Ancient Egyptians may have relied on a vertical shaft filled with water, along with a network of canals and filtration structures, to construct the Step Pyramid of Djoser 4,500 years ago.
Step Pyramid of Djoser. (Photo: Alamy)
The construction of Egypt’s oldest pyramid may have utilized a hydraulic lift capable of raising 50 to 100 tons of stone at a time, as reported by New Scientist on July 25. Researchers concluded this based on the fact that the Step Pyramid of Djoser was built 4,500 years ago to entomb a pharaoh in the Saqqara necropolis, near two dry canals that may have once been waterways. These canals could have provided rainwater and water from the Nile River to the pyramid construction site. There, a vertical shaft located at its center could have been flooded and drained multiple times to raise and lower a floating wooden lift.
“We believe that stones were transported to the pyramid using a hydraulic lift after being raised in the shaft,” said Xavier Landreau from Paleotechnic, a private archaeological research institute in France.
Landreau and colleagues analyzed the hydrological and geological features of the area to demonstrate it could have utilized 4 to 54 million cubic meters of water over 20 to 30 years of pyramid construction. Water could flow through a nearby closed rectangular chamber known as Gisr el-Mudir to filter silt before being poured into the Deep Ditch, a massive 410-meter-long canal near the Step Pyramid site. This canal may represent a vast underground reservoir with several chambers, including one aligned with the central shaft inside the pyramid, according to Guillaume Piton from the University of Grenoble Alpes in France, a co-author of the study.
Vertical shaft running through the center of the Djoser Pyramid. (Photo: Paleotechnic).
The idea that there was ample water in the area around the Step Pyramid in ancient times is supported by several previous studies, according to researcher Judith Bunbury from the University of Cambridge. However, she emphasized that there is no evidence related to the hydraulic lift technology. “If their interpretation is correct, it is surprising that this system was not continued to be used elsewhere and that there are no drawings of such a system, while many other technical solutions and processes are vividly recorded through wall paintings,” Bunbury stated.
Additionally, the study does not mention that the Step Pyramid was an experimental structure that gradually increased in height and area during its construction. However, researchers suggest that similar hypotheses should be examined regarding the construction of other structures beyond the Step Pyramid. Discovering hidden chambers within these pyramids could be a promising direction for future research, according to Piton.
