Obelisks of Ancient Egypt
Though of several hundred years later,
the huge towers of rock erected by the
ancient Egyptians is still a feat that has
long puzzled the engineers of today. At
left can be seen an obelisk at Asswan
which was never finished due to flaws in
the granite near its center. Though these
have been found in numerous sizes, this
one measures 137 feet tall and would
weigh about 1,170 TONS. Many
theories have been set forth as to how
these "primitive" people were able to
accomplish such astounding feats of
engineering, such as the construction and
erection of these obelisks and the
pyramids, but the fact is that they did.
Gears
If the knowledge of puzzling discoveries which cannot be explained aren't simply put aside and forgotten, such as that discussed above, then they are considered freakish finds and are found only in sensational books which appeal to the tabloid newspaper set. "Serious" scientists and scholars remain silent on them, unable to explain their existence.
Such an example is a find made in 1900. In that year, a sponge diver
found the wreck of a Greek ship laden with statues and other objects.
One strange object was a bronze instrument encrusted with calcareous
deposits . When it dried and the outer wood encasing split, it broke into
4 flat fragments which
revealed parts of geared wheels. While it cannot
be determined exactly what this device was used for, x-rays revealed
more than 30 gears of various sizes which meshed in parallel planes.
There is one mention in the ancient records of a device which may be similar. Cicero and Ovid both wrote of an ingenious planetarium devised by Archimedes which simulated the movement of the sun, the moon, and 5 planets. We'll probably never know what this device was or who made it. But once again, we see that knowledge we think belongs to our time is only some of that which was long ago forgotten. (MP, p. 157; IU, p. 42.)
