Quote:
Originally Posted by Dom
Yeah I saw a similar program before deciding to make this thread. It focuesed a lot on how precise all the anicient monuments were, for example how the Great Pyramid has an average error of about 2mm and is directly aligned with the Summer and Winter solstice (or something to do with Summer and Winter anyway).
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I would be a bit sceptical to such facts and how they are interpreted. At such minute details, it would seem likely that any change in the earth's axis would be important and 4-5000 years ago when the pyramid was built, the axis wasn't the exact same as it is today. That could give bias either way, making the pyramid's construction look either more correct (correcting a slight mistake) or less (worsening an error). What about erosion and the pyramid sinking into the sand? This must also have taken place during it's 4-5000 years lifetime.
Also important is that in such programs, they usually interview some kind of experts. These people are typically presented as authorities on whatever their field is, but often they are not completely worthy of that title. Instead, I think they are often chosen because their work is interesting and/or fits the program rather than because their assumptions and hypotheses are so "good". I don't know what the 2 millimetres are, but how on earth do you even get to that number? To me, it sounds a bit too much like a misuse of statistics .. or like a number the producers wanted to include in the program because it so strongly illustrates either the egyptians prowess at pyramid building or the impossibility that they could have done it. If you start thinking about stuff like axis changing, erosion and pyramids sinking, then the possibility of a number like 2 millimetres of anything should seem less and less likely.