Casting Ancient Stone works
hieroglyphics - Stone statues, obelisks, stele and columns created by Ancient Egyptian artisans are beautiful works of art that have survived for millennia. These Egyptian stoneworks are made of granite, diorite, basalt, schist and limestone. Egyptologists claim these statues were carved using copper and iron tools. Current theory holds that copper and iron tools were used to carve granite statues and obelisks which can be over 100 feet tall.

Fig 1. Detail in Egyptian Stone Artifacts

Some Ancient stoneworks contain incredible detail. These stoneworks contain hair plaits, necklaces, feathers, amulets and other intricate details. In some statues, obelisks and columns the details can be deeper than two inches from the surface of the stonework.

A number of Ancient statues and columns were “claimed” by succeeding Pharaohs. These statues and columns were altered and modified to add the names and exploits of usurping Pharaohs. Usurped statues and columns contain original hieroglyphics which are clear and detailed in marked contrast to shallow and ragged hieroglyphics added by the arti- sans working for the usurping Pharaoh. The differences between original and usurping hieroglyphics in Ancient Egyptian stoneworks has led to a new theory which explains the stark contrast between original and usurping hieroglyphics on Ancient stoneworks.

I believe Ancient Egyptian statues, obelisks, stele, sarcophagi and columns were cast using a stone and natron (sodium carbonate) combination. By combining granite, diorite, basalt, sandstone, schist or limestone with natron and water Ancient artisans were able to

Casting Egyptian Statues Version 1.2 May 2009 1
cast stoneworks of incredible beauty and strength. I believe the only carving done to most Egyptian stoneworks was done by workers under orders of usurping Pharaohs.

Fig. 2 Mohammed points to carvings done by artisans using copper tools on granite at the Famine Stele

The Usurping Pharaohs
Granite, diorite, basalt, sandstone and schist statues dedicated to Pharaohs, Goddesses
and Gods were cast during a large portion of Egyptian history. Some Pharaohs were guilty of usurping stoneworks of previous Pharaohs. To foil usurping by succeeding Pha- raohs hieroglyphics were sometimes added to the base of Egyptian statues. This did not stop usurping of statues but, it is a way to help identify the original Pharaoh who commis- sioned the stonework.
Fig. 3 Contrast between cast and carved hieroglyphics
on usurped stoneworks


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Current theory states hieroglyphics were carved into Egyptian statues, obelisks and col- umns using copper and iron tools. The carved hieroglyphics of usurping Pharaohs should have rivaled the original artisans because they were carved using tools which were more modern than the original artisans. But, usurping hieroglyphics do not compare in quality to the original hieroglyphics. Current theory doesn’t explain why usurping Pharaohs would accept inferior workmanship of their stone masons compared to the masons of the origi- nal Pharaoh. The true reason for the difference between the clean and detailed original hieroglyphics in Egyptian stoneworks and the shallow and ragged usurping hieroglyphics is that the original hieroglyphics in columns, sarcophagi, statues and other stoneworks were cast and the usurping hieroglyphics were carved.
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Casting Egyptian Statues, Columns and Pyramid Blocks
Ancient Egyptian artisans used an ingenious way to add hieroglyphics, figures and detail to their stone artworks. Beeswax, or another temporary material was molded or cut into hieroglyphics, scenes of daily life, depictions of Gods and Goddesses, etc. and these carved wax hieroglyphics were placed on the inside of a casting form prior to casting. The wooden or clay casting forms were then filled with a cementitious mixture of natron and crushed stone dust and chips and water was added to start an exothermic reaction. Once the cementitious material completed the exothermic reaction it was turned into a solid stone product with “carved” hieroglyphics.

