Engineers Found Evidence of Hydraulics in an Ancient Pyramid, Solving a 4,500-Year-Old Mystery

It makes sense for them to make use of hydraulics. Not necessarily completely, but to lighten the load maybe.

The Coral Castle guy used big bags of water to move the coral about, so it would have been within the Egyptian's reach to use water or sand to lighten their blocks.

“He covers stadiums, sneakers, gear, infrastructure, and more for a variety of publications, including Popular Mechanics. His favorite interviews have included sit-downs with Roger Federer in Switzerland, Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, and Tinker Hatfield in Portland.”

Unfortunately the water has to be higher than what they were building

Probably a rental.

Geopolymerizaion keywords, sorted:

Archaeology: Egyptian pyramids built along long-lost Ahramat branch of the Nile [05/18/2024]
Discovery Of Ancient Waterway May Solve Mystery Of How The Pyramids Were Built [11/30/2023]
Ancient Lybian Ruins In Windsor Full Of Geoplymer Marble, Granite And Limestone [07/04/2022]
The MOST precisely made granite object of Ancient Egypt - and why it's NOT geopolymer! [05/29/2022]
Why was Roman Concrete Forgotten during the Middle Ages? [11/14/2021]
The Surprisingly Plausible Theory that the Pyramids were Poured from Ancient Concrete [10/03/2021]
Egyptologist Reveals Whether Truth About Great Pyramid of Giza May Ever Be Dug Out [09/21/2020]
Scientists: Astronauts Could Build Moon Base Using Human Urine [03/31/2020]
Scientists create living concrete from bacteria and sand [01/16/2020]
Artificial Pyramid Casing Stones: Ancient Geopolymer High Technology ??? [12/09/2019]
A New Hyposthesis: How did they build the Peruvian stone walls [12/09/2019]
Science reveals improvements in Roman building techniques [10/30/2019]
Melting Stone with Plants? Was the mythical 'green chisel' a real tool of the Ancients? [07/02/2019]
Researchers Made 3,900-Pound Boulders They Can Move by Hand, Giving More Insights Into Ancient... [04/24/2019]
This 4,500-Year-Old Ramp Contraption May Have Been Used to Build Egypt's Great Pyramid [11/01/2018]
Paleomagnetism Study Supports Pyramid Man-Made Stone [02/19/2018]
John Anthony West -- final days [02/05/2018]
Giza Pyramid mystery chamber may hold Pharaoh's 'meteorite throne' [01/15/2018]
Secret of the Great Pyramid...hidden chamber is set to be revealed by an inflatable robotic blimp... [12/14/2017]
Egypt archaeologist criticises pyramid void 'discovery' [11/06/2017]
Archaeologists discover mysterious void deep within Great Pyramid of Giza [11/03/2017]
Finding a new formula for concrete [05/28/2016]
'ScanPyramids' project hopes to decipher ancient secrets [10/27/2015]
World's Oldest Weather Report Found on 3500-Year-Old Stone in Egypt [09/04/2014]
Solved! How Ancient Egyptians Moved Massive Pyramid Stones [05/03/2014]
Advanced Concrete Means Little Maintenance For A Century [04/26/2014]
Engineer stuns archaeology experts by rubbishing their theories about how the pyramids were built [01/18/2014]
Key test for re-healable concrete (concrete that patches itself) [11/03/2012]
Great Pyramid May Hold Two Hidden Chambers [02/02/2011]
Synchrotron probes Egyptian beads [faience] [05/23/2010]
Uncovering Secrets of the Sphinx [01/22/2010]
Update: Return to the Great Pyramid [ Bob Brier & Jean-Pierre Houdin ] [07/14/2009]
Egyptologists use high-tech software to analyze construction of Great Pyramid [10/21/2008]
Researcher investigates ancient geology to understand human development, climate change [10/11/2008]
A new angle on pyramids: Scientists explore whether Egyptians used concrete [05/01/2008]
Egypt's Pyramids Packed With Seashells (Not Concrete) [05/01/2008]
Scientists Say Pyramids Could Be Concrete [04/23/2008]
Stones of the Pyramids were Poured, Not Chisled [05/21/2007]
War Of The Pyramid Theorists [04/02/2007]
Architect Says Pyramid Built Inside Out [03/31/2007]
Architect claims to solve pyramid secret [03/30/2007]
Cracking Concrete's Code [02/15/2007]
Mathematics In Ancient Egypt [01/26/2007]
Meteorites From Under The Pyramids [01/20/2007]
Riddle Of The Great Pyramids Of Giza: Professor Finds Some Building Blocks Were Concrete [12/09/2006]
Pyramids were built with concrete rather than rocks, scientists claim [12/01/2006]
U-M researchers make bendable concrete [05/06/2005]
Research team recreates ancient underwater concrete technology [04/09/2005]
Mysterious Inscription on the Great Pyramid [01/29/2005]
French Egyptologists Defend Pyramid Theory [09/04/2004]
Uncovering The Secrets Of The Great Pyramid [08/29/2004]
Who Built The Pyramids? [08/17/2003]
Riddle of the Pyramids: Why De Mille didn't need all those slaves [12/31/2001]

