The Djoser - the oldest symbolic pyramid in Egypt - may have been built with the help of a unique hydraulic lifting system, according to a study published on August 5, 2024 in the journal PLOS one by Xavier Landreau from the CEA Institute of Archaeology, France and his colleagues.
New research shows that water can flow into two axes inside the pyramids themselves - water that can be used to lift and lower rafts carrying blocks of stone.
The Djoser pyramid, also known as the steps pyramid, is believed to have been built around 2680 BC as a tomb for pharaoh Djoser of the Third Dynasty of Egypt. However, the exact construction method of the pyramid is still a mystery.
In this new interdisciplinary analysis, researchers suggest that the area surrounding the nearby Gisr el-Mudir - a previously unexplained structure - may have functioned as a dam to collect water and sediment.
In addition, a series of compartments digging deep into the ground outside the pyramids can be used as a water treatment facility, allowing sediment to settle as water flows through each subsequent compartment.
The water could then flow into the pyramids themselves, where the rising forces of the water could help carry the huge rocks.
More research is needed to understand how water may have flowed through the axes, as well as the amount of water available on the terrain at that time in Earth's history. But the authors of this new study believe that even if other construction methods such as steep ruts can be used to support the construction of pyramids, hydraulic lifting systems can also be used to support the construction process when there is enough water.
The authors added: "Thanks to the cooperation between the newly established research institute, paleotechnic, and a number of national laboratories (INRAE, University of Orleans), we have discovered a dam, a water treatment facility and a hydraulic elevator, which may have helped build the Saqqara pyramid of the scale".
"This work opens up a new direction for the scientific community: Using hydraulic power to build pyramids for Egyptian pharaohs," the authors added.
