Scott Creighton Wrote:
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>
do you know for certain how the pyramids
> were built to achieve the level of precision that
> you can't slip a cigarette paper between the
> joins? If you do then you're obviously keeping it
> to yourself.

No, but then the Incas achieved much the same precision with equally large blocks, didn't they? With no kites, I presume.

>
> Al: And as MJ Thomas has rightly pointed out
> above, surely there’d be some kind of pictorial
> record of anything resembling a giant kite if it
> had existed in this era??
>
> SC: See the link above.

I have looked at the link and quite frankly do not see anything resembling kites. This picture

[everleaf.com]

is made to look (by the added strings) like a bird-shaped kite. Talk about seeing what you want to see in something... You could do the same to a drawing of a scarab beetle and say it represented a large oval kite. Kites are often made to look like things, but those things in themselves do not necessarily represent kites.




>
> Al: It would have been the wonder of the age, and
> not simply a construction device to be forgotten
> when the pyramids were completed.
>
> SC: Agreed. But they may not have been entirely
> forgotten. Perhaps they told the Chinese??
>

Why tell the Chinese but not their own descendents? Why lose the technology at home? Apart from Icarus, I can't think of any ancient world reference to man flying, or man flying objects.

Think
> about it - 20,000 workers reduced to a handful of
> skilled kites-men!
>

With 20,000 workers you wouldn't need kites - and you had 20,000 workers. Labour saving wasn't a big priority in the ancient world (and isn't in parts of the Third World today).

If the pyramid projects formed (partly at least, as I believe) a sort of employment scheme for otherwise idle men in the idle months, then a labour saving kite would not be welcome and would have probably inspired some AE luddites...


Once more Creigs, we'll have to agree to disagree (my criticism is with the article only) but thanks for the link. If I can find the one with the balloons I will post it here. The graphics and animation were well worth a look alone - pity they were put together for such a silly premise.