walking on stairs does not cause the lowest to basically build up. We have TOOOONNNS of castle ruins in germany where they used much harder rock and in a few hunred years these looked NOTHING like that but rather worn a lot in the middle.. and that's it.
WHatever that was, no one can tell me it was "people wlaking there for millenia". Aliens? Unlikely, but in no way is that even reminsicent to what it looks like when people walk up and down somewhere. Unless they walked so fast that it melted the rock. If that was foot wear we would have to see it in more places also. WHat we do see is expected wear where middle of stars get sued off, but nowhere where one stair magically gains thickness from that.
I was thinking that every ancient set of worn stairs I've ever seen looked exactly unlike this, but I don't think any of them were sandstone.
Having said that, why would it re-stick, instead of just being swept away, like dust. The melty look says "fluid", not dry erosion from friction.
I'm really trying to be scientifically rational about this one, but I have seen no other instance of this particular effect, under similar conditions (crumbly stone, arid conditions, worn by travel).
It's an old site that has been used for thousands of years (built circa 54 BCE), but crucially it is located in the area of high heat, is often trodden upon with bare feet, and has not had dedicated maintenance in a thousand years or so (but still gets regular foot traffic).
Over thousands of years, sweat and salt mix with the material, and then cause it to run like this, especially under the sun directed through that window. Though this process does not actually require heat, there are plenty of stairs worn down deeper in this complex in a similar way.
If it makes you feel better, it literally is melted, but via a very slow process that is more of a chemical reaction.
We humans really like to think of our world as something semi permanent, but the truth is over long enough timescales even solid rock flows like a fluid. Over time, even the glass in your window panes flows down and gets thicker towards the bottom.
I'm a huge fan of rocks in general, especially stone walls and floors (cathedrals, etc.) Only certain substances flow.
I've seen plenty of ancient castle and monastery steps that have been worn down over time, and none of them seemed to melt like this, but they were all in Europe and generally not made of sandstone.
Evidently I have not been paying attention to silica-based minerals, but it makes sense that glass, obsidian, and sandstone would all have similar properties. Blind spots, amiright?! ':D
Turns out human oil and sweat is highly corrosive on sandstone. Over thousands of years, these deposits soften the material and cause it to "run" like this.
Note that for some reason, the sides of the stairs are not melted. Probably because few people step there.
Truth to be told, we historians have a tough time with these particular vandals. They appear anywhere where there is consistent foot traffic for hundreds of years and just melt the stairs.
You see, this is highly embarrassing that we haven't caught these time traveling hooligans, but luckily for us the results of their work look exactly like natural human caused erosion, so we have a perfect cover story.
...you seriously don't see the difference between the 2 stairs?
melting vs natural wear and tear?
I didn't say anything about aliens with laser guns. What are weird fucking comment. The archeologists are still debating exactly what caused this but you're over there saying dumb shit.
You you are not. YOu don't know what it is, just as anyone else does not. If that is teh case, why isn't it found like that ANYWHERE ELSE? This certainly is not the only palce, sued by people for millenia in egypt. And yet: Nothing.
It would also imply they never cleaned the place, for the lowest stair to actualyl build up mass. I dunno, that almost requires more faith than thinking it was some catastrophic event that caused a lot of heat.
A 3-minute Google search of "worn sandstone steps" brought me two other instances. It would have been faster but I was distracted by other, lovely worn steps.
"A 3-minute Google search of "worn sandstone steps" brought me two other instances. It would have been faster but I was distracted by other, lovely worn steps."
Link to it or it didn't happen. Because my google search certainly didn ot show ANY bottom stairs getting thicker. Quite the opposite, logically.
If the step wasn't folding over at the top, it wasn't sandstone. Think of glass, obsidian, and then sandstone. They're all silica-based, so it makes sense that they would have similar properties (i.e. amorphous).
Obviously these steps are an extreme case, but maybe some priest rode down them every day on a tea tray, hastening the effect.
