Ancient Egyptians may have used an advanced hydraulic lift system to raise the massive stone blocks when building Egypt’s Step Pyramid of Djoser, a new study has found.
The pyramid in Saqqara, Egypt, is considered the oldest of the seven monumental pyramids built around 4,500 years ago.
The six-tier, four-sided structure would have originally stood 62.5 metres tall, with a base measuring 109 metres by 121 metres.
For many years, archaeologists scratched their heads as to how this immense pyramid was constructed. It was often believed that ramps and rollers were the primary methods used in building such structures.
However, in a study led by Xavier Landreau, an engineer and material scientist from the CEA Paleotechnic Institute and his team of French engineers, hydrologists and material scientists have uncovered new insights into the pyramid’s construction.
Using satellite radar imagery and historical archaeological reports, the researchers found that the ancient Egyptians had built a sophisticated water management system that may have facilitated the construction process.
Landreau explained in an interview published in Archaeology News: “Satellite imagery clearly shows that a rectangular stone enclosure known as Gisr el-Mudir, located west of the Saqqara necropolis, has all the technical characteristics of a check dam. This feature would have been used to control the flow of flash floods and capture heavy objects coming from upriver.”
The researchers reveal that the pyramid’s internal architecture points its being built using a hydraulic elevation mechanism that raised stones through the centre of the pyramid in what they describe as a ‘volcano fashion’. This method would involve floating limestone blocks upward using water pressure and then placing them in their respective positions.
“The Egyptians were famous for their pioneering and mastery of hydraulics through canals for irrigation purposes and barges to transport huge stones already,” according to the researchers, who have published their study in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE.
The study suggests that the Gisr el-Mudir stone enclosure together with a dry moat featuring deep compartments near the pyramid’s southern section would have formed part of an integrated system for regulating water flow and improving water quality.
The researchers said: “The monumental linear rock-cut structure in the southern section of the moat combines the technical requirements of a water treatment facility: a settling basin, a retention basin and a purification system. This set-up likely directed sediment-free water to feed the hydraulic lift system within the pyramid.”
The researchers reveal that the water resources in the area at that time, including an ancient stream known as the Abusir Wadi, correlate with their estimates for how much water power would have been necessary to build the pyramid.
While this study points to the fact that the ancient Egyptians would have possessed an advanced understanding of hydraulic engineering, the researchers acknowledged that further on-site research was necessary to validate their theory. This includes reconstructing the water flow within the pyramid shafts and investigating the historical water levels of the Abusir Wadi to confirm its viability as a water source.
Source: E&T
