Uploaded March 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Oxford Mathematician Dr Tom Crawford explains some of the maths used by the Ancient Egyptians - from their number system and calendar, to the geometry of their magnificent architecture. Filmed on location in Egypt.
The video was inspired by an article discussing the 8-sided nature of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and how the concavity would affect its volume. This is explored in the third part of the video via a calculation of the volume of a square-based pyramid, and how that would be modified for a step-pyramid such as the Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara.
The first part of the video looks at the number system of the Ancient Egyptians, including the meaning of the hieroglyphs and how they multiplied numbers together using a method of continuous doubling (or binary). Tom visits the wall at Karnak Temple which contains carvings of the numbers.
The second part of the video explores the Ancient Egyptian Festival Calendar and the division of the year into 3 seasons of 120 days. Tom visits Kom Ombo temple which contains the only known example of hieroglyphs detailing the transition to the new year.
The third and final part of the video looks more closely at the architecture of tombs such as the Pyramids and the Valley of the Kings. Tom visits both sites, as well as the ancient city of Saqqara. The volume of a standard square-based pyramid is calculated and compared to that of a step pyramid, with a rather surprising result.
Produced by Dr Tom Crawford at the University of Oxford. Tom is Public Engagement Lead at the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education: conted.ox.ac.uk/profiles/tom-crawford
With thanks to:
UCLA Digital Karnak
Quora
Robin Spivey
NASA
Penn Museum
Wikipedia
Bassano Ltd
For more maths content check out Tom's website tomrocksmaths.com
You can also follow Tom on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @tomrocksmaths.
facebook.com/tomrocksmaths
twitter.com/tomrocksmaths
instagram.com/tomrocksmaths
Get your Tom Rocks Maths merchandise here: beautifulequation.com/collections/tom-rocks-maths
Oxford Mathematician Dr Tom Crawford explains some of the maths used by the Ancient Egyptians - from their number system and calendar, to the geometry of their magnificent architecture. Filmed on location in Egypt.
The video was inspired by an article discussing the 8-sided nature of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and how the concavity would affect its volume. This is explored in the third part of the video via a calculation of the volume of a square-based pyramid, and how that would be modified for a step-pyramid such as the Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara.
The first part of the video looks at the number system of the Ancient Egyptians, including the meaning of the hieroglyphs and how they multiplied numbers together using a method of continuous doubling (or binary). Tom visits the wall at Karnak Temple which contains carvings of the numbers.
The second part of the video explores the Ancient Egyptian Festival Calendar and the division of the year into 3 seasons of 120 days. Tom visits Kom Ombo temple which contains the only known example of hieroglyphs detailing the transition to the new year.
The third and final part of the video looks more closely at the architecture of tombs such as the Pyramids and the Valley of the Kings. Tom visits both sites, as well as the ancient city of Saqqara. The volume of a standard square-based pyramid is calculated and compared to that of a step pyramid, with a rather surprising result.
Produced by Dr Tom Crawford at the University of Oxford. Tom is Public Engagement Lead at the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education: conted.ox.ac.uk/profiles/tom-crawford
With thanks to:
UCLA Digital Karnak
Quora
Robin Spivey
NASA
Penn Museum
Wikipedia
Bassano Ltd
For more maths content check out Tom's website tomrocksmaths.com
You can also follow Tom on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @tomrocksmaths.
facebook.com/tomrocksmaths
twitter.com/tomrocksmaths
instagram.com/tomrocksmaths
Get your Tom Rocks Maths merchandise here: beautifulequation.com/collections/tom-rocks-maths