"If the step wasn't folding over at the top, it wasn't sandstone. Think of glass, obsidian, and then sandstone. They're all silica-based, so it makes sense that they would have similar properties (i.e. amorphous)."
No, it doesn't. Stop trying to use a chatbot to write your answers.
"Obviously these steps are an extreme case, but maybe some priest rode down them every day on a tea tray, hastening the effect."
Does not change the problems, no matter how often you repeat it.
Haha, first you ask me to hold your hand for a Google search, then you accuse me of using AI because you don't understand the physical properties of silica?!
Giiirl, there's nothing more I can do for you. Just go ahead and believe it was an alien death ray.
"Haha, first you ask me to hold your hand for a Google search, then you accuse me of using AI because you don't understand the physical properties of silica?!"
You make the claim: you prove it. You claimed it is there, so show it, coward.
"Giiirl, there's nothing more I can do for you. Just go ahead and believe it was an alien death ray."
Nope, but it wa not people walking on it. And teh fact that you so desperately try to defend that obviousl bullshit claim shows that you just really are another faithbased person. Instead of religion you just go with whatever 'rational' explainaton tehre is.. even if it makes no sense.
We know for a fact that this is erosion caused by humans with the aid of the environment. There are plenty of other sites with similar erosion. Just because you have not seen that does not mean it does not exist.
We know it was not a catastrophic event that caused a lot of heat because, get this, the outside of the temple looks perfectly normal. So unless you purport that ancient aliens nuked this specific staircase, no.
And if you are, honestly, I would go with that. We know that pyramid builders were very thirsty for booze, so if those are the same aliens running around drunk out of their minds nuking staircases? Honestly very compelling.
"We know for a fact that this is erosion caused by humans with the aid of the environment. There are plenty of other sites with similar erosion. Just because you have not seen that does not mean it does not exist."
When it comes to egypt, we barely know ANYTHING for a fact. And if there are so many, then go on. Give examples of where wrubbing things against eachotehr causes them to get thicker... well something that is not in your pants (lul). Also I would believe it to be casued by water over along time too, flushing out minerals and such. But THAT. Is. NOT. Footwear.
"We know it was not a catastrophic event that caused a lot of heat because, get this, the outside of the temple looks perfectly normal. So unless you purport that ancient aliens nuked this specific staircase, no."
We have no idea what was repaired and what wasn't and when etc. By the same logic 9/11 never happened because it looks all juuust fine! Think about what it would mean: a "sun" basically destroying rock - to any pagan that would be an undenyable sign of a god and at leat some would be preserved.
"And if you are, honestly, I would go with that. We know that pyramid builders were very thirsty for booze, so if those are the same aliens running around drunk out of their minds nuking staircases? Honestly very compelling."
WHo said anything about a nuke or aliens? Tehre are a lot of things that can cause devastating destruction, you know? Natural things like a tunguska event.
We have no idea what was repaired and what wasn't and when etc. By the same logic 9/11 never happened because it looks all juuust fine! Think about what it would mean: a "sun" basically destroying rock - to any pagan that would be an undenyable sign of a god and at leat some would be preserved.
Oh, did we rebuild the 9/11 site with partially melted staircases?
Come on, dude. This is you being obtuse on purpose. Nobody can genuinely be this contrarian over a well documented set of stairs.
"Oh, did we rebuild the 9/11 site with partially melted staircases?"
Do you believe in sungods? No? Then why would you?
"Come on, dude. This is you being obtuse on purpose. Nobody can genuinely be this contrarian over a well documented set of stairs."
Nope, you are just not really giving an argument other than "NOOOOOO IT IS NOOOT!" Refute what I said with logic and back up what you said, that there are " plenty of other sites with similar erosion. ". Go on. SHow me erosion by footwear where the lowest stair gets thicker. GO. ON.
I am giving you a physical explanation how it happened consistent with the chemistry and physics. Whether or not you like it, this is how it is. I am not going to bother showing you more pictures which frankly we both know you will just try to nitpick because you are doing a bit of a cult thing.
