Friday, November 8, 2024
Contact    |    RSS icon Twitter icon Facebook icon  
Unexplained Mysteries
You are viewing: Home > News > Archaeology & History > News story
Welcome Guest ( Login or Register )  
All ▾
Search Submit

Archaeology & History

Were Egypt's pyramids built using a hydraulic lift system ?

By T.K. Randall
August 1, 2024 · Comment icon 50 comments
Djoser Pyramid.
The Pyramid of Djoser. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 Vincent Brown
Archaeologists have found evidence to suggest that a primitive hydraulic lift might have been used to move heavy stones.
For years, the question of how the ancient Egyptians managed to create such enormous structures using nothing but primitive tools has remained one of the most heated debates in all of archaeology.

While several theories have been put forward, one of the lesser known possibilities is that the builders of the pyramids used a form of primitive hydraulic lift to move the stones into place.

In a new study, evidence of such a system has been identified inside the Pyramid of Djoser - a structure that was built 4,700 years ago.

"Ancient Egyptians are famous for their pioneering and mastery of hydraulics through canals for irrigation purposes and barges to transport huge stones," the team wrote.

"This work opens a new line of research - the use of hydraulic force to erect the massive structures built by Pharaohs."
Headed up by Xavier Landreau - president of the Paleotechnic archaeological research institute in Paris, France - this new paper puts forward the notion that a large shaft found in the interior of the 200ft-high pyramid was part of a hydraulic lift system that was used to move the stones using water.

"We identified that the step pyramid's internal architecture is consistent with a hydraulic elevation mechanism never reported before," the team wrote.

"Ancient architects likely raised the stones from the pyramid center in a volcano fashion using the sediment-free water."

Gisr el-Mudir - a mysterious structure situated less than a mile away - may have acted as a dam that collected rainfall and funneled it through pipes for use during the construction.

Once inside the pyramid, the force of the water would have pushed up the central shaft a bit like a volcanic eruption, elevating up to 100 tons of stone at a time.

As things stand, however, this theory has yet to be definitively proven.

Source: Mail Online | Comments (50)




Other news and articles
Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #41 Posted by Aus Der Box Skeptisch 3 months ago
Now I am not encouraging you, but sometimes we can be on to something before its fully realised by the archeological record. That said, we can have a vision that seems to make sense to us, that as the facts come out shift what we were seeing. I do not think CO2 geysers is the answer, but water played a role in the process. Even if it was just utilization for transport before the rivers dried up. And the latest paper has some interesting usage posits for water, but geyser, not so much.    Anyways, it is nostalgic to have read the article and thought of our previous conversations. Its still no... [More]
Comment icon #42 Posted by cladking 2 months ago
This is something I've been trying to get across to people since day1.  Even if I'm completely wrong the odds say I have a lot of things right.  This exact same thing applies to this study.  It is improbable that each of their conjectures is right and that the pyramids were built in this manner.  They make giant leaps from the evidence and the logic is not entirely sound since it's so improbable that there was sufficient water to the task or that the method would save them significant work on the bottom line.  But they started with facts and evidence instead of wishes and fantasies as Egy... [More]
Comment icon #43 Posted by jmccr8 2 months ago
HI Aus Good to see you posting again, hope all has been good with you 
Comment icon #44 Posted by Aus Der Box Skeptisch 2 months ago
All has been well jmc. I will try to be around a bit, and if not I will return on occasion. I don't think I can be gone forever. Too many imprinted memories. Though, I miss sesh.  I hope to find ways to contribute more. Great seeing you.
Comment icon #45 Posted by Aus Der Box Skeptisch 2 months ago
Its all liquified rock. The geysers are the steam from within the rock. Mini exhausts of vapor. They just molded the upper stones. They carried the liquid stone up to the top and poured it all into place. Tee hee This is just banter for fun. I could probably find support for this, but it is all conjecture regardless, and I think a more physical approach was utilized, but if you say they "to increase the efficiency of the building process.  If there is anything at all I've learned about the pyramid builders it is that they wasted absolutely nothing at all and did everything in the most possibl... [More]
Comment icon #46 Posted by cladking 2 months ago
Well, even concrete would require copious amounts of water and it would be much easier to get the ingredients up the pyramid dry so some hydraulic means of lifting them or at least having water at the top would be highly advantageous.  All we need now is for Egyptology to do their job and gather evidence.  
Comment icon #47 Posted by Antigonos 2 months ago
Still don’t know the difference between Egyptology and archaeology, I see.  At least you’re consistent in your ignorance.
Comment icon #48 Posted by cladking 2 months ago
I don't think it really matters whether it's Egyptology, Egyptologists, Zahi Hawass, or some unnamed group of archaeologists controlled by Hawass who are the problem here.  The problem is no methodical or systematic science has been performed at Giza in decades.  Indeed, this appears to appertain to every pyramid site in Egypt.  Until there is data there is no means to solve these questions.  This study took very little data and made a mountain of it.  Imagine what they could do with a lot more data!!!    It also doesn't matter whether Egyptologists are linguists or a specialized kind o... [More]
Comment icon #49 Posted by cladking 2 months ago
  "Another complication involves the proposed lake, says Egyptologist Kamil Kuraszkiewicz: It’s not mentioned in any ancient Egyptian writings and may never have existed. Also, Djoser’s pyramid stones — which weighed on average about 300 kilograms each — were considerably smaller and easier for workers to transport than those used for later pyramids, says Kuraszkiewicz, of the University of Warsaw. 'To build the hydraulic device [proposed in the new model], much more effort would be needed than to move the stone blocks using just manpower.'" https://www.sciencenews.org/article/hydraul... [More]
Comment icon #50 Posted by Antigonos 2 months ago
 


Please Login or Register to post a comment.


Our new book is out now!
Book cover

The Unexplained Mysteries
Book of Weird News

 AVAILABLE NOW 

Take a walk on the weird side with this compilation of some of the weirdest stories ever to grace the pages of a newspaper.

Click here to learn more

We need your help!
Patreon logo

Support us on Patreon

 BONUS CONTENT 

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can gain access to a wide range of exclusive perks including our popular 'Lost Ghost Stories' series.

Click here to learn more

Recent news and articles