Popular Mechanics ain’t what it used to be.

Provided to them by aliens 👽

Can someone explain how this would have worked?

I was going to mention Leedskalnin. Coral Castle (to me) is right on the pendulum between explained and not at all explained. And then to move the whole she-bang miles south.

Hum. How to do this. One. Have a lot of slaves or gold to hire workers.

At the center of the site...maybe they had 2 vertical shafts next to each other. They had a sealable entrance at the bottom and a flotation lift raft in each shaft and water brought to the site.

Put the stones on each raft, seal the entrance portals at the bottom, then fill first shaft with water and float raft and stone to the top level. Remove the stone, Then drain drain that shaft back in to the other shaft to float the the second stone. (You will need to pump the water to the other side once they have an equal volume in each shaft.) Open the first shaft and reload the raft while they repeat the process.

This would be more like a lock system draining back and forth and replacing the water has it is lost to the process. Then again, they might have used a water wheel associated with the dam and associated rope and pulley system to lift the stone.

Or, have water fed into an aquaduct system and float stone to the site. Raise the level of of aquaduct every few courses of stone.

I figured they’d used an ancient forklift.

Pourable concrete would work very nicely. 👍🏻👍🏻

Thanks, and yup, hence the need for water.

The ancient Egyptians didn’t use hydraulics to lift stones. Had they built something of that kind, it would have to be waterproof, integrated into the structure, be made of metal, and still be inside the pyramids.

And, it would be so slow that they’d still be working on them. :^)

The biggest problems to overcome when talking about ancient hydraulics revolve around maintaining pressure. You need tight, precise seals that hold under pressure and some way of routing the water that doesn’t succumb to pressure by expanding, leaking, fracturing, or otherwise bursting. At a minimum they would need metal tubing built to specific diameters and tolerances, seals that allow metal tubes to slide into one another without leaking, and waterproof hoses that don’t leak or burst (I suppose you could use metal tubes instead of hoses but you’d need all manner of seals between tube sections; it would be a nightmare). So we’re talking about the need for precise lathes for the metal tubing and the right materials for the seals, pistons, and hoses. I just don’t see the Egyptians or any ancient peoples having that technology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Davidovits#:~:text=Davidovits%20believes%20that%20the%20blocks,south%20of%20the%20Giza%20Plateau.

Nuh-Uh! Aliens!

Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt were space aliens who built Pyramids

The British canal system would be a similar usage. All ya need is wood, aqueducts[shafts], and pressure[elevation] to lower and raise water. The seals are wood, which does a decent job, enough to stop most of the water. Just integrating a system like that isn't outside a civilization that constructed pyramids and other contraptions.

Float the stone blocks on a wooden raft, dig a ditch from the river leading to the site. Build a lock at the end of the ditch, with wooden sides up to the height you're working. Fill the lock up with water from the canal, using buckets until the blocks are up to the level you're working. Repeat the process with more stone blocks until they're all up there. For the next layer, build the lock up higher. Repeat until you're done.

Primitive, but I suppose it's possible. Easier than building a dirt ramp and dragging the blocks up to needed level? I dunno.

The rest of the keywords Giza, Great Pyramid, Khufu, sorted:

