Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – A recent scientific study has proposed a novel hypothesis regarding the construction methodology of the Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt’s oldest pyramidal structure. The research suggests that builders used an innovative hydraulic lift system to facilitate the construction process.
Pyramid of Djoser. Credit: Charles J. Sharp – CC BY-SA 3.0
The study postulates that water may have been channeled into two internal shafts within the pyramid structure. This water could have been employed to manipulate a float mechanism, thereby assisting in the elevation and lowering of the substantial building stones.
The Pyramid of Djoser, alternatively referred to as the Step Pyramid, is estimated to have been constructed circa 2680 B.C. as a funerary complex for Pharaoh Djoser of the Third Dynasty. However, the precise construction techniques remain a subject of scholarly debate.
This interdisciplinary analysis proposes that the proximate Gisr el-Mudir enclosure, a previously enigmatic structure, may have functioned as a “check dam” for water and sediment accumulation. Furthermore, the researchers hypothesize that a series of excavated compartments outside the pyramid potentially served as a water treatment facility, facilitating sediment settlement as water traversed each successive compartment.
The researchers theorize that water could have been subsequently directed into the pyramid shafts, where its rising force might have aided in transporting building materials.
The identified building process of the step pyramid: A hydraulic lift mechanism. Credit: Landreau et al., 2024, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0
Additional research is required to elucidate the potential water flow mechanisms within the shafts and to ascertain the availability of water resources in the region during that historical period. While the study acknowledges the probable use of other construction methods, such as ramps, a hydraulic lift system could have supplemented the building process when sufficient water was available.
“A collaborative effort between the newly established research institute, Paleotechnic, and several national laboratories (INRAE, University of Orléans) has led to the discovery of a dam, a water treatment facility, and a hydraulic elevator, which would have enabled the construction of the Step Pyramid of Saqqara.
This work opens a new research line for the scientific community: the use of hydraulic power to build the pyramids of Egypt,” the scientists write in their study.
The study was published in the journal PLoS ONE
Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Staff Writer
