Tell a modern engineer to build something of that size, to last that long, with no cementing agent and he'll look at you like you're insane.

Yes! That reminds me of a Nova special I watched recently about the reconstruction of the ships Hatshepsut sent to Punt... the guy they had captaining it was just like, "No way, this thing will never be able to sail, it doesn't have this, it doesn't have that..." Then they got it out on the open water and he said it was the best ship he'd ever sailed. Nobody can get out of their "This is how we do it, so it's the only way that works" mentality! *facepalm*