Archaeologist Found, the massive ramp that may have been used to build Egypt’s Great Pyramid

Archaeologist Found, the massive ramp that may have been used to build Egypt’s Great Pyramid

Archaeologists may finally be a step closer to understanding how the Great Pyramid of Egypt was built thousands of years ago.

The remains of the 4,500-year-old ramp system were uncovered in an ancient quarry in the Eastern Desert, according to Live Science.

Its design indicates that the ramp was used to drag massive alabaster stones up the slope, using sleds and ropes.

The ancient ramp was discovered at the site of Hatnub by researchers at the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo and Liverpool University in England, Live Science reports.

Along with its sides are two staircases lined with post-holes, to which ropes were probably tied thousands of years ago to drag the huge stone blocks.

Such a design would have alleviated some of the burdens 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 per cent or more,” the researcher said.

The researchers say the discovery is the first of its kind, according to Live Science, and shows a 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.