Hydraulic lift technology may have helped build Egypt's iconic Pyramid of Djoser

A study published on August 5, 2024, in the open-access journal "PLOS ONE" suggests that the Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest of Egypt's iconic pyramids dating back to around 2680 BCE, may have been constructed using a sophisticated hydraulic lift system. This was led by Xavier Landreau from CEA Paleotechnic Institute, France, and colleagues.

Water as a Lifting Mechanism

Researchers propose that water from the nearby Gisr el-Mudir enclosure—a previously unexplained structure—was likely channeled to flow into two internal shafts. This enclosure might have operated as a "check dam" to accumulate water and sediment. Furthermore, a series of compartments situated outside the pyramid could have functioned as a water treatment facility, facilitating sediment settling as water moved through each stage.

Integration of Hydraulic Technology

Once water reached the pyramid's inner shafts, its upward force could have been utilized to elevate and lower floats carrying heavy building stones. This underscores the sophisticated incorporation of hydraulic technology and suggests bucket-loaders along these wet stromal systems might have substantially contributed.

Ongoing Research and Collaborative Discoveries

Despite the compelling evidence, further investigation is necessary to understand precisely how water flowed through the shafts and to determine the water availability during this historical period. Though traditional burial aspects like otherconstruction methods like ramps playoda critical role in pyramid nerded getwere, evidence from the newly founded Paleotechnic Institute and collaboration with national laboratories like INRAE and the University of Orléans highlight crucial infrastructure discoveries: a dam, a water treatment center, and a hydraulic lift. Their combined findings offer dualriptive provocaing new scientific_thread stages methodologyanotg

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