Ancient Egyptians used water powered hydraulic elevators to build first pyramids, study says

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Egypt’s oldest pyramid was likely built with the help of an innovative hydraulic water elevator system, archaeologists claim in a new study which sheds more light on the ingenuity of ancient Egyptians. Scholars have suspected ancient Egyptians used several techniques ranging from the use of pulleys, ramps, cranes, and rolling blocks onto logs to transport them to construction sites. Grand exhibition on ancient Egyptian civilization opens in Shanghai The new study suggests a previously unexplained nearby structure – the Gisr el-Mudir enclosure – likely functioned as a “check dam” to capture water and sediment. While there’s mounting archaeological evidence that ancient Egyptians used hydraulics in their irrigation canals, many scholars are not convinced there was enough water from sporadic rains to be used for a hydraulic system when the Step Pyramid was built.