Building Pharaoh's Ship (Video)
See the ancient shipbuilding practices used to recreate the ship that sailed across the Red Sea to land of Punt. (Chapters 5 and 6, approx. 19 min.; Program available after broadcast)

Raising an Obelisk: An Engineering Puzzle (Video)
Watch two teams test out two different theories to try to explain how ancient Egyptians might have raised massive obelisks to stable, upright positions. (5:21 min.)

How Big Were They? (Interactive)
Compare the weight of the largest ancient obelisk to a herd of elephants.

Cutting Granite with Sand (Slideshow)
See how ancient Egyptian quarrymen and stonemasons quarried and drilled holes in granite.

Secrets of Lost Empires II—Pharaoh's Obelisk (Lesson)
Discover how levers work by raising a brick with shish kebab skewers.

Curriculum Connections
Levers, force, fulcrum, load, Archimedes, Egyptian architecture and engineering

Standards
Grades 5-8
Standard A: Science as Inquiry: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, Understanding about scientific inquiry
Standard B: Physical Science: Motions and forces
Standard G: History and Nature of Science: Science as a human endeavor, History of science

Grades 9-12
Standard A: Science as Inquiry: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, Understanding about scientific inquiry
Standard B: Physical Science: Motions and forces
Standard G: History and Nature of Science: Science as a human endeavor, Historical perspectives

Scaling the Pyramids (Interactive)
Click on parts of a pyramid to learn more about it, then print out and assemble a scaled-down version of the Great Pyramid.

Curriculum Connections
Pyramids, scale models, Egyptian architecture and engineering

Standards
Grades 5-8
Standard A: Science as Inquiry: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, Understanding about scientific inquiry
Standard G: History and Nature of Science: Science as a human endeavor, History of science
Math Standards (Grades 6-8): Geometry, Measurement, Connections

Grades 9-12
Standard A: Science as Inquiry: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, Understanding about scientific inquiry
Standard G: History and Nature of Science: Science as a human endeavor, Historical perspectives
Math Standards: Geometry, Measurement, Connections