Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Anton Petrus
Topics: Egypt, History, World News
Jen Thomas
For thousands of years, people have been left scratching their heads trying to figure out how on earth pyramids were built.
These hugely impressive, massive structures have been drawing tourists in their thousands, but nobody has ever had a definitive answer to how such a scale was achieved.
Conspiracy theories have spiralled for years, with some even blaming extra-terrestrial influences.
Now, a 4,500-year-old mystery may finally have been answered thanks to experts who have been examining the Step Pyramid of Djoser.
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Located in Saqqara, Egypt, some of its secrets have been uncovered at last.
The pyramid is believed to be the oldest of the seven pyramids, thought to have been built nearly 5,000 years ago.
Scientists believe they've cracked the age-old question that has long had people stumped.
It's a very modern-sounding solution, after all.
Experts believe it's all related to hydraulic mechanics.
It's believed that a hydraulic-powered mechanism enabled the creators to move the massive stone blocks into place.
The device was used to stack them from the ground up into the now-iconic pyramid shape.
Researchers and experts have been examining the inside of the Step Pyramid, and they believe the design matches the style of that built with a hydraulic elevation mechanism.
This hydraulic system would have used the pressure of water to aid in the movement of the blocks into their place.
Maps of nearby watersheds were also examined, including the Saqqara structures, which appeared to have signs of a dam.
Beyond the dam, it looks like there may have been a temporary lake, similar to a moat, with flowing water.
Past the dam, the topography indicated the possibility of a temporary lake west of the Djoser complex, comparable to a moat surrounded by water flowing.
The authors of the paper, who first made the revelation, said: “The ancient architects likely raised the stones from the pyramid centre in a volcano fashion using the sediment-free water from the Dry Moat’s south section."
They also discovered a 'monumental linear rock-cut structure consisting of successive, deep compartments combines the technical requirements of a water treatment facility: a settling basin, a retention basin, and a purification system' in the south section of the moat.
This led to the belief that the moat provided a 'unified hydraulic system that improves water quality and regulates flow for practical purposes and human needs'.
They added: “Ancient Egyptians are famous for their pioneering and mastery of hydraulics through canals for irrigation purposes and barges to transport huge stones. This work opens a new line of research: the use of hydraulic force to erect the massive structures built by Pharaohs.”
Now we know!