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Hopkins tries a more straightforward method. He relies on the simplest of all tools that the Egyptians might have used to raise an obelisk: grains of sand. Hopkins has buried the obelisk's pedestal stone under 22 tons of sand within a brick-walled container, which he plans to empty out by hand. Slowly, the edge of the obelisk's base descends into the place it belongs: the pedestal stone's turning groove. The men use ropes to pull the obelisk into its upright position. Previous Next How Big Were They? | Cutting Granite with Sand | NOVA Raises an Obelisk Lever an Obelisk | Explore Ancient Egypt | Mysteries of the Nile | Resources | Transcript Medieval Siege | Pharaoh's Obelisk | Easter Island | Roman Bath | China Bridge | Site Map Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule About NOVA | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Jobs | Search | To print PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH © | Updated November 2000 |