The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities - Cairo Museum, Egypt - Part 2

Hello everyone. As we kept walking through the Cairo Museum, we made our way down to the main halls. I think this is where the coolest stuff is. Those pieces really evoke a wow response. The first sarcophagus we encountered displayed an incredible quality of polish. The surface practically glowed. It even featured slots for locking mechanisms, with everything deeply drilled. We can see how they did this with the naked eye. It looks as if these holes were made in an instant. The idea that months were spent on a single lock hole seems a bit crazy.

The hieroglyphs here are of high quality, very close to the top tier if not quite there. We took a closer look at Amenemhat III’s pyramidion. This piece is said to have been found near the black pyramid, a very interesting structure with a core made of unfired mudbrick. This Pharaoh reigned for about fifty years, roughly one thousand years before the Iron age. According to the official historical narrative of that period this means that very hard stones like basalt and granite were worked using only simple stone tools like pebbles, etc. The Pharaoh must have known that mudbrick has a short lifespan. We can view thes pyramids with mudbrick interiors and limestone casings as decorative structures of sorts. It was interesting that massive chambers made of quartzite are hidden deep within these pyramids.

We saw that Egyptian texts are not always read from left to right. But sometimes from the center outward. At the very top is a winged figure resembling the human brain, with two snakes emerging from its center. Directly below are eyes that carry a mournful gaze. Some researchers argue that Egyptian hieroglyphs are directly related to human body and brain anatomy. For example it is thought that certain symbols represent the brainstem, the thalamus or the spine. It seems the Egyptians possessed anatomical or spiritual knowledge that modern civilization has overlooked.

Even with modern diamond tipped tools, it is very dificult to achieve the same precision and depth in such hard stones. In trials conducted with 2026 technology, even diamond tips wear down rapidly while struggling to leave a significant mark on the stone's surface. How this craftsmanship was exhibited ,500 years ago remains a major question mark.

When examining the massive granite sarcophagi in the museums, the perfection of the stone's general geometry and polish often contrasts with the ordinary quality of the hieroglyphs carved upon them. In some examples we see hieroglyphs running uninterrupted over a coarse error or a pit in the stone. In my opinion this supports the theory that these stone masterpieces, produced with immense craftsmanship, had inscriptions added much later using different techniques.

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