 

When the casting process was complete the casting form was removed and the beeswax hieroglyphics would be washed away. Detailed stone hieroglyphics and pictures would emerge “carved” into the face of the Egyptian column, obelisk or statue after the tempo- rary beeswax hieroglyphics were removed. This method of stone casting was used on statues, pyramid blocks, casing stones, stelas, obelisks, sarcophagi, columns and other Egyptian stone artworks.
Fig. 4 Workers sealing and painting statues from the Tomb of Rekhmire
Egyptian stoneworks needed special care after completion of the casting process. Egyp- tian cast stoneworks needed to be covered in a material which would seal the newly cast product. If a sealing material wasn’t applied after the casting process was complete a

layer of salt would rise to the surface. By sealing Egyptian artwork the curing process could continue and stabilize the salt of the natron component of the cementitious material. If the salt of the natron component is not stable then it may leach from the cast objects when the protective sealing layer is removed by mechanical means or the action of envi- ronmental factors.

A depiction of Ancient Egyptian workers sealing cast statues can be found in the Tomb of Rekhmire (or Rekhmira). Rekhmire was a nobleman who lived about 700 years after completion of the Giza Pyramids. In one scene found in the tomb of Rekhmire artisans (Fig. 4) are shown adding a layer of sealant material and paint to recently cast statues.

Leaching salt can be observed inside the pyramids on the Giza Plateau. The walls of the interior chambers of the Khufu Pyramid have had a continuous buildup of salt which was removed by mechanical means numerous times over the last forty years. Current theory holds that the carbon dioxide from visitors’ breath is causing the salt leaching problem in the interior chambers of the Pyramids. If carbon dioxide is causing salt leaching in the Giza Pyramid interiors then salt should also be leaching from the granite walls of cathe- drals and office buildings around the world. It seems strange that only the granite walls of the Giza Pyramid chambers leach salt. I believe the real reason for salt leaching from the interior Pyramid chamber walls is that they were cast and the original sealant material has been worn off and it needs replacing. If a replacement sealer was applied to the walls of the interior chambers of the Giza Pyramids the salt leaching problem should disappear.

Fig. 5 “Unfinished” casing stones of the Menkaure Pyramid
– Note the lack of chisel marks

Two different methods were used for casting pyramid blocks in Egypt and South America. One method of casting pyramid blocks used wooden forms lashed together with ropes and filled with the concrete-like material. This method was used to cast the concrete pyra- mids on the Giza Plateau. A second method of casting large stone blocks produced an “unfinished” look and it used a combination of wooden forms, ropes and cloth. Cloth and wooden casting forms were used in the casing stones of the Menkaure Pyramid, the walls of Machu Picchu and the walls of Cuzco.


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In the second method of casting, wooden forms were used on the sides and back of the casting forms and a sack of cloth would form the bulging front face of the cast stones. This gave them their distinctive bulging shape or, as currently described, their “unfinished” shape. This same shape can be seen in today’s cement industry where processed ce- ment is transported in cloth bags, known as sling bags. The Ancient Egyptians and Incas used a similar type of cloth to form the casing stones of the Menkaure Pyramid and the stones of Machu Picchu and Cuzco. After casting the “unfinished” stones the cloth would be cut away and a new cloth container would be formed and the next stone would be cast.

Fig. 6 “Unfinished” cast wall at Cuzco
Photo by Don Flood

Casting Mistakes
During the casting of Egyptian stoneworks mistakes were made. Mistakes made during the casting of Egyptian stoneworks include destruction of beeswax hieroglyphics, casting forms breaking during the casting process, incorrect ratios of water to cementitious mate- rial and water not reaching the cementitious material during casting and not completing the exothermic reaction leading to a solid stone product.

Many Egyptian statues and sculptures have broken noses and or headdresses (uraeus). Current theory holds that the noses and uraeus’ of Egyptian statues were destroyed by Pharaohs to diminish the strength of the former Pharaohs. A more reasonable explana-
tion for defective Egyptian statues and sculpture damage is that they were caused by casting defects and casting mistakes. In some statues, during the casting process water did not reach the most distant areas of the casting form.

