We headed off to the town of Memphis, which is on the outskirts of Cairo. We passed acre after acre of farm land that was being tended to by people on donkeys. In fact, donkeys were prevalent throughout the day, as folks were transporting alfalfa to feed their cows and buffalos. They were also plentiful as merchants were carrying their wares to sell - bread, fruits and vegetables, and other things not visible because they were covered and tied down with blankets.
We visited what looks like a graveyard for monuments. Most of the items had been salvaged and they were visibly damaged. It was an interesting tidbit to discover that all of the pieces had hieroglyphics engraved in them that identified the period they were created.
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| Graveyard for Monuments |
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| Massive statue of King Ramses. Note his beard hangs straight down. This means the statue was created while he was alive. If it was curled up at the end, it was created after death. |
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| It was too big to get in just one shot. Note the detail of the muscles and the hieroglyphics. |
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| King Ramses' lower body showing damage to the legs. This statue is in a building adjacent to what I called the graveyard for monuments. |
Then we drove a little farther and saw another pyramid. The area is more secluded, with desert all around. This one was called the "red one" because it appears reddish from a distance.
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| I couldn't tell the difference in the color. It didn't look red to me, from a distance or closeup. |
The next two were the most interesting.
The Step Pyramid is being restored. It is the first known pyramid and it was made by accident. The king wanted his grave site to be seen from a distance as you were approaching. So he ordered that five more layers be added to the top of his final (square/rectangular) resting place, resulting in a pyramid-shaped structure. My pictures didn't come out, so I found some online to show you.
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| Step Pyramid - Believed to be the first pyramid created |
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| Again, this is a photo from online. It is a picture of the single remaining wall of the structure that surrounds the Step Pyramid, above. |
Once this one was finished, they tried to make another, without success. This one is referred to at the Bent Pyramid.
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| Oops! That's not quite right! |
They learned from their mistake in design, and later created the most famous pyramids of Giza that were featured in the post yesterday.
Driving through the city and countryside, the remnants of hard times and poverty all around, I wonder about the incredible ingenuity of the past.
Is it still in the hearts and minds of the people? Can ingenuity be stifled? For thousands of years? Why are their certain periods in history that seem more conducive to discovery and invention? How do we extend those periods? Should we try? Is this just a part of the cycle of living - sowing and reaping - inventing and then enjoying the pleasures of the new technology?
The history here is mind-bloggling, but it's from centuries ago. Can those creative "juices" that produced so much greatness, be recaptured?
In one of Malcolm Gladwell's books, I think it was in Blink, he talks about the mid-1950's when Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were born, and several others who were instrumental in the incredible gains made in all things related to computers. Was that coincidence only or were these guys a part of something bigger? A master plan of ingenuity, if you will.
Anyway, you know me. I can go on and on with questions, but I have few answers.
What do you think?
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