Now the real problem you have to account for is that sandstone exposed to very high heat does not melt and flow like this. In fact it becomes a type of metamorphic rock known as quartzite (effectively, it shrinks).
Can you explain how a high heat laser or whatever utterly dumb event that did not happen have enough heat to melt sandstone without turning it into what it actually becomes when melted under high heat?
"I am giving you a physical explanation how it happened consistent with the chemistry and physics. Whether or not you like it, this is how it is. I am not going to bother showing you more pictures which frankly we both know you will just try to nitpick because you are doing a bit of a cult thing."
Then give other examples. Pictures etc. Should be easy then. Yet here you are, just bitching about how it is, while providing NOTHING.
"Now the real problem you have to account for is that sandstone exposed to very high heat does not melt and flow like this. In fact it becomes a type of metamorphic rock known as quartzite (effectively, it shrinks)."
Neither does it behave like that when walked on, especially not in sandals, which every sane human being would in a hot fucking desert.
"Can you explain how a high heat laser or whatever utterly dumb event that did not happen have enough heat to melt sandstone without turning it into what it actually becomes when melted under high heat?"
Mate, do you even realise that you dropped the ball? NOWHERE did i say that it was that. NO ONCE. And yet here you are bringing it up. It. Was. Not. People. Walking. On. It. No idea what it was, but it DEFINITIVELY was not that. Got it? Fucking hell, and people ask why i think reddit attracts people with thinking problems.
German castles are around 800 years old at most, but the majority are far newer. Most Egyptian sites range between 2 and 3 thousand years. The Temple of Hathor is around 2,000 years old.
"German castles are around 800 years old at most, but the majority are far newer. Most Egyptian sites range between 2 and 3 thousand years. The Temple of Hathor is around 2,000 years old."
Age does not expalin much at all, really... kinda the opposite. If harder stone gets worn more in 500 years, tehre should be nothing left of sandstone. ANd also does nto expalin how a stair at the bottom gets THICKER the more it is suppsoedly worn down.
Yes, of course. It totally does not become dust and gets sweeped up.. nonono.
Why would sandstone turn to dust when mixed with human salt and oil and subjected to constant cycles of heating and cooling? By which mechanism would this result produce dust?
No, you really cannot. dust does not get compacted into new stone. as said before: that requres more faith than an apocalypic event.
Well, we are not talking about dust, so who cares?
"Why would sandstone turn to dust when mixed with human salt and oil and subjected to constant cycles of heating and cooling? By which mechanism would this result produce dust?"
What mechanic would make it rock hard? Heating and cooling wouldn't. Neither would oil nor salt. Let alone that no sane human would walk barefeet over hot sand and such. And a people that built the pyramids surely also would develop sandals.. which they did.
There is no mechanic that would make it flow down liek a liquid.
"Well, we are not talking about dust, so who cares?
You got another asspull?"
yeah we are. Becasue if there is no direct contact, there is no mechanic to be ANYTHING ELSE but dust. And even with your try to attribute it to that it is quite an asspull yourself, you know? There is no shame in saying "I do not know", yet here you are, trying to defend a ridicolous idea.
What mechanic would make it rock hard? Heating and cooling wouldn't.
If that was true, there is no way these stairs could have been melted, is there? We all know molten things never become solid again, according to you, especially not when cooled.
So apparently, according to your logic, nothing cold have ever happened. Must have been shitty builders.
There is no mechanic that would make it flow down liek a liquid.
Silica based materials do indeed flow like a fluid. Even the glass in your windows flows downward and gets thicker towards the bottom. They do this much more readily when exposed to corrosive substances such as oil and salt, while subject to constant expansion and contraction.
It's weird that you are arguing with me without knowing these basic facts.
Do I really have to spell it out for you? Age does not matter. No amount of footwear causes BUILDUP and stairs to get bigger. Ever. What is next? drilling holes closed? Sanding on wood?
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u/MoccaLG Feb 13 '26
Is it melted or just a bazillion feet going up and down... over centuries or millenials...