Lost Engineers of Prehistoric Egypt - Ben van Kerkwyk, UnchartedX #323 (DemystifySci Podcast)

Ben van Kerkwyk is the host of the ‪@UnchartedX‬ Youtube channel, best known for his study of unbelievably precise stone vases from the pre-dynastic period in Egypt. The strangeness of these vases cannot be overstated. They’re hewn out of some of the hardest stones known to man with micron precision. Mathematical relationships like pi, phi, and the flower of life are encoded in their construction. And they are OLD. Some have been found in tombs that date back to 6000 BC, more than three thousand years before the peak of Egyptian civilization. When they are discovered, it is always among other vases that look similar, but lack the precision and fine workmanship, or are made from softer stone. It is as if they are prized heirlooms, passed along through the generations, from a people whose ability to work stone (at the very least) rivals ours - but who are completely missing from the archaeological record. Who were these people? Why did they make these vases? What else were they doing? We sit down with Ben to unravel the story.



[Posted at the SpookyWeather2 blog, February 26, 2025.]