Ancient Egyptian level - GIF

[mklotz]

The ingenuity of these ancient construction engineers was amazing.

To build the pyramids they had to first flatten and level the bed rock on which they were building. They carved a grid of slots into the rock, then flooded the grid. Workers then chiseled each square of rock between the slots until it was level with the water surface.

Given their use of water as a leveling agent, I wouldn't be surprised if we found evidence of them using animal intestines as the form of water level we employ today using clear plastic tubing.

Sadly, they were so preoccupied with religion and an imagined after-life that most of their tomb painitings and surviving papyri mention nothing about how they accomplished their construction megaworks.