Once water is added to the stone and natron(sodium carbonate) cementitious material the hardening process starts immediately. Without the correct ratio of water to cementi- tious material or the lack of water the exothermic reaction will not be completed and this will produce a defective product. Some areas inside casting forms did not receive suffi- cient water to complete the exothermic reaction. Once the casting process was complete and the form was removed the dry, loose cementitious material would fall away. The in- complete exothermic reaction of the cementitious material in cast Ancient stoneworks has caused most of the “broken” noses, ears, uraeus’ and other parts we see today.
Fig. 7 Egyptian Statue with casting defects

The casting forms used to cast obelisks, columns and statues would sometimes break or shift during the casting process. In the areas underneath broken casting forms the cementitious material may not have taken the full imprint of the wax hieroglyphics. And sometimes the wax hieroglyphics were damaged during casting which left excess mate- rial inside the “carved” image. In Figure 9 we can see an example where a casting form broke during casting and another where excess material is accumulated in the edges
of hieroglyphics from a casting mistake. After completion of the casting process defects were not corrected by the Ancient artisans. The Ancient artisans appear to have accepted casting defects and did not attempt to correct them.

In an attempt to prevent casting defects some artisans placed the cementitious stone mixture into the casting form in a wet state. Once the casting artisans started putting the wet stone/natron mixture into the casting form they had to continue until the form was completely filled. It is not possible to cast with a wet stone/natron mixture in a two stage process. If the casting was done in stages there would be a division that would appear as a crack between the sections of the finished product.

Casting the Head of the Sphinx
The Sphinx is one of the most enigmatic sculptures ever created by Man. Many have the- orized on when it was created and it’s meaning and symbolism. It has been theorized that the Sphinx was built thousands of years prior to the construction of the Giza Pyramids.

I currently believe the Sphinx was created to represent the God Shu and was built when the Giza Pyramids were constructed as part of the Giza Throne Complex. The Giza Throne Complex is comprised of the Giza Pyramids, boat pits, the Sphinx and undiscov- ered hidden chambers. Shu was the God of the Air or Sky. One of the forms Shu took was of a being with the body of a lion with the head of a Man.

The body of the Sphinx was carved from the limestone of the Giza Plateau. The slope of
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the Giza Plateau allowed the Egyptians to remove material around the body of the Sphinx to create its distinct shape. The chosen site for the Sphinx did not allow the Egyptians to carve it’s head because the Sphinx’s head is above the sloping terrain at that location. The Egyptians solved this problem by casting the head of the Sphinx. The cast layers of the Sphinx’s head are about six feet high and very distinct. The horizontal lines that run thru the mouth, nose, eyebrows and forehead of the Sphinx mark the different casting layers. The Sphinx builders were unable to cast the Sphinx’s head in one session due to it’s height.

Fig. 8 The cast head of the Sphinx

After a section of the Sphinx’s head was cast a layer of excess salt rose to the top of the completed layer. This salt residue had to be removed prior to casting the next layer. The salt residue from the casting mixture was not removed completely between casting sessions and it has left distinct impressions as horizontal lines across the face and head- dress of the Sphinx.

The Sphinx’s nose broke off in antiquity because of the lack of support between the
two layers that made up the nose. The bottom section of the Sphinx’s nose lacked the strength needed to support the upper portion of the nose. The weight of the upper section of the Sphinx’s nose eventually applied too much pressure to the bottom cast layer and the entire nose broke away. The Sphinx’s nose may have remained intact if the Sphinx’s builders understood the concept of reinforcing rods. But, reinforcing rods were developed long after construction of the Sphinx.

Casting Obelisks
Egyptian obelisks were cast using a stone and natron mixture. By combining natron and granite the Egyptians were able to build these large structures which may stand over 100 feet tall.
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Current theory states that obelisks were carved from solid granite using copper or iron tools. The reality is that obelisks were cast using a granite and natron mixture by combin- ing natron with granite dust and chips and water. The obelisk builders cast these large granite structures by using a template to create the obelisks. An unknown Pharaoh in- vented a template for casting obelisks. The obelisk casting template is located at Aswan and is known as the Unfinished Obelisk. The Unfinished Obelisk was used to build the wooden casting forms needed to cast obelisks and as a blank slate to arrange the hiero- glyphics that would appear “carved” into the surface of obelisks after casting.

