Emily Chan
The pyramids of Egypt are such an architectural wonder that some people have questioned if the structures were truly built by human hands.
There are many unknowns surrounding their construction, including how the huge blocks of stone were transported.
Researchers have proposed that ancient Egyptians may have utilized a hydraulic system that helped them lift stones to build the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, Egypt, the oldest pyramid in ancient Egypt.
It is thought to have been constructed around 4,700 years ago as a burial complex for Djoser, pharaoh of ancient Egypt’s Third Dynasty.
The pyramid is located in the Saqqara necropolis, which is on the west bank of the Nile River. The researchers suggest that the hydraulic system involved the flow of water into two shafts inside the center of the pyramid, allowing a lift to raise and lower the large stones used to build the monument. Upon its completion, the pyramid stood over 200 feet tall.
“We see it as a technological prototype,” Xavier Landreau, the lead author of the study from CEA Paleotechnic Institute in France, said.
“Its architecture is revolutionary, with many innovations, making it a technological precursor to the Cheops pyramid. It is the first to disclose two crucial innovations: a pyramid shape and the exclusive use of fully dressed stones for masonry.”
The team of researchers discovered that the Step Pyramid of Djoser was built beneath a watershed, so the ancient Egyptians may have had access to a significant water supply.
Near the pyramid, there is a massive structure known as the Gisr el-Mudir enclosure that experts have not been able to explain in the past.
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