British and French archaeologists believe they may have discovered one of the secrets behind the construction of Egypt’s Great Pyramids: Ancient ramps that could explain how huge stone blocks were lifted at such steep angles.
The remains were found at an Egyptian quarry in Hatnub. It dates back to the reign of Pharaoh Khufu, who commissioned the Great Pyramid at Giza.
It may answer a question that has long puzzled Egyptologists. Just how did engineers manoeuvre such heavy stones out of a hole in the ground some 4,500 years ago.
Roland Enmarch, of the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology at Liverpool University, said: “In our most recent season, we discovered an extremely well preserved ramp leading up out of the quarry, with traces of post holes that will enable us to reconstruct in more detail the ancient technologies of stone haulage and extraction.”
Ramp systems have been proposed before and sometimes debunked. The difference this time is that the purported ramp is flanked by two staircases lined with postholes, which would have allowed ropes to be tied and used to drag the stone blocks.
Such a design would have lessened some of the burden for the workers who had to pull these huge loads.
Yannis Gourdon, from the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in Cairo, said: “This system is composed of a central ramp flanked by two staircases with numerous post holes.
“Using a sled which carried a stone block and was attached with ropes to these wooden posts, ancient Egyptians were able to pull up the alabaster blocks out of the quarry on very steep slopes of 20 percent or more.”
The Pyramid of Giza stands 455 feet high (about 139 metres) making it the largest of the pyramids located there.