For centuries, scholars have debated how the massive pyramids of ancient Egypt were constructed over 4,000 years ago. A fresh theory now proposes that the ancient Egyptians may have used a hydraulic lift system to raise the heavy stones needed to build the Step Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt’s oldest pyramid.
Constructed in the 27th century BC for Pharaoh Djoser, the Step Pyramid stood 62 meters (204 feet) tall, making it the tallest structure of its time. How such a massive monument, with stones weighing up to 300 kilograms (661 pounds), was built remains a mystery. The new study, published in the journal PLOS One, introduces an innovative approach to solving this ancient puzzle.
Dr Xavier Landreau, the lead author of the study and CEO of Paleotechnic, a Paris-based research institute, explained that while various theories have been proposed for the construction of smaller pyramids, such as ramps and cranes, the larger Old Kingdom pyramids (2675 to 2130 BC) may have required different techniques. The interdisciplinary research presented in the paper suggests that the Step Pyramid’s internal architecture could have accommodated a water-powered lift system.
According to the study, a complex water treatment system using local resources might have enabled a water-powered elevator within the pyramid’s internal vertical shaft. This elevator would have used a float to raise the heavy stones up the center of the pyramid.
The theory has intrigued some experts but also met with scepticism. Dr David Jeffreys, an Egyptologist and retired senior lecturer at University College London, noted that the prevailing belief is that ramps and haulage devices were used to position the massive blocks. However, the new theory offers a different perspective on how these monumental structures could have been constructed.
The study team analyzed palaeoclimatology, the study of ancient climates, along with archaeological data, to support their theory. They suggest that ancient streams once flowed from the west of the Saqqâra plateau into a system of deep-water trenches and tunnels surrounding the Step Pyramid. The water would also have filled the Gisr el-Mudir, a massive rectangular limestone structure, which the researchers believe acted as a check dam. This dam would have controlled water from floods and filtered out sediment, ensuring the quality and quantity of water necessary for the hydraulic lift.
Previous studies have suggested that the Sahara Desert experienced more rainfall thousands of years ago than it does today. The landscape likely resembled a savannah, capable of supporting more plant life. However, there is ongoing debate about when the climate shifted to drier conditions.
Dr Judith Bunbury, a geoarchaeologist at the University of Cambridge, acknowledged that it was rainier during the early Old Kingdom when the Step Pyramid was built. However, experts debate whether there would have been enough rainfall to sustain the structures needed for the hydraulic lift, such as the “Dry Moat,” a massive channel surrounding the Step Pyramid.
According to Dr Fabian Welc, director of the Institute of Archaeology at Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, the Sahara’s greener period likely ended by the beginning of the third millennium BC. He argues that low rainfall levels would not have been sufficient to fill the structures required for the hydraulic lift, and the water would have quickly drained through the porous limestone.
Despite these challenges, the study’s authors suggest that flash floods might have provided enough water to support the hydraulic lift during the pyramid’s construction. However, more research is needed to determine how much rainfall and flooding occurred during that time.
The study also explores the purpose of the vertical shaft within the Step Pyramid of Djoser. While shafts in later pyramids, such as the Great Pyramid of Giza, are believed to have been used for ventilation, the function of the shaft in the Step Pyramid remains unclear. The shaft is connected to a 200-meter-long underground tunnel leading to another vertical shaft outside the pyramid. This external shaft might connect to a hypothesized water transportation system in the Dry Moat, but further research is required to confirm this.
The internal shaft begins directly below the pyramid’s centre, where a granite box with a plug at its base is located. While this box is widely believed to be the burial chamber of King Djoser, the study’s authors suggest it might have been designed to operate the hydraulic lift, allowing water to fill the shaft when needed.
Dr. Landreau noted that further investigation is needed to determine whether other pyramids were built using similar methods. If confirmed, this theory could shed light on how the largest monoliths, like those in the pyramids of Khufu and Khephren, were raised. These massive stones, weighing tens of tons, would have been difficult to move using human labour alone, but a hydraulic lift could have made it possible.
Despite the numerous mysteries surrounding ancient Egyptian structures, there is ample evidence that the Egyptians used scaffolding and mud-brick ramps in construction. However, no documentation or depictions of a water-powered lift have been found.
Dr. Bunbury emphasized that while the hydraulic lift theory is possible, simpler explanations based on known technologies should not be overlooked. The pyramids have long fascinated people, partly because of the scale of the building project and the belief that such feats would have required advanced technology.
While the hydraulic lift theory offers an intriguing possibility, further research is needed to confirm its validity. The ancient Egyptians’ methods of constructing their monumental pyramids remain one of history’s greatest mysteries.
Source: Ghana Web
