NEWS: Newly discovered Ramp in Ancient Egypt May Reveal Secrets About the Pyramids

Last week an Anglo-French team of archaeologists announced a potentially exciting new find in Egypt.  Excavating an alabaster quarry dating back to the Old Kingdom (c. 2,550 BC), the archaeologists unearthed the ramp used to remove the stone.  Yannis Gourdon, a project director from the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in Cairo, described the ramp’s unique attributes:

“This kind of system has never been discovered anywhere else,  . . . composed of a central ramp flanked by two staircases with numerous post holes.  . . . [ancient Egyptians used] a sled which carried a stone block  . . .  attached with ropes to these wooden posts,  . . . to pull . . .  alabaster blocks out of the quarry on very steep slopes of 20 percent or more.” 1

That might sound mildly interesting at first blush but one might consider it a stretch to describe the find as “exciting.”  However, the timing is significant.  King Khufu* built the Great Pyramid at Giza during the Old Kingdom.  Both the pyramid and the quarry bear Khufu’s inscription indicating they were contemporaneous.  The mystery of how the Egyptians constructed the Great Pyramid remains one of the oldest and intriguing questions from the ancient world.  The discovery might provide significant clues to answer this age old question as Gordon concluded Khufu “could have used it [the ramp techniques] for the construction [of] his pyramid,”  2

I have attached links to several news reports below in the “Sources” section at the bottom of this entry.  All three are similar but each contain one or more facts not in any other story.  

The Great Pyramid is one of the most recognized and iconic structures from antiquity.  It’s purpose, religious significance and even construction have provided academics with fodder for inquiry and study for centuries.  The features of the Great Pyramid boggle the mind.  Built 4.500 years ago and standing 481 feet tall, the pyramid held the distinction of being the tallest manmade building in the world for over 4,000 years, most of recorded history.  At its heart, the Egyptians walled the King’s Chamber with massive 40-80 ton pink and red granite slabs transported 450 miles down the Nile River from Aswan.  Workers encased the outer surface of the pyramid with highly polished white limestone that made the structure gleam in the sun.

As impressive as the details of the stone structure may be, the above details tell only part of the story.  The sides of Great Pyramid are less than eight inches different in length.  The base is amazingly level, less than one inch difference from one side to the other, a standard many modern builders do not achieve.  It is also oriented perfectly on the points of the compass and aligned with star constellations significant to Egyptian religion.  Further, the Egyptians built the pyramid without the use of the wheel (an unknown technology in Egypt at the time).

The Great Pyramid reflects Egyptian beliefs about the mortality and the importance of the king in maintaining the cycle of life.  For Egyptians, the afterlife held a special importance than their time on Earth.  Greek historian Diodorus Siculus described their beliefs well: ”The Egyptians say that their houses are only temporary lodgings and their graves are their real houses.”3   Thus, Khufu’s Pyramid was the most impressive building constructed in his reign because his afterlife duties were essential and everlasting.  He was expected to ascend to the heavens as a god and ensure the Nile flooded every year and sun rose every day.

All these unprecedented accomplishments have made the mysteries of construction techniques especially intriguing.  The first person to raise the question was himself an important part of the ancient world.  The “Father of History,” the great Greek writer and historian Herodotus travelled to Egypt in c. 450 BC.  When he asked about the pyramid was built, he was told workers used a series of levers to raise blocks level by level.  For the modern engineer this technique seems impractical.  The levers needed to raise 2-3 ton stones would need to be enormous, far larger than could be accommodated on the edge of the pyramid.  It should not be surprising Herodotus’ sources were wrong, the pyramid was already 2,000 years old by the time Herodotus made his inquiries.

When Napoleon invaded Egypt at the end of the 18^th century, he brought scientists and academics with him which reawakened worldwide knowledge of Ancient Egypt stirring interest in the Egyptians’ revolutionary engineering prowess.  The question has endured into modern times and has been the subject of numerous scientific and engineering studies which have generated as many theories.  Most generally agree that the Egyptians used a ramp of some sort but the type of ramp varies widely.  Using basic physics, nearly every study assumed about a 7 to 10 percent angle on the ramp.  Every theory has its own problems, see illustrations below.

