Hi Mj,

Although the 70 cubit vertical distance is one-quarter of the total height, I don't think it suggests a more complex design scheme without additional supporting evidence. One-quarter is a very basic unit and could have been selected for its own sake or could even be a consequence of some other design method employed for creating the shafts. One complication (if my memory is correct) is that the lower and upper ends of the shafts do not coincide with quarter-points of the total height. It seems to me that if 70 intentionally represented one-quarter of the total height one would be expected to explain why the shafts were not positioned at the vertical quarter-points.

It may be that 70 was chosen because it was part of a more complex design scheme, but I would not make that conclusion yet.

C. Wayne Taylor
Richmond, Virginia USA