When a Pharaoh commissioned an obelisk he or she would determine the story he/she wanted to express on the four faces of the obelisk. Pharaoh’s artisans would then carve hieroglyphics out of an easily pliable material, such as beeswax and arrange the tempo- rary hieroglyphics onto the upper face of the Unfinished Obelisk for the Pharaoh’s ap- proval. Pharaoh would walk along the top of the Unfinished Obelisk and approve text and scenery which would eventually form the “carved” scenes on the different faces of the obelisks. After Pharaoh gave his/her final approval of the temporary hieroglyphics they would be attached to rolls of papyrus. The papyrus rolls with the attached honey hiero- glyphics would then be cut into sections and transported to the casting site where they would be attached to the interior of the casting forms prior to casting.
Fig. 9 Obelisks showing damage which occurred during casting

After Pharaoh decided on the hieroglyphics that would appear on the face of the cast obelisk he or she would then pick the granite stone used to form the obelisk. Pharaoh would be shown different areas around Aswan where large quantities of granite could be removed and used to cast an obelisk. Pharaoh would chose one area of Aswan granite to ensure a consistent color throughout the cast obelisk. If granite was collected from numerous areas the obelisk would not have a uniform color after the casting process. In


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2003 Dr. Zahi Hawass identified seven separate depressions where large quantities of Aswan granite were removed for obelisk casting or carving.

The Aswan granite used to cast obelisks was removed with the help of dolerite pound- ers. Dr. Zahi Hawass has recovered over ten thousand dolerite pounders from the Aswan area. These dolerite pounders were used by thousands of workers who turned the solid Aswan granite into dust and small chips. This granite dust would be collected in cloth or reed baskets for transport to a temple area selected by Pharaoh where the obelisk would be cast and raised.

Wooden casting forms would be formed around the Unfinished Obelisk, cut into manage- able sizes and transported to the site where the obelisk was to be cast and raised. Obe- lisk casting was done in one session using a wet mixture of granite dust, granite chips, natron and water and required a large amount of manpower. A discussion of the number of men required to cast an obelisk can be found in the Papyrus of Anastasi. The Papyrus of Anastasi states one obelisk casting session lasted six hours.

A picture of workers casting temple columns and pyramid blocks can be found in the Tomb of Rekhmire (Rekhmira). The hieroglyphic for casting is #A14 in the Egyptian Hi- eroglyphic Dictionary.

The hieroglyphic for casting obelisks is currently interpreted as “to destroy” and it consists of two casting forms with one at an angle to the other. This angled casting form may rep- resent the angle used during the casting process. After completion of the casting process the obelisk would be hoisted into it’s final vertical position. If the casting was done at an angle on a temporary platform of sand this would make it easier to raise the completed cast obelisk. The wooden casting forms and temporary hieroglyphics were probably re- moved before the cast obelisk was raised to it’s vertical position.

Fig. 10 Ancient Egyptian statues with characteristic casting clues

To Cast or Not to Cast? That is the Question
It’s time to re-examine Ancient Egyptian Pyramids and stoneworks with a new eye. For

 


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years the accepted theory stated that Ancient Egyptian stoneworks were carved using copper and iron tools. When you realize it’s possible to cast granite, schist, sandstone, limestone and basalt you have to ask the following question. Were Ancient Egyptian stoneworks carved or cast?

Here are some clues to help determine whether an Ancient statue, obelisk, column, cas- ing stone, pyramid block or sarcophagus was cast or carved –

Is the space behind the back of the legs and the throne filled with material? Is the space between the arms and torso of a statue filled with material?
Is the space between the beard and neck of a statue filled with material?
Is the space between the leading left foot and the right foot filled with material? Is the space between the knees and feet in kneeling statues filled with material?
Does the statue or column contain usurping hieroglyphics which lack detail or depth? Is there one surface of the statue or sarcophagus that has a rough texture?
Does an obelisk have excess material in the edges of some hieroglyphics? Does the statue have a support pillar?

If the answers to the above questions are yes then it’s likely you’re looking at an Ancient stonework which was cast with a natron and stone mixture. It was not possible to cast artworks with negative space until the development of bronze casting in the Bronze Age.