Archaeology: Egyptian pyramids built along long-lost Ahramat branch of the Nile [05/18/2024]
Did Aliens Really Build the Pyramids? [05/14/2024]
Unexpected origin of Egypt's Great Sphinx discovered [science fraud surveillance] [04/11/2024]
Plan to Restore Giza Pyramid Draws Anger and Mockery from Archaeologists [01/30/2024]
Discovery Of Ancient Waterway May Solve Mystery Of How The Pyramids Were Built [11/30/2023]
Scientists Map an Unexplored Corridor of Egypt's Great Pyramid Using Cosmic Rays Thanks to cosmic rays, secrets of the last remaining Wonder of the Ancient World are being revealed. [03/02/2023]
Hidden Corridor Uncovered At Great Pyramid Of Giza Has Archaeologists Stunned [03/02/2023]
The Search for Hidden Chambers on the Giza Plateau, Part I [11/05/2022]
New Scans of the Great Pyramid Confirm Major Discovery Inside [09/28/2022]
Sarcophagus of King Ramses II's head of treasury unearthed in Saqqara, Giza [09/20/2022]
Did the Romans Know How Old the Pyramids Were? [08/14/2022]
Muons spill secrets about Earth's hidden structures [04/23/2022]
New cosmic-ray scan of the Great Pyramid of Giza could reveal hidden burial chamber [03/16/2022]
Why King Khufu's Solar Boat Is on the Move After 4,600 Years [08/23/2021]
A New geological study shows that the great sphinx of Giza is 800,000 Years old [03/28/2021]
Egyptologist Reveals Whether Truth About Great Pyramid of Giza May Ever Be Dug Out [09/21/2020]
British anti-racism protestors call for destruction of Giza Pyramids [06/23/2020]
The equinox reveals one of the secrets of Egypt's iconic Sphinx [03/28/2020]
Egypt shock: Dead Sea Scroll scan suggests Noah's Ark 'was Great Pyramid of Giza' [03/19/2020]
A New Theory for the Great Pyramid: How Science is Changing Our View of the Past [06/01/2019]
Tourist bus bombed near Egypt's famed Giza pyramids, injuries reported [05/19/2019]
Bomb hits tourist bus in Egypt near Giza Pyramids [05/19/2019]
Fascinating theory as to how the pyramids were built. [05/13/2019]
4,500-Year-Old Cemetery and Sarcophagi Discovered by Giza Pyramids [05/06/2019]
Researchers Made 3,900-Pound Boulders They Can Move by Hand, Giving More Insights Into Ancient... [04/24/2019]
Citizen excavating for antiquities near Pyramids arrested [02/15/2019]
Secret Door in Great Sphinx leading to the Hall of Records (Cover up!) [01/16/2019]
Blast hits tourist bus in Egypt, few dead and injured [12/29/2018]
Climate Change -- More than Global Warming [11/28/2018]
This 4,500-Year-Old Ramp Contraption May Have Been Used to Build Egypt's Great Pyramid [11/01/2018]
Stunning sphinx discovered at ancient Egyptian temple [09/17/2018]
Egyptian archaeologists find sandstone sphinx in temple at Aswan [09/16/2018]
Great pyramid of Giza's shape can focus energy through its chambers [08/19/2018]
An Ancient Egyptian Sphinx Statue Has Been Discovered By Accident [08/19/2018]
Archaeologists in Egypt discover ancient mummification workshop [07/15/2018]
New Dating of the Great Sphinx [06/03/2018]
Great Boat of Khufu: Black Box of Pyramid Construction [05/10/2018]
Paleomagnetism Study Supports Pyramid Man-Made Stone [02/19/2018]
John Anthony West -- final days [02/05/2018]
Giza Pyramid mystery chamber may hold Pharaoh's 'meteorite throne' [01/15/2018]
Secret of the Great Pyramid...hidden chamber is set to be revealed by an inflatable robotic blimp... [12/14/2017]
Egypt archaeologist criticises pyramid void 'discovery' [11/06/2017]
Archaeologists discover mysterious void deep within Great Pyramid of Giza [11/03/2017]
Great Pyramid of Giza's hidden chamber is revealed [11/02/2017]
Archaeologists discover mysterious void deep within Great Pyramid of Giza [11/02/2017]
Oldest recorded solar eclipse helps date the Egyptian pharaohs [10/31/2017]
Solar eclipse of 1207 BC helps to date pharaohs [10/30/2017]
The Oracle in Stone [07/11/2017]
World's Largest Pyramid Was Mistaken as a Mountain [11/17/2016]
Oldest Egyptian writing on papyrus displayed for first time [07/14/2016]
