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 been debate for a long time about how exactly the first engineers of the civilized world built the great pyramids of Egypt? A popular theory suggests that the Egyptians used a system of ropes and sleds to lift the stones to the top as the pyramid was built from the ground up, layer by layer, writes the Daily Mail.
But new research shows that the oldest pyramid in Egypt, the Pyramid 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 examined historical records and satellite photographs of the area to interpret features that supported their arguments.
«We determined that the internal architecture of the step pyramid is consistent with a hydraulic lifting mechanism that has not been previously reported,» Landro and his colleagues. — Ancient architects probably lifted the stones from the center of the pyramid volcanically, using water that did not contain sediment.
The Pyramid of Djoser is a «step pyramid,» meaning its sides are a series of flat platforms or steps, as opposed to the relatively flat sides of the famous Pyramid of Giza.
While Giza is the largest of Egypt's pyramids, Djoser is the oldest, built sometime between 2667 and 2648 BC, the Daily Mail notes.
The stunning structure was built entirely of 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 lift — a flat platform likely made of wood — that could lift up to 100 tons of stone at a time using the force of the water. According to experts, the water jet can be controlled so that the shaft can be emptied, ready for reuse for the next load of stone. Potentially, water could have been blocked at the base of the pyramid shaft, as a kind of plug, before it could be released during the next loading.
Although this new system, created 4,700 years ago, appears to be particularly complex, the pyramids themselves suggest that the ancient Egyptians were perhaps more skilled engineers than we think.
Gisr el-Mudir was previously thought to be a cattle pen, a ceremonial site for the worship of the gods, or even an unfinished pyramid, writes the Daily Mail.
But the theory that it was a dam makes a compelling connection to the central shaft of Djoser's pyramid, which reopened to visitors in 2020 after a 14-year restoration.
It is unclear whether any other famous Egyptian pyramids could have used this construction technology, the Daily Mail emphasizes.
A new study outlining this theory was published in the journal PLOS One.