Three notable theories:

The recent discovery of a 20 degree ramp in the alabaster quarry changes the calculus potentially undermining one of the most basic assumptions of most theories.  A single, straight external ramp would be one third to one half of the length previously theorized.  However, ramps that bent around the structure would be less likely as they would have to be wider than previously believed.  It is also possible the Egyptians did not use the same method at the pyramid they used in the quarry.  

Unfortunately, finding a definitive answer is likely impossible since the Egyptians removed the evidence when they tore down whatever ramp(s) they used.  At the end of the day, the new discovery provides a new angle (pun intended) to discuss and debate this age old question.  For students, investigating the theories and weighing the evidence is a lively classroom exercise.  The subject itself is fascinating, I like to analogize the size of the blocks with SUVs  (imagine piling 2.3 million SUVs almost 500 feet in the air).

In my class we have conducted an extended study of various construction techniques.  We review the theories assessing strengths and weaknesses to evaluate possibilities.  We also try to figure out what evidence we have and what we would need to arrive at a definitive answer.  The students review and consider the available information carefully.  For example. In the article above, Yannis Gourdon said “Therefore, they could have used [the steeper ramp with posts and ropes system] for the construction [of] his pyramid,”  Looking carefully at this statement, we realize the steeper ramp is a possibility, it “could have been used” but is not a proven method.  We also can speculate about other techniques that could have been used.

Then students get the opportunity to come up with their own theory.  In the process, they become far more ensconced in an ancient culture providing a different perspective and an appreciation for the achievements of those from the past.  I have found that “deep dives” into subjects like this generate interest in history that does not necessarily accrue from an overview of a culture.  Further, students can see how the Scientific Method works in the field of archaeology which helps them learn to use logical methods via different subjects.

This story adds another wrinkle to a continuing historic debate and I will update this blog when new information becomes available.

Correction:   After posting this article, a reader brought to my attention that Bob Brier, one of the advocates of the internal ramp theory, acknowledged that a 2017 muon test did not detect an internal ramp and he believed that disproved that aspect of his theory.  (https://www.nature.com/news/cosmic-ray-particles-reveal-secret-chamber-in-egypt-s-great-pyramid-1.22939)

I wrote about the muon detection experiment which did uncover several voids in the Great Pyramid.  If interested, please follow the link below:

* Egyptians did not use the term “pharaoh” for another 1,000 years.

** Several details of the statuette of Khufu above are disputed.  It is often erroneously called the only known three dimensional image of the Old Kingdom ruler.  In fact, partial remains of other statues of Khufu still exist.  Further, Egyptologist Zahi Hawass believes the statuette above was created in the Middle or New Kingdom due to the imagery and artistic characteristics of the artifact.

*** Editor’s note– A reader helpfully alerted me to the fact that part of Houdin’s theory has been disproven by the muon scan which did not reveal an internal ramp.  This finding does not negate other parts of the theory and I personally wonder if it is possible that the Egyptians filled in the internal ramp upon completion of the pyramid.  That is my speculation alone.  Houdin’s Egyptologist collaborator acknowledged though that the muon scan “suggests the internal ramp is not there . . . I think we’ve lost.”  I realy admire Brier’s logical approach to this issue and his willingness to admit the theory he backs could be wrong based on empirical evidence.  See link here:  https://www.nature.com/news/cosmic-ray-particles-reveal-secret-chamber-in-egypt-s-great-pyramid-1.22939

Related:

For more on the discovery of previously unknown voids, please see:

NEWS: New Discovery of a Large Hidden Room in the Great Pyramid

For a summary on the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, please see:

95 Years Ago This Week: Tutankhamun’s Intact Tomb Discovered

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1  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-ramp-contraption-may-have-been-used-to-build-egypts-great-pyramid/

2 Ibid.

3 https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/17/arts/art-review-old-friend-forever-mysterious.html

Sources:

https://www.history.com/news/ancient-egypt-pyramid-ramp-discovery

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-ramp-contraption-may-have-been-used-to-build-egypts-great-pyramid/

https://phys.org/news/2018-11-ancient-quarry-ramp-workers-egypt.html

https://www.archyworldys.com/in-a-4500-year-old-quarry-an-egyptian-ramp-was-discovered-with-the-huge-stone-blocks-were-pulled/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws4O5LOCI68

Edwards, James Frederick. “Building the Great Pyramid: Probable Construction Methods Employed at Giza.” Technology and Culture 44, no. 2 (2003): 340-54. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25148110

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