The remains of a 4,500-year-old ramp system have been unearthed in an ancient quarry in the Eastern Desert. Experts. Photo / Getty Images
The remains of a 4,500-year-old ramp system have been unearthed in an ancient quarry in the Eastern Desert. Experts. Photo / Getty Images
Archaeologists may finally be a step closer to understanding how Egypt's Great Pyramid was built thousands of years ago.
The remains of a 4,500-year-old ramp system have been unearthed in an ancient quarry in the Eastern Desert, according to Live Science.
Its design suggests the ramp was used to dragmassive alabaster stones up a slope, using sleds and rope, according to the Daily Mail.
The ancient ramp was discovered at the site of Hatnub by researchers from the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in Cairo and the University of Liverpool in England, Live Science reports.
Along its sides are two staircases lined with postholes, to which ropes were likely tied thousands of years ago to drag the huge stone blocks.
Such a design would have alleviated some of the burden for the workers who had to pull these huge loads.
"This system is composed of a central ramp flanked by two staircases with numerous post holes," Yannis Gourdon, co-director of the joint mission at Hatnub, told Live Science.
"Using a sled which carried a stone block and was attached with ropes to these wooden posts, ancient Egyptians were able to pull up the alabaster blocks out of the quarry on very steep slopes of 20 percent or more," the researcher said.
The remains of a 4,500-year-old ramp system have been unearthed in an ancient quarry in the Eastern Desert. Experts. Photo / Getty Images
The researchers say the discovery is the first of its kind, according to Live Science, and shows clear indication that it dates 'at least to Khufu's reign' – for whom the 481-foot Great Pyramid was built.
The find is just the latest in a growing body of research attempting to finally get to the bottom of the Great Pyramid's many mysteries.
A study published earlier this year discovered that the famous pyramid concentrates electric and magnetic energy into its internal chambers and below its base, creating pockets of higher energy.
If this concentrating effect is able to be recreated on a nanoscale size, it could lead to a wave of new, more efficient sensors and solar cells, the researchers claim.
Despite the ongoing efforts, however, much about the pyramid and its construction remains yet to be known.