Great Pyramid of Giza Is Slightly Lopsided [06/21/2016]
Teen Illegally Scales Egypt's Great Pyramid [01/31/2016]
Thermal scans of Egypt's Great Pyramid reveal anomalies [11/10/2015]
Rand Paul Mocks Carson's Pyramids Theory: I Think It Was Aliens! [11/07/2015]
Would the pyramids have made good grain stores? [11/06/2015]
Carson on the defensive over claims of past violence, pyramids [11/05/2015]
The Meaninglessness Of Ben CarsonÃ¢¬¢s Views On Egyptian Pyramids [the money quote] [11/05/2015]
Archaeologists To Ben Carson: Ancient Egyptians Wrote Down Why The Pyramids Were Built [11/05/2015]
Aliens, Pyramids, and Granaries? What on Earth Was Ben Carson Thinking? [11/05/2015]
Ben Carson: Egyptians used the pyramids to store grain, not bury the pharaohs [11/05/2015]
Trump pokes fun at Carson's pyramid theory [11/05/2015]
The Meaninglessness Of Ben CarsonÃ¢¬¢s Views On Egyptian Pyramids [11/05/2015]
Egypt pyramids for grain not pharoahs: presidential hopeful Carson [11/04/2015]
Ben Carson's unusual theory about pyramids ("It's still my belief, yes.") [11/04/2015]
Ben Carson: Archaeologists Are Wrong, The Pyramids Were Built To Store Grain [11/04/2015]
'ScanPyramids' project hopes to decipher ancient secrets [10/27/2015]
The World's Oldest Papyrus and What It Can Tell Us About the Great Pyramids [09/29/2015]
ISIS: DESTROYING EGYPT'S SPHINX, PYRAMIDS IS 'RELIGIOUS DUTY' [07/04/2015]
[Space] Station Astronaut Snaps Super Sharp View of the Great Pyramids from Space [06/14/2015]
Station Astronaut Snaps Super Sharp View of the Great Pyramids from Space [06/13/2015]
Kuwaiti preacher calls for destruction of 'pagan' pyramids and Sphinx [03/11/2015]
Kuwait: Muslim Preacher Echoes Isis Call to Destroy Egypt's Pyramids, Sphinx [03/10/2015]
Man discovers passage to Egypt's Great Pyramid -- under his house [01/05/2015]
Former Egyptian antiquities minister faces questions over theft from pyramid [12/20/2014]
Movie for a Sunday afternoon: "Land of the Pharaohs"(1955) in two parts [11/16/2014]
Egyptian chronology and the Bible. [09/11/2014]
Scientists Discovered the Egyptian Secret to Moving Huge Pyramid Stones [05/04/2014]
Solved! How Ancient Egyptians Moved Massive Pyramid Stones [05/03/2014]
Ancient statesman skeleton found in Giza [03/24/2014]
Engineer stuns archaeology experts by rubbishing their theories about how the pyramids were built [01/18/2014]
Why did two German 'hobbyists' deface a cartouche of Khufu inside the Great Pyramid [01/18/2014]
Al-Jihadeya Al-Salafeya leader Al-Zawahiri captured (brother of Ayman al-zawahiri, al Qaeda leader) [08/17/2013]
Syrians paid to kill Egypt protesters- Each participant was handed a shotgun and [07/28/2013]
Unique Egyptian Sphinx Unearthed in North Israel [07/09/2013]
Egyptian Salafi Sheik Calls to Destroy Pyramids, Says: Bin Laden Greater t [07/06/2013]
New discovery: Egypt's oldest harbor, collection of papyrus uncovered [04/17/2013]
The view from the TOP of the Great Pyramid: Illicit photos taken by tourists who secretly climbed... [03/26/2013]
Egyptian Sheik Calls to Destroy Pyramids, Tax Christians, Says: Bin Laden Greater than Saladin [11/15/2012]
Egyptian Salafi Sheikh: Destroy Pyramids, Tax Christians, Bin Laden Greater Than Saladin [11/14/2012]
'Destroy The Idols,' Egyptian Jihadist Calls For Removal Of Sphinx, Pyramids [11/12/2012]
'Destroy the idols,' Egyptian jihadist calls for removal of Sphinx, Pyramids [11/12/2012]
Possible Egyptian pyramids found using Google Earth [08/10/2012]
Mr. Infidel, Tear Down This Pyramid! [07/14/2012]
Calls to Destroy Egypt's Great Pyramids Begin [07/11/2012]
Egypt's Government Planning to Destroy the Great Pyramids? [07/10/2012]
Calls to Destroy Egypt's Great Pyramids Begin [07/10/2012]
Calls to Destroy Egypt's Great Pyramids Begin [07/10/2012]
Calls to Destroy Egypt's Great Pyramids Begin [07/10/2012]
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Ancient barque to be reconstructed for museum [02/25/2012]
