Ancient Egyptians used ‘volcano fashion’ and incredible machines to build pyramids

The ancient Egyptian pyramids may be thousands of years old, but to this day, we're still finding out new information about the famous and historic structures.

And this one is quite the discovery...

Advanced construction techniques were used back in the day (we're talking 4,700 years ago). Specifically, this included a hydraulic lift system along with a stepped construction method. A process that was likened to being constructed "in volcano fashion", according to a new report.

But what does this mean exactly?

Research led by Dr. Xavier Landreau in the CEA Paleotechnic Institute study states that a hydraulic lift mechanism may have been used to build the Pyramid of Djoser, and this would have meant that blocks had to be lifted through the centre of the building, comparable to a volcano when the lava rises up.

Furthermore, below the pyramid, a distinct shaft structure was discovered and is thought to have been used to move heavy stone blocks up using water pressure.

With this study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, it is thought that the massive blocks were able to be transported a lot easier than experts previously assumed.

iStockphoto by Getty Images

Before this, the main theory was that a large group of workers used ramps to haul the stone to their intended destination.

No doubt this still would've occurred, but now we know the ancient Egyptians were more engineering savvy for the times. Though there will be some satisfied scientists who, before this study, believed technological skills existed among ancient societies.

Satellite radar imagery was able to pick out the stone enclosure, Gisr el-Mudir, with Dr. Landreau and his team saying it has the "technical characteristics of a check dam."

A check dam would come in useful whenever flash floods occurred, as well as being able to pick up sediment.

“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 setup likely directed sediment-free water to feed the hydraulic lift system within the pyramid," explained Dr. Landreau.

Why would a water system be needed in those times?

While the area has desert conditions today, Dr. Landreau noted how during this period in history (the Third Dynasty) it was a time where northern Africa had significantly more rain, water and vegetation, with him remarking that there were "more problems with floods than with a lack of water”.

Alas, research into these ancient times means that there a various theories out there, especially concerning the construction of the pyramids.

But this study has given further insight into the possible advanced technologies they were already using back then, which previously may have been assumed to be unlikely.

Elsewhere, Discovery in the River Nile's evolution reveals why Ancient Egypt was so prosperous, and Space discovery shows that the pyramids were built using ingenious method.

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