Preserving Egypt’s History
To effectively preserve an ancient object you must first understand how it was produced or created. Without this knowledge you can destroy ancient objects you want to save. Coating ancient objects with materials you believe will preserve them for posterity may actually accelerate their destruction. Understanding how an ancient artwork was created should help you determine the best way to preserve that artwork.

To the custodians of Egyptian cast stone artifacts it would probably be a good idea to make sure a layer of sealing material remains on the surface of these statues and col- umns. If Egyptian statues and columns were carved it can’t hurt to keep them covered in a sealing material but, if they were cast using a natron/stone mixture then it’s possible it may lose compressive strength when the cast object is exposed to today’s environmental factors. Currently, salt is appearing on the surfaces of some Egyptian artworks in muse- ums around the world.

Conclusions
When natron(sodium carbonate) is mixed with limestone, granite, basalt, schist or sand- stone and combined with water an exothermic reaction occurs which transforms the mix- ture into a solid block of stone. By combining natron with granite, basalt, schist, sandstone or limestone with the proper water/stone ratio you can create beautiful solid stone objects.

By placing carved designs made of a temporary material, like beeswax, to the interior of casting forms it was possible to create “carved” hieroglyphics and scenes of daily life on
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cast stoneworks. When a cast stone object was removed from its casting form the tem- porary hieroglyphics were washed away leaving a reverse or negative design in the cast stone object which appears to be “carved” into the surface of the cast stone artwork.

Fig. 11 Cache of cast statues found at Karnak
courtesy of G. Legrain

 

 

Some Ancient Egyptian statues and columns contain carved artwork and hieroglyphics which was done by workers of usurping Pharaohs. These usurping workers used copper tools to carve jagged, shallow designs and hieroglyphics on the surface of cast stone art- works. Usurping hieroglyphics and designs are of inferior quality because it’s impossible to carve hard stone with copper or iron tools with any detail or depth.

Ancient Egyptian workers using diorite balls crushed granite, schist, basalt, limestone and sandstone into a coarse gravel and dust. By combining this stone dust with natron and water the Ancient Egyptians could cast pyramid blocks, stelas, statues, obelisks, col- umns, sarcophagi and tomb walls.

Ancient Egyptian stoneworks were covered with wax or another sealant which has been slowly disintegrating over the years. If the sealants used to protect Ancient Egyptian cast stoneworks are allowed to fade away this may cause a loss of compressive strength in these cast stoneworks and their possible destruction.

Most Pyramid blocks were cast using wooden casting forms. These casting forms were filled with a mixture of natron and limestone or granite. Once the form was filled with the cementitious material water was added to start an exothermic reaction. When the ce- mentitious material completed the exothermic reaction it hardened into a solid block of stone and it appears to be a natural stone. The wooden casting form would be removed,

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repositioned and the process was repeated over and over again as the Ancient Egyp- tians built the concrete pyramids of Giza.

Stone casting was done using a wet or dry mixture. The dry method involved filling a casting form with the cementitious material and adding water to start the exothermic reaction and turn the mixture into a solid product. The wet method of casting required casting with a wet mixture which was prepared as the form was being filled. By using the wet casting method the casting artisans could avoid areas inside the casting forms where there was an incomplete exothermic reaction. The dry method of casting led to many “broken” uraeus’, noses, ears, etc because the cementitious material did not complete the exothermic reaction.

When European explorers arrived in Egypt in the 18th and 19th century many of the An- cient Egyptian monuments were covered with colorful paint and highlights covering the detailed scenes and hieroglyphics. Today these same monuments have lost their colorful coatings due to environmental forces. Some Egyptian monuments are also displaying a salt buildup that has been blamed on water coming from underground sources. To pre- vent a further deterioration of Ancient Egyptian monuments it may be necessary to seal them with a layer of wax or a sealing material to protect them from today’s environment. The cost of sealing Ancient Egyptian monuments against the environment would be a small price to pay to preserve these great monuments.

The time has come to re-evaluate our perception of Ancient stone artifacts and how best to preserve them for future generations.
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