Brothers of the Serpent Podcast

Feels good to be back in Egypt! After 8 months away I was looking forward to returning. Good times and great company on this trip!

Graham came with us to Egypt - as a machinist he decided to see just what it would take to make a replica OG vase from metal (far easier and more homogeneous than granite) with the precision of the OG vase, using modern, computer controlled mills. It proved to be quite the task! Thanks to @ArtifactFNDN and @karolypoka and of course Graham for the ongoing research.

One of my favorite pieces to show people on the Giza Plateau - a little off the main thoroughfare, to the side of the 'mortuary' temple of the middle pyramid complex. The so called 'couch' blocks - really they're granite cornice blocks (including a cornice corner) that were part of the top or upper level of the granite casing stones, that once fully encapsulated the gigantic limestone core masonry (some of those blocks massing up to 450+ tons!) of this huge structure. While it's in an extreme state of disrepair due to extreme erosional damage (how long did that take you might ask), the upper pyramid or 'mortuary' temple is, or was, far larger and more impressive than the mighty and much better know Valley temple, that sits next to the Great Sphinx at the other end of the causeway. Itself a marvel of megalithic engineering, the valley temple has/had 16 great square granite pillars in it's court, while the upper pyramid temple had 24, along with a much larger footprint, and the remnants of several are still viewable. The couch blocks display remarkable aspects of advanced machining into a very hard material, aswanian granite. Consistent radii and compound curves, very smooth and polished surfaces despite many thousands of years in the elements. As per @chrispdunn 's analysis, they display machining characteristics similar to techniques used today to strengthen potential stress or break lines. It's just lying there, out in the sun, usually next to where they park the camels with all their poop. Never ceases to amaze me - and I love showing it to engineers who visit Egypt with me. #egypt #pyramids #machining

New video! A deep dive into the evidence for ancient machining - centered around a remarkable granite piece at the rarely seen Old Kingdom pyramid site of Abu Rawash. Spans 4th dynasty context, connecting evidence, witness marks, expert opinions, and speculates on function and the possibilities for the full machining process, from quarry to polished stone.

New video! We visit Ancient Mendes - a rarely seen and massive ancient Egyptian site, going back to pre-dynastic times. Amazing megaliths, including the largest 'Naos' (single piece upright granite box) in Egypt. We found much more than we expected! Vase fragments, machined stone, and more... #egypt #ancient

Join us in Egypt in December this year! 16 days, 7 special permission visits into closed sites, lots more! all deets: unchartedx.com/primordial202… Hosted by myself and my good friends Yousef Awyan, and Kyle and Russ Allen. Upper and Lower Egypt, a 4 night Nile cruise, 5* hotels, and a heavy focus on special permission accesses. Want to know what the trips are like? Check out the testimonials page (with vids): unchartedx.com/futuretours/

After much negotiation, finally got out to Tell el-Roba in Egypt - ancient Mendes. Amazing site, 250+ acres, much more here than I expected. Obviously the naos was the main attraction, but we found hard stone vase fragments (with core drill markings) in the midden, along with pre-pottery neolithic A flint tools, unifacials etc, identical to what you see at places like Karahan Tepe. Pearl clutchers, activate. Also, circular saw witness marks in buried basalt slabs, just like at Giza and Abu Sir. Video to come, but currently busy in Egypt!

Statue of a lion with a small figure of Khufu (father of Khafre) between its legs? Whatever could it mean? Seems somehow familiar, can't quite put my finger on why

Getting ready to head off to Egypt for the December Primordial Tour - there are few spots still open for anyone looking for an adventure before the end of the year! Happy to say that we'll also be joined by Russ Allen of @SnkBrs! All the details are here: unchartedx.com/primordial

Hiked up to the top of Huana Picchu today, the mountain behind #machupicchu ! Strenuous hike, but totally worth it. #peru #ancient