Human Ingenuity Museum

The New Terran Hegemony will eagerly grasp any opportunity to demonstrate that Humanity deserves to occupy the top spot when it comes civilization in the galaxy. One effort currently underway is the construction of a museum dedicated to the history of Human technological advancement, with planned exhibits that range from the dawn of recorded Human history to the present time. The very structure housing these exhibits is intended to demonstrate examples of the earliest instances of the Human ability to achieve greatness without advanced technologies.

Groundbreaking for this project occurred two standard years ago. Since then one of the two planned structures has been completed, and recently opened its doors to the public. The second, however, is a continuing effort, and due to the nature of its construction, is not expected to be completed for several more standard years.

The Structures

The museum will be situated just off the central government complex, and, when completed, will consist of two main structures based on celebrated ancient Terran constructions: the Great Pyramid of Giza built by the ancient Egyptian culture, and the Parthenon of the ancient Athenian Greeks.

The Great Pyramid

This structure is intended to house the bulk of the museum's exhibits. Its outer facade uses polished stone that mimics the presumed appearance of the original Great Pyramid at the time of its construction. It is larger than the original, with each side of its base measuring 440 meters and reaching a height of 220 meters. (These numbers were derived from the specifications of the original, with meters being substituted for the archaic "cubits".)

Modern techniques and materials were used, allowing this building to be completed in under 200 standard days; it is currently open to the public. The facade consists of laser cut and polished stone panels supported by an alusteel frame. It features a gold-plated capstone that gleams in the sunlight of the day, and emits a focused beam of light vertically at night. This feature was derived not from the original, but from another replica of the structure constructed much later in the Americas region of Terra.

The Parthenon

Though smaller than the pyramid, this structure is not yet complete, and is not intended to be complete for at least another ten to fifteen standard years. However, its very construction is currently serving as an active museum exhibit, and is perhaps the most popular exhibit in the complex today. The reason for this is that the construction of this building is being undertaken using the same primitive tools, measuring devices, and construction techniques that were employed in the erection of the original Parthenon on the Acropolis hill above the city of Athens on Terra.

The building will be constructed almost entirely of marble taken from a quarry not far from the city of Nubuwaires. Even the harvesting of the raw marble blocks will be undertaken using ancient tools and methods, thus making the quarry itself another museum exhibit, at least for the next several years. Interiors will also feature hand-worked hardwood and metallic elements; even the metals for these will be smelted and forged using ancient techniques.

Every column, stair, and decorative frieze from the original will be mimicked by artists and artisans who have been (or are becoming) masters of the ancient crafts. Only one deviation from the original is planned: instead of a large statue of the ancient Terran goddess Athena dominating the interior of the building, a hand-crafted statue of Karan Nijibutu, the Founder of the New Terran Hegemony, will tower over visitors. Imitating the original as closely as possible, this sculpture will have a wooden core with panels of icebeast tusk and beaten gold. The 11.5 meter statue will have one arm extended, holding an unfurled scroll containing the words of the Declaration of Destiny .