Water helped the ancient Egyptians build giant structures
Has the secret of pyramid building in Ancient Egypt finally been revealed? Perhaps. Scientists have discovered a unique hydraulic lifting system in the famous Egyptian pyramid of Djoser. It was built using an ingenious water supply system, experts say.
There has long been debate over how exactly the civilised world's first engineers built Egypt's great pyramids. A popular theory suggests that the Egyptians used a system of ropes and sleds to lift stones to the top as the pyramid was built from scratch, layer by layer, the Daily Mail reports.
But new research suggests that Egypt's oldest pyramid, the Pyramid of Djoser, was built 4,700 years ago using an even more ingenious «hydraulic lift».
"The ancient Egyptians were renowned for their innovation and mastery of hydraulics, which enabled them to build canals for irrigation and barges to transport huge stones," the scientists explained. "This work opens up a new line of research — the use of hydraulic power to build the massive structures built by the pharaohs."
The new theory is presented in a new study led by Xavier Landreau, president of Paleotechnic, an archaeological research institute in Paris.
The researchers studied historical records and satellite images of the area to interpret features that support their argument.
«We found that the internal architecture of the step pyramid is consistent with a hydraulic uplift mechanism that has not been previously reported,» Landreau and his colleagues say. «The ancient architects likely lifted stones from the center of the pyramid in a volcanic manner, using sediment-free water.»
The Pyramid of Djoser is a «step pyramid», meaning that its sides are a series of flat platforms or steps, in contrast to the comparatively flat sides of the famous Pyramid of Giza.
Although Giza is the largest of the Egyptian pyramids, Djoser is the oldest, built sometime between 2667 and 2648 BC, notes the Daily Mail.
The stunning structure was built entirely from stone by the ancient Egyptian architect Imhotep in the vast necropolis of Saqqara, south of Cairo.
It is believed to be the final resting place of King Djoser, an ancient Egyptian pharaoh and founder of the Old Kingdom.
While the huge shaft at the center of the pyramid was already known, researchers are now putting forward a new theory about its purpose.
First, they point to Gisr el-Mudir, an ancient stone structure located less than a mile west of Djoser's pyramid. The function of Gisr el-Mudir has never been precisely known, but researchers speculate that it may have acted as a dam, collecting rainfall and funneling it toward the pyramid through a system of pipes. Once the groundwater reached the center of the pyramid, it rushed up a central shaft, like magma in a volcano.
This powerful jet of water could lift a floating hoist — a level platform, probably made of wood — that could lift up to 100 tons of rock at a time using the power of the water. Experts believe the jet of water could be controlled so that the shaft could be emptied, ready to be reused for the next load of rock. Potentially, the water could have been trapped at the base of the pyramid shaft, like a kind of plug, before it could be released by the next load.
While this new system, dating back 4,700 years, appears particularly complex, the pyramids themselves suggest that the ancient Egyptians may have been more skilled engineers than we think.
Gisr el-Mudir was previously thought to be a cattle pen, a ceremonial site for worshiping the gods, or even an unfinished pyramid, the Daily Mail reports.
But the theory that it was a dam provides a compelling link to the central shaft of Djoser’s pyramid, which reopened to visitors in 2020 after a 14-year restoration.
It’s unclear whether any other famous Egyptian pyramids may have used this construction technique, the Daily Mail reports.
A new study outlining This theory was published in the journal PLOS One.
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