Why don't they restore stonehenge and the pyramids?

[Chimera 1]

I have been watching the documentaries about the pyramids and stonehenge and other structures that have mystified us for centuries. Why don't the restore them to how they were or how they beleive they were. Why not put stonehenge back together or make the pyramids smooth on the sides? 1. They would be absolutely amazing and 2. We would have a better understanding of what they were used for.

I don't see any reason they haven't done it yet. Is it out of fear?

 

[FQRizzo]

For the same reason George Lucas shouldn't have come out with the Special Editions. Don't F with the past.

 

[scubasteve]

That would all mean tampering with the existing structures. Ain't gonna happen.

 

[DarkArtist81]

That would all mean tampering with the existing structures. Ain't gonna happen.

Yeah, it would be wrong to attempt it. We can do what we can to help preserve the structures, but to rebuild or change anything would destroy a lot of what makes it historically significant. It becomes less their art and more our art, which is wrong.

 

[ProgMatinee]

There's a distinct difference between something of antiquity and something of the modern world.

Restoring the Statue of Liberty or Eifel Tower is good, but not something that is so old like the Pyramids. That said, maintaining it so it doesn't further deteriorate is important.

 

[Voorhees27]

Two questions:

1. Who officially has ownership rights to them? Government of Egypt?
2. Who's going to pay for the multi billion dollar project?

 

[Darthrazz]

I think just keeping them from degrading any further is the key now. Although the Great Pyramid would be a great location for a shopping mall!

 

[galactiboy]

Yeah, it would be wrong to attempt it. We can do what we can to help preserve the structures, but to rebuild or change anything would destroy a lot of what makes it historically significant. It becomes less their art and more our art, which is wrong.

Exactly...

To "fix" these structures would would basically have to reface them which would mean that all visitors would see is our work and not the structure that is still there, the part that connects us to history.

And its hard to say what they really looked like, so there would be an imperfect interpretation which would definitely cause trouble.

But one thing you might be interested in... a group recently built a replica of Stonehenge (not using real stone, but something lighter they could shape) and by doing so learned a lot about how it would have worked. It was really fascinating.

 

[Agent0028]

In addition to the other great points I would like to add that there's the possibility that we restore it with how we think it is, and years later down the road we realize we restored it wrong.

 

[Shropt]

How can you "rebuild" something when you don't even know what they looked like originally?

 

[Agent0028]

Also I think the deteriorated state adds to the mystique of the monuments.

 

[Chimera 1]

I see all of your points. But how do you preserve something like the Great pyramid, put a glass dome over it? I mean there are historians that know what these things looked like through texts and ancient writings. I agree that it would destroy the mystique though but it would be cool to see them as they originally were.
So let's move away from restoring them. Why not recreate them to scale so we can see if we can figure out why they were built or better yet how?
Do you think if they created a 3d image of all the pyramids and other structures that something amazing would be revealed?

 

[galactiboy]

I've heard that people have considered recreating the Pyramids... but the truth of it is they aren't able too. Those are so massive and made in such a way that it seem almost impossible... or at the very least so expensive and logistically complicated that no one would take it on.

What's amazing about these thing is that the shear amount of planning, blood, sweat and muscle that went into them is almost unimaginable to us. Imagine having to cut giant blocks out of living rock and that they all had to be perfectly sized and line up in a way that could create those kind of structures... its really mind-blowing.

 

[darthviper107]

Plus the Pyramids had a gold point at the top, that would be pretty expensive.

 

[galactiboy]

Wasn't a gold top and then a white exterior?

 

[Darthrazz]

Wasn't a gold top and then a white exterior?

I believe so, that must have been quite a sight!!!

 

[Darthrazz]

Do you think if they created a 3d image of all the pyramids and other structures that something amazing would be revealed?

Supposedly the three great pyramids line up with Orion's belt in the constellation of Orion.

 

[Batty]

I think restoring the pyramids and stonehenge would piss off the aliens who created them.

 

[Reinhardt]

I asked this exact question when I was in Scotland last month - so many of the castles are utterly destroyed and would look amazing if restored. Part of her reasoning was the following:

They don't want to tamper with history - If the castle was destroyed in a battle, they want to preserve history as it was. Further, if the castle was merely destroyed due to villages stealing bricks, or simple corrosion, although they could restore it, they don't know EXACTLY what it looked like back then, all they can do is speculate.

On top of that, there would be a huge battle with the government on the types of materials to use that are historically accurate to the time period. Further, getting funding for the restoration could take years.

Having said all that, i don't care if it is historically inaccurate, i think it would be amazing to walk through a castle as if it were 1200 - maybe not be messing up with history, but building a replica close to the real thing.

 

[Karma]

I think restoring the pyramids would piss off the predators who created them.

amended