Carving_procedure Obelisk_making_technology_in_ancient_Egypt

tip of unfinished obelisk identifiable scallop marks



symmetrical marks @ quarry of unfinished obelisk showing perforation filled wood in order detach stone pieces bed

the carving of cartouches done on granite directly on surface of stone @ ground, on 4 sides. not known technique employed carving granite quarry bed-rock , there unusual regularly-spaced scallop cuts down cut surfaces cannot explained current, repeated, yet unproven statement pounded out hitting small balls of diorite. no scientific explanation of these scalloped cut marks has ever been published. once sides cut down rock, stone piece had separated bedrock. series of cuts made, again using unknown scallop-cutting process. existence of hundreds of nearly-perfectly spherical diorite balls, , of same size, led erroneous conclusion used pounders , probable use of these balls ball bearings roll obelisk around movement , transportation, not pounding. obelisks made out of softer rock (i.e. sandstone) extracted bedrock first drilling holes in rock , driving in wooden spikes. wood wetted water until saturated. wood expanded water preferentially cracking rock along line of wooden spikes. many residues left @ rock beds , measuring size of many famous obelisks (for example cleopatra s needle) known exist @ unfinished obelisk open-air museum.