Existing theories

Mer : Pyramid

The pyramid conundrum

Many generations of Egyptologists and researchers have attempted to explain how the pyramids were raised to such a height. The most popular theory is that they built an inclined plane enabling blocks to be hauled up by men and animals on sleds or over round logs. Several variants have been suggested, the simplest method being a straight, inclined plane built of sand and green or unburnt bricks banked at right angles against the side of the pyramid. The ramp was steadily raised and extended as the pyramid grew higher. For the Khoufou Pyramid for example, a ramp of this kind built to sustain the weight of the rocks and with a suitable gradient to enable the blocks to be hauled up, would be over 3,300 yards long. It has also been suggested that a spiral brick ramp, winding round the growing pyramid, could have been built. This would have reduced the length of the ramp considerably, but the technique raises insurmountable technical problems, in particular, the impossibility of establishing the alignment of the ridge angles on the corners. These theories are based on the traces of raw brick found piled against the walls of the Temple to the god, Imen (Amon in Greek), in Karnak in Upper Egypt. However, this building may never have been used and the steep slope of the ramp suggests that it was used to dismantle the temple and recuperate the stone for other buildings. .