ahemm, ahemm, from a geological perspective, it's only natural for a mine as large as moria to have a central area as large as dwimmordeme (did i spell that right?). first, if you get the many dwarves to work in all the levels of the mines, you would certainly need a huge huge space in which to store and even suck in the needed supply of air to ventilate the entire place. secondly, small mine shafts are a death trap, and if you incorporate a living area or a congregational hall it should be wide enough to allow for escape and high enough to allow for sight of impending danger. Third, the less burden of rock there is the less likely the chance of collapse, so in a fully excavated hall like that there is a less likely chance of annihilating an entire enclave of dwarves all at the same time!
from the perspective of a fanatic, dwarves are magnificent smiths and miners, and if they've built majestic halls for the mighty elven kings of old, then small wonder that their crowning glory, the most beautiful and spacious hall they've built, they've built for themselves (dwarves aren't a very unselfish race too come to think of that)...
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every man's life is a path to the truth -- hesse
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pity this busy monster,manunkind, not / -progress is a comfortable disease;/ your victim (death and life safely beyond) / plays with the bigness of his littleness
---ee cummings
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