It’s nearly 2024 but do we know how the AE’s constructed the Pyramids

[Hanslune]

4 hours ago, Harte said:

Sandbags.
And they wouldn't need to equal the mass of the stone. Just provide an aid and a brake.
Or, of course, you could set up some kind of gigantic contraption to capture the cold geyser water that was constantly spewing out and use that as a counterweight.

Harte

All that silly talk about water they had one thing easily at hand, sand and rocks if they needed weights and wanted to use that instead of direct manpower. Of course you'd have to make some sort of flat surface to have them run on up the side, that or putting on the outer cladding then covering it so it wouldn't scratch it all up, or if not cladding then you have to cover the gaps in the tiers for a smooth pull. We'll never know if they pulled the stones up, or dragged them up, or used shadoof type devices. Yes, that pesky geyser that and the wall going around the pyramid to hold the water in and then somehow laying the first 10 tiers underwater or something - weird stuff. Chuckle

[Harte]

13 hours ago, Hanslune said:

All that silly talk about water they had one thing easily at hand, sand and rocks if they needed weights and wanted to use that instead of direct manpower. Of course you'd have to make some sort of flat surface to have them run on up the side, that or putting on the outer cladding then covering it so it wouldn't scratch it all up, or if not cladding then you have to cover the gaps in the tiers for a smooth pull. We'll never know if they pulled the stones up, or dragged them up, or used shadoof type devices. Yes, that pesky geyser that and the wall going around the pyramid to hold the water in and then somehow laying the first 10 tiers underwater or something - weird stuff. Chuckle

A shadoof probably wouldn't work for the granite in the ceilings.
That would be one hellacious shadoof.
Harte

[cladking]

12 minutes ago, Harte said:

A shadoof probably wouldn't work for the granite in the ceilings.
That would be one hellacious shadoof.

It should be way easier to just drag them up ramps.  😉

There were only two possibilities for lifting the  largest stones probably.  They were either lifted straight up the step sides similarly to the others or they were pulled up ramps course by course as the structure was built. 

That they used very large stones averaging 2 1/2 tons says they used a very robust means of lifting and lifted several of these stones at a time but 80 tons surely would strain them

 

I did just notice something interesting. These 80 ton stones came up the causeway through the valley port.  Guess what ramp is pointing right at the mason's shop on the east side of the pyramid at the base?  You got it, it's the grand gallery.  They mightta used a counterweight on the west side of the pyramid to lift these one at a time.  This might provide a lot more clues about construction and what already existed here when Gi was built!!

[Trelane]

The planning and construction of the Grand gallery is truly remarkable.

[Hanslune]

12 hours ago, Harte said:

A shadoof probably wouldn't work for the granite in the ceilings.
That would be one hellacious shadoof.
Harte

One would agree but they could have handled the smaller stones in the upper quarter of tiers.

Edited December 11, 2023 by Hanslune

[jmccr8]

I was just pondering that if they built the first 4 courses then built it in a u shape outside in then the ramps would be on the interior and it would make building the interior chambers quite easy. With building it that way once blocks reached the base teir it would split into a left/right ramp so materials could be used from 2 sides to build with