Ask Ancient Egypt transcript
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| This event took place Thursday 26th July 2001 |
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Ancient Egypt
Professor Fekri Hassan joined us and helped to unlock ancient mysteries across the world.
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Question from Keiron Kizz: How, if there are no detailed maps do you find the sites of ancient burial grounds and lost places?
Prof Fekri Hassan: Usually there are surface indications of sites such as ancient mounds or tells. There are also usually remains of houses or pottery shreds, or other artifacts.
Question from Dusk: What triggered the climate change?
Prof Fekri Hassan: Climate change is triggered by various mechanisms - sometimes by extra-terrestrial forces, sometimes by local variations in ocean temperatures as well as surface temperature. It's usually to do with the heat budget on earth and the circulation of air masses. The causes for abrupt climatic changes, by contrast to gradual ones, are still not clearly known, but may be related to volcanic eruptions or flipflops due to variations in the circulation of water in the oceans.
Question from Chris Clowes: Why Egypt? Why have you chosen not to study, Babylon? India, or other Ancient Civilizations?
Prof Fekri Hassan: I was born and raised in Egypt, so I've been fascinated by its history and archaeology for a long time.
Question from Billy Gee: I would, (as a small building contractor), be very interested to know more about the structures of Egyptian landmarks such as the historical pyramids and the Sphinx. What formed the foundations. Were the actual base materials/blocks laid upon just sand? If not, was the sand removed down to a more compact sand or perhaps sandstone substratum?
Prof Fekri Hassan: It is founded on a solid bedrock of limestone.
Question from Bob Baxter: Some people believe the pyramids are just too perfect to have been made by humans, what do you think?
Prof Fekri Hassan: Well, do you think that the Eiffel Tower was built by aliens?! We should never underestimate the capabilities of human beings. Ancient civilisations were not much different from ours and people were capable
Question from Lydia Valtind: How often do these "mini" ice ages occur and when is the next likely to strike?
Prof Fekri Hassan: Recent estimates indicate that they may occur every 1500 years, and they have happened quite frequently over the last 10,000 years. It is difficult to know when the next one will occur because we're messing up the climate, meaning it may come sooner rather than later.
Question from Lucy Brown: Why did you accept the inscriptions in the Ankhtifi’s tomb whilst others dismissed them as ancient rhetoric?
Prof Fekri Hassan: Because they were not the only testimony from that period. There were many other texts that confirmed what Ankhtifi said. In addition, the text was very specific about the events, mentioning placenames, specific activities that are beyond mere rhetoric. They are actually also in accordance with later writings about what happened during low floods, such as famines, people migrating and moving to the south and north from their districts , starvation and cannibalism.
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