Explanation to how the Pyramids of Giza were built discovered
A recent investigation points to the Nile River, once again, as the main protagonist of the singular monument complex in this chapter of Egyptian history.
Millenniums have passed since its construction and 4,500 years later, scientists continue to try to find the method followed by the Egyptians to build the complex Pyramids of Giza with such rudimentary technology available at the time.
However, a recent article published in the journal PNAS seems to put an end to this doubt. Although the most widespread hypothesis is that the large stone blocks that make up the pyramids were transported through a system of ramps, it is the Nile River that is once again the protagonist in another chapter of the egyptian history.
According to the study’s conclusions, “ancient Egyptian engineers exploited a former channel of the Nile to transport building materials and provisions to the Giza plateau,” the authors indicate.
However, until recently, the fluvial history of the Nile River was unknown. But other studies have helped experts to reconstruct it and verify that, indeed, “the former waterscapes and higher river levels around 4,500 years ago facilitated the construction” of the complex that makes up the pyramids.
The port they used to transport these stones was, according to recent research, about seven kilometers (over 4 miles) west of where the river is today. And, in order to carry out the transport of the materials used —which were very heavy—, they have concluded that their coves had to be quite deep.
Other theories
The first to try to understand how this colossal construction project was carried out seems to be the Greek Herodotus. His theory, dated around 450 BC, suggested that the movement of the large rocks that make up the pyramids was carried out by slaves.
But his theory was quickly discarded given the weight of some of these stones, which can reach 60 tons. And many experts opted for the use of ramps in different formats and with different approaches. Some proposed giant external slopes for the pyramids while others were more inclined towards the use of slopes that ascended while the construction continued.