A map of the Saqqara plateau shows the water route from the Gisr el-Mudir reservoir to the water treatment plant near the Djoser pyramid. The water is then channeled through a network of pyramid pipes to power a hydraulic lift. Credit: Paleotechnic of Paris, France, CC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
The Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt’s oldest pyramid, may have been built with the help of a unique water-lifting system, according to a study published on August 5, 2024, in the open-access journal enter. PLOS ONE by Xavier Landreau of the CEA Paleotechnic Institute, France, and colleagues.
A new study suggests that water could have been able to flow through two holes inside the pyramid itself, where the water could have been used to help raise and lower the boat. which is used to carry building stones.
The Pyramid of Djoser, also known as the Step Pyramid, is believed to have been built around 2680 BCE as a burial site for the Third Dynasty Pharaoh Djoser. However the exact method of its construction is still unclear.
In this new interdisciplinary analysis, the researchers suggest that the nearby Gisr el-Mudir – a previously undescribed structure – may serve as a “reservoir” to capture water. and mud. Additionally, a series of excavations outside the pyramid may have served as a water treatment plant, allowing sediment to settle as the water passed through each subsequent chamber. .
Then water may have been able to flow into the pyramid’s columns, where the upward force would have helped carry the building stones.
More research is still needed to understand how water would have flowed through the craters, as well as how much water was present in that area at that time in Earth’s history. But the authors of this new study suggest that even other construction methods such as ramps were probably also used to help build the pyramid, a system of lifting -hydraulic could have been used to support the construction process when there was enough water.
The preferred method of building a step pyramid: A hydraulic lifting machine. Credit: Landreau et al., 2024, PLOS ONECC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
The authors add, “A collaborative effort between the recently established research institute, Paleotechnic, and several national laboratories (INRAE, University of Orléans) led to the discovery of a dam, a water treatment plant, and a hydraulic elevator, which would have made it easier to build the Step Pyramid of Saqqara.
“This work opens a new line of research for the scientific community: the use of hydraulic power to build the Egyptian pyramids.”
Additional information:
Landreau X, Piton G, Morin G, Bartout P, Touchart L, Giraud C, et al. On the possible use of hydraulic power to help build the step pyramid of Saqqara, PLoS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306690
Provided by the National Library of Science
Excerpt: Water lift technology may have helped build Egypt’s Pyramid of Djoser (2024, August 5) Retrieved August 5, 2024 from https://phys.org/news/ 2024-08-hydraulic-technology-egypt-iconic-pyramid.html
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