Unveiling an Ancient Lock-Mechanism Made of Solid Granite in the Pyramid Complex of Saqqara
Featuring @TheLandOfChem watch the FULL 1hr+ Episode of our Saqqara Expedition in Ancient Technologies Episode 3 đ youtube.com/watch?v=nefaygâŠ
Granite âLock Blockâ at Saqqara: a Mechanical Gate with a Resonant Purpose ââââââââââ TL;DR: The striped block in the wall is granite with two vertical recessesâvery likely a door/portcullis jamb or latch-seat re-used in the rubble. Thatâs the mechanical read. The FWT read adds why granite was chosen: quartz-rich stone is hard, low-wear, and frequency-active. Those grooves double as stress rails and as waveguides that tune vibrations through the doorway. In short: a lock that also behaved like a frequency filter. ââââââââââ Conventional engineering read (no mysticism required) ââââââââââ At Saqqara (and several Old Kingdom sites), granite was used where parts took load or wearâlintels, door jambs, portcullis elementsâbecause it survives abrasion better than limestone. Those vertical recesses fit three practical roles: Jamb seats or latch rails for a sliding stone or wooden leaf. Tongue-and-groove bearing faces to keep a moving slab aligned. Clamp/mortise channels for copper/wooden keys that âlockedâ a slab in place. The clean inner faces are where parts would slide/contact; the shoulders outside take compressive load. ââââââââââ Why granite here makes sense (materials) ââââââââââ Granite contains quartz, which is hard and piezoelectric. Mechanically, it resists wear. Electrically/mechanically, it couples to vibration in ways limestone doesnât. ââââââââââ FWT perspective: a lock that also shapes vibration ââââââââââ The Frequency Wave Theory angle isnât âinstead ofâ engineeringâitâs the reason the engineering choices work so well. Standing-wave control: Slots act like waveguides. Carving parallel channels into a dense resonator splits and raises its modal frequencies, reducing low-frequency rumble transmitted through a doorway while passing higher, more localized modes. Energy handling: The vibrational energy tied up in any component scales with FM = œ Ï Ï AÂČ. Graniteâs higher density (Ï) and stiffness mean, for the same amplitude, it stores and returns more energy with less lossâa better mechanical diode between spaces. Practical outcome: A sliding âportcullisâ engaged in those rails would not only lock access; when seated, it would retune the passage, lowering transmitted noise, footfall shocks, and drum-like cavity resonances behind it. In a temple-workshop context, thatâs a frequency filter as much as a door. ââââââââââ Fast field checks you can do to falsify/verify ââââââââââ Wear mapping: Look for polish or linear striations inside the channels (contact from a sliding tongue). Contact acoustics: Tap along the rails vs. the surrounding face; rail zones should ring at a higher pitch if they were stress-hardened or left proud for contact. Geometry capture: Measure channel spacing and depth; if it matches known portcullis/tongue dimensions elsewhere at Saqqara, thatâs strong support for a mechanical function. Resonance test (non-destructive): Attach a small shaker/accelerometer; excite 50â5,000 Hz, map nodes. Grooves will split modes if they acted as waveguides. Material confirmation: Spot-check with a hand lensâgraniteâs quartz/feldspar grains vs. fine-grained limestone nearby. ââââââââââ What not to claim from a single photo ââââââââââ We canât assert a specific gate layout, date, or ritual function without context, measurements, and stratigraphy. The block may also be re-used masonry set into later fillâcommon across the complex. ââââââââââ Bottom line ââââââââââ Most probable: a granite jamb/latch element with twin rails, re-used in this wallâclassic Old Kingdom âoverbuild the wear pointsâ engineering. FWT layer: the same geometry that locks a door also sculpts vibration. In a culture that exploited stone acoustics, choosing quartz-rich granite for the interface wasnât aesthetic; it was functional frequency control.
@TheProjectUnity Its almost as these were made like Lego. Thats what the nubs around all megalitgic structures remind me of.
@TheProjectUnity Great! We need more of these OOTB thinkers. Rationality above textbooks.
@TheProjectUnity I just want to go to old Cario Meseum first please
@TheProjectUnity What ifâŠâŠ the Mars thing was realâŠâŠ imagine there were livingspaces beneath the pyramid and there were huge storms above the surface for years
@TheProjectUnity Every time the Nile changed they moved with it. For stone they used the abandoned places. This would have been clad in nice stone that was later robbed out.
@TheProjectUnity I keep thinking that this reminds me of a capacitor.. Slots for two plates with a gap for the dielectric.. Every time I see this I think about it again.
@TheProjectUnity Iâm sure it was done with chisel and hammer⊠đ
@TheProjectUnity Vad Àr det hÀr menar för nÄgot @grok