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King Tut's Chariot a Marvel of Ancient Engineering

astroengine writes "King Tutankhamun, who ruled Egypt over 3,000 years ago, looks as if he was chauffeured around the desert in one of the earliest-known high-performance vehicles. Tut's chariots surpass all monumental structures of the pharaohs in engineering sophistication. Discovered in pieces by British archaeologist Howard Carter when he entered King Tut's treasure-packed tomb in 1922, the collection consisted of two large ceremonial chariots, a smaller highly decorated one, and three others that were lighter and made for daily use. 'These vehicles appear to be the first mechanical systems which combine the use of kinematics, dynamics and lubrication principles,' said Alberto Rovetta, professor in robotics engineering at the Polytechnic of Milan."

2 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. HOLY AMAZING! by qoncept · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The fact that they realized all those years ago that soft is more comfortable than hard, slippery is faster than sticky and light is less work than heavy is amazing! And that easily makes these chariots "surpass all monumental structures of the pharaohs in engineering sophistication." Moving thousands of tons of rock without machinery is easy compared to slopping fat on a stick!

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    Whale
  2. Re:Um, Not? by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And how fast could a horse pull a chariot over 'the desert dunes' without ejecting the occupant?

    Well, that's why he is called "The Boy King" and not "The King Who Reached a Ripe Old Age." He got tossed from his Mach Five Chariot, while still young, broken his leg, and died from an infection.

    Ferrari chariots? I guess he was more like James Dean of his time. Except James Dean had a Porsche Chariot.

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    Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!