***What If The Sphinx Is A Woman*** [01/14/2012]
The Salafist party's plan for the Pyramids? Cover them in wax [12/27/2011]
Egypt riots threaten cultural sites as Cairo library goes up in flame[s] [12/20/2011]
Inside the Great Pyramid [09/06/2011]
Egyptian Islamists Target Bikinis, Pyramids [09/02/2011]
Archaeologists to raise ancient Egyptian ship (Khufu's solar ship) [06/23/2011]
Pyramid Hieroglyphs Likely Engineering Numbers [06/08/2011]
Mysterious markings discovered at Great Pyramid of Giza [05/31/2011]
First images from Great Pyramid's chamber of secrets [05/26/2011]
Forget the Facebook idealists. It's the Brotherhood we should fear [02/10/2011]
Great Pyramid May Hold Two Hidden Chambers [02/02/2011]
Great Secret In Pyramid Construction Finally Revealed [01/01/2011]
Ancient Egypt's Pyramids: Norwegian Researcher Unlocks Construction Secrets [09/25/2010]
Ancient tools intrigue author [08/18/2010]
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Uncovering Secrets of the Sphinx [01/22/2010]
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Exact Date Pinned to Great Pyramid's Construction? [09/21/2009]
Cave Complex Allegedly Found Under Giza Pyramids [08/14/2009]
Update: Return to the Great Pyramid [ Bob Brier & Jean-Pierre Houdin ] [07/14/2009]
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How the Great Sphinx of Giza may have started out with the face of a lion [12/08/2008]
Egyptologists use high-tech software to analyze construction of Great Pyramid [10/21/2008]
Ancient Egyptian boat to be excavated, reassembled [07/28/2008]
Pi, Phi and the Great Pyramid [06/03/2008]
Does Religious Law Permit Visiting Egyptian Pyramids? [10/07/2007]
There could have been two sphinxes, argues one researcher [08/29/2007]
Stones of the Pyramids were Poured, Not Chisled [05/21/2007]
Pyramids of Giza in peril [05/04/2007]
War Of The Pyramid Theorists [04/02/2007]
Architect Says Pyramid Built Inside Out [03/31/2007]
Architect claims to solve pyramid secret [03/30/2007]
Pyramid's Secret Doors to Be Opened [03/22/2007]
The Pyramid mystery [03/03/2007]
Ancient mystery solved? Taft man says 'Murphy Mover' explains pyramids [02/01/2007]
Meteorites From Under The Pyramids [01/20/2007]
Climate Key To Sphinx's Riddle [01/08/2007]
Pyramids were built with concrete rather than rocks, scientists claim [12/01/2006]
Sahara Desert Was Once Lush and Populated [07/20/2006]
Great pyramid entrance tunnel not astronomically aligned [03/20/2006]
Egypt's Sphinx to get facelift [03/14/2006]
Egypt Ruler Moved To Pull Down Cheops Pyramid For Noble Reasons [02/19/2006]
Malaysian plan to cover Great Pyramid with Muslim nation flags hits snag [12/29/2005]
Holiday in Egypt (Red Sea & Cairo) + Pictures !!! [08/30/2005]
Great Pyramid may still contain Khufu's intact pharaonic tomb [07/13/2005]
Archaeologists Unearth Seals Used on Pharaonic Desert Missions (Needed Red Paint) [04/29/2005]
Mysterious Inscription on the Great Pyramid [01/29/2005]
I Have Solved The Riddle Of The Sphinx, Says Frenchman [12/13/2004]
New robot to uncover Pyramid mysteries: Egyptologist [09/16/2004]
French Egyptologists Defend Pyramid Theory [09/04/2004]
Ancient Tomb Discovered On Giza Pyramid Site [09/03/2004]
2,500-Year-Old Hidden Tomb Found in Egypt [09/02/2004]
Uncovering The Secrets Of The Great Pyramid [08/29/2004]
Djedefre - History [08/09/2004]
Robot made in Singapore to reveal secrets of pyramids [08/09/2004]
Archaeologist sheds light on pyramid origin [02/16/2004]
Drought That Destroyed A Civilisation [11/16/2003]
Who Built The Pyramids? [08/17/2003]
The Secret Doors Inside the Great Pyramid [03/22/2003]
Khufu and the chamber of secrets (new Info!) [11/29/2002]
Khufu And The Chamber Of Secrets [11/28/2002]
Robot explores SECOND shaft, discovers matching door (Great Pyramid) [09/24/2002]
GOTTA SEE THIS-War Endur.Freedom 9/17/02-Letter, Baghdad, Bagram, Beit Lahia,Pyramid,Doha [09/17/2002]