty of liquids, however, combined with a well-
space cut out in the solid rock. A difficult and
costly task, doubtless, in itself, but a mere nothing
Considered with reference to the labour and cost to
which the builders were prepared to go. For this
purpose, the descending passage would have to be
temporarily plugged ; and as soon as the water-
level had been marked at several stations on each
side of the base, the plug could be removed, and the
water run off into the pit which had been exca-
vated underneath. A depth of a few inches of
water all over the base would have sufficed for this
purpose, but more probably a mere channel all
round the base was prepared.
After thus orienting the base by aid of the
pole-star, and levelling it by using a property of
liquids which was, of course, well known to them,
the architects would place layer after layer, carry-
ing towards the north the passage for observing the
pole-star, so that as each layer was placed, the
work of orienting, and possibly of levelling, might
be repeated, and an ever-increasing exactitude
secured.
But they would know that ere long the direct
pole-star observations would fail them ; for the
passage would presently reach the northern face of
the pyramid. By again using a well-known pro-
perty of liquids, however, combined with a well-