New ways of looking at highly organised stone quarrying in Ancient Egypt

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Chisel holes left in a failed attempted to induce a fracture along the base of a block in the Middle Kingdom Wadi Shatt el-Rigal sandstone quarry near Gebel el-Silsila. Note the rough upper surface where the block broke free of the bedrock above the line of chisel holes. Smallest scale division is 1 cm. Photo by JAMES HARRELL.

Chisel holes left in a failed attempted to induce a fracture along the base of a block in the Middle Kingdom Wadi Shatt el-Rigal sandstone quarry near Gebel el-Silsila. Note the rough upper surface where the block broke free of the bedrock above the line of chisel holes. Smallest scale division is 1 cm. Photo by JAMES HARRELL.

Chisel holes left in a failed attempted to induce a fracture along the base of a block in the Middle Kingdom Wadi Shatt el-Rigal sandstone quarry near Gebel el-Silsila. Note the rough upper surface where the block broke free of the bedrock above the line of chisel holes. Smallest scale division is 1 cm. Photo by JAMES HARRELL.


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