There can be found in ancient writings passages which appear to say almost anything-- including wild imaginings comparable to the latest science fiction of 2000 AD. The main trouble is separating fact from fiction in the ancient records. One thing that makes the task difficult is the prevalence in ancient peoples for beliefs in magic and religious miracles, which reduces the chance for careful or skeptical observation and documentation. Other factors include the age-old need to heap praise upon one's emperor/king/queen/nation or possibly face execution, torture, or harassment. And, of course, basic scientific ignorance within the writers about many natural phenomena or certain laws of physics don't help matters much either.

On the other hand, we occasionally discover a seemingly outlandish account from the distant past which turns out to harbor a surprising nugget of truth-- if only we can view it from the proper perspective.

One suspect writing by an Arab of the 10th century seems to say that the builders of the Egyptian Great Pyramid of Khufu/Cheops possessed a rod which could be struck against huge stones to cause the objects to easily slide lengthy distances ("one bowshot") over the ground. At least one modern writer uses this as a jump off point to speculate that a system of sound vibrations was used to levitate stone blocks about the construction site. Such a technique seems to have been a somewhat common tale or myth for many cultures elsewhere about the ancient world too. That is, other cultures also have stories of their own people or others at one time being able to easily move great weights in a mysterious fashion similar to that described before for the pyramid blocks.

Some modern writers also claim evidence for the use of ultrasonics in the ancient stonework. Others note that there was at least an awareness of certain acoustical tricks and effects among the ancients, if not quite the advanced technologies and feats some moderns might claim for them.

-- Fortean Slips: Rockin' the Pyramids by D. Trull Enigma Editor, [email protected], Sources: The Times (London), found on or about 3-6-2000

Yes, scientists have discovered that acoustical levitation really is possible after all-- at least with certain 20th century technologies anyway. The first documented modern acoustic levitation experiments were performed in the 1940s. More recently, a Japanese researcher developed an acoustic levitation variation on the conveyor belt via supersonic waves (20,000 vibrations per second). Acoustic levitation offers some advantages over other kinds of invisible force fields, such as working with any material object, and the equipment required being relatively small and energy-efficient. Manipulation and maneuvering of objects is also highly flexible and accurate.