I’ve always found the Egyptian pyramids to be extremely interesting. Especially the fact that we still don’t really know how these things were built. There’s dozens of ideas ranging from aliens to levitation.
A lot of researchers have developed theories over the years to answer the question: How did the Egyptians build these magnificent pyramids?
I recently read an article about a team of Dutch engineers who have come up with a very probable theory. It turns out the key is water!
The engineers discovered that wet sand greatly reduces the friction of dry sand.
So the idea is that the ancient Egyptians put these large blocks onto wooden sleds and hauled them up ramps made of sand. And not dry sand which would pile up in front of the sled but wet sand which made it easy for the sled to glide right on top.
It’s also worth noting that the ratio of sand to water is very important. Too much water and the sled gets stuck in the mud. It also turns out that the appropriate amount of water is very little so it could’ve realistically been done.
There’s even previously overlooked evidence that proves this theory: Tomb art discovered in the 19th century depicts laborers pouring water in front of a block-hauling team.
The Dutch team even went as far as to duplicate this process. They created a replica sled and moved it across wet sand to show exactly how the process was done.
This seems like one of the most probable and well thought out theories that I’ve come across. It relies on the hard work and ingenuity of the ancient Egyptians. A process and idea so simple that we overlooked for hundreds of years!
So what do you think? Have you come across any theories that may be more probable than this one? Let me know, I’d love to hear it.
