Technology from 4,500 years ago: Was water the key behind the pyramids?

| Archeaology
December 31, 2024

Engineers may have cracked the code that explains how the ancient Egyptians built their first pyramids. A new study suggests that water power, not just brute force, helped build the iconic Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest of Egypt’s iconic pyramids.

The researchers propose a complex hydraulic system that includes a dam, a water treatment plant and internal wells that could have lifted huge stones to erect an architectural wonder about 4,500 years ago. If confirmed, the discovery could rewrite the history of one of the world’s most enduring architectural wonders.

Harnessing the power of water in ancient Egypt

View of the chapels and step pyramid of Saqqara, Egypt. Built by the architect Imhotep around the year 2670-2650 BC. C. during the reign of Djoser for that king’s tomb. Credit: Dennis Jarvis/Flickr.

The Pyramid of Djoser, also known as the Step Pyramid, dates from around 2680 BC. C. and was built as a funerary complex for Pharaoh Djoser of the Third Dynasty. While the construction methods of this iconic structure have long been a matter of debate, this new study offers a fresh perspective.

Traditionally, it has been assumed that the pyramid was built using ramps and manual labor to move the huge stone blocks. However, researchers led by Xavier Landreau of the CEA Paleotechnical Institute in France propose that water could have flowed into two wells within the pyramid, possibly raising and lowering floats carrying heavy building stones.

This theory suggests that the nearby Gisr el-Mudir enclosure, a mysterious structure believed to be an unfinished monument, could have acted as a “check dam” to capture water and sediment. The topography indicates the possible existence of an ancient lake to the west of the Djoser complex.

Additionally, a series of compartments outside the pyramid could have served as a water treatment facility, allowing sediment to settle and cleaner water to flow into the pyramid’s wells. This water could then create the force necessary to lift the stones.

A new line of research

The proposed hydraulic lifting mechanism. Credit: Landreau et al., 2024, PLUS ONE.

This method, unprecedented in Egyptology, could explain the precision and scale of construction achieved by the pyramid builders. The ability to use hydraulic lifts would have minimized the physical work required and allowed for more precise placement of the huge stone blocks.

Although more research is needed to understand the exact mechanisms and availability of water in ancient Egypt, the authors suggest that a hydraulic lifting system could have complemented other construction methods such as ramps.

The techniques and knowledge applied in the Djoser funerary complex profoundly influenced subsequent developments and were extensively refined throughout the 3rd and 4th dynasties of the Old Kingdom. In this period there was a substantial increase in the size of megaliths, which led to the construction of pyramids of spectacular dimensions, such as those on the Meidum, Dahshur and Giza plateaus. In less than 150 years, the average weight of typical large stones increased significantly, from about 300 kg in the case of Djoser’s pyramid to more than 2.5 tons in the case of the structural blocks of the pyramid of Djoser. Khafre.

The study suggests that the larger pyramids of Cheops and Khafre on the Giza Plateau were the result of technical progress that began with earlier pyramids. These gigantic pyramids could also have involved the hydraulic systems that are supposed to have existed in the step pyramid.

This discovery opens a new line of research for scientists, exploring the use of hydraulic energy in the construction of the Egyptian pyramids. Archaeologists can look for signs of similar systems at other archaeological sites for clues.

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