suggest that fixed cutting points
were inserted in the copper saws; and this would be parallel to the
saw-cuts in the very hard limestone of the Palace of Tiryns, in which a
piece of a copper saw has been broken, and where may be yet found large
chips of emery, too long and coarse to serve as a powder, but suited for
fixed teeth. A similar method was common for circular holes, which were
cut by a tube, either with powder or fixed teeth. These tubular drills
were used from the IVth Dynasty down to late times, in all materials
from alabaster up to carnelian. The resulting cores are more regular
than those of modern rock-drilling.

Limestone in the Great Pyramid, as elsewhere, was dressed by chopping it
with an adze, a tool used from prehistoric to Roman times for all soft
stones and wood. This method was carried on up to the point of getting
contact with the facing-plate at every inch of the surface; the cuts
cross in various directions. For removing rock in reducing a surface to
a level, or in quarrying, cuts were made with a pick, forming straight
trenches, and the blocks were then broken out between these. In
quarrying the cuts are generally 4 or 5 in. wide, just enough for the
workman's arm to reach in; for cutting away rock the grooves are 20 in.
wide, enough to stand in, and the squares of rock about 9 ft. wide
between the grooves (P.T. 100). The accuracy of the workmanship in the
IVth Dynasty is astonishing. The base of the pyramid of Snefru had an
average variation of 6 in. on 5765 and 10' of squareness. But,
immediately after, Cheops improved on this with a variation of less than
6 in. on 9069 in. and 12" of direction. Chephren fell off, having 1.5
error on 8475, and 33" of variation; and Mycerinus (Menkeure) had 3 in.
error on 4154 and 1' 50" variation of direction (P.M. 6; P.T. 39, 97,
111). Of perhaps later date the two south pyramids of Dahshur show
errors of 3.7 on 7459 and 1.1 on 2065 in., and variation of direction of
4' and 10' (P.S. 28, 30). The above smallest error of only 1 in 16,000
in lineal measure, and 1 in 17,000 of angular measure, is that of the
rock-cutting for the foundation of Khufu, and the masonry itself (now
destroyed) was doubtless more accurate. The error of flatness of the
joints from a straight line and a true square is but 1/100th in. on 75
in. length; and the error of level is only 1/50th in. along a course, or
about 10" on a long length (P.T. 44). We have entered thus fully on the