- For centuries it was thought the Egyptians built the pyramids using ramps
- Means millions of blocks would need to have been carried up the ramps
- A Newport engineer now claims that this theory is ‘impossible’
- This is because the ramps would need to have been a quarter of a mile long or would have been too steep
- Claims they laid a core inside the pyramid before adding an outer casing
- The top was then finished off using steps and a form of scaffolding
PUBLISHED: 12:14 EST, 19 December 2013 | UPDATED: 12:28 EST, 19 December 2013
For centuries it's been thought that the ancient Egyptians built their huge pyramids by hauling heavy granite blocks up specially crafted ramps.
Yet Newport engineer Peter James has branded this ‘impossible’, claiming the ramps would need to have been a quarter of a mile long or else they would have been too steep to carry the large blocks up.
He believes, instead, that the Egyptians built an inner core of zigzagging ramps, using smaller, lighter blocks while the larger outer casing stones were placed on the outside using scaffolding.
A Newport engineer claims the long-held theory that the Egyptians used outer ramps to construct the pyramids is 'impossible'. He believes that the Egyptians built an inner core of zigzagging stairs, using smaller, lighter blocks while the larger outer casing stones were placed on the outside using scaffolding
This means the pyramid was built up in layers and the top would have been built using scaffolding on the outside.
Peter James and his company Cintec are experts in construction and have been restoring the Egyptian pyramids for the past 18 years.
Mr James told the MailOnline: ‘Looking at the pyramids from a builder’s point of view, and not an archaeologist’s, it’s clear that the current theories are nonsense.
‘Just look at the numbers. Under the current theories, to lay 2 million blocks, the Egyptians would had to have laid a large block once every three minutes.
HOW WERE THE PYRAMIDS BUILT: CONFLICTING THEORIES
For centuries archaeologies believed that the ancient Egyptians built the huge pyramids by hauling heavy granite blocks up specially crafted ramps.
Under this theory, to lay 2 million blocks, the Egyptians would had to have laid a large block once every three minutes and it would have taken 100,000 people.
Newport engineer Peter James has branded this ‘impossible’ claiming the ramps would need to have been a quarter of a mile long or else they would have been too steep to carry the large blocks up.
He believes, instead, that the Egyptians built an inner core of zigzagging ramps, using smaller, lighter blocks while the larger outer casing stones were placed on the outside using scaffolding.
They would have set out the four corners a pyramid, like the four corners of a house. They then would have built four access points in the centre of the pyramid.
Next they would have established where the burial chamber would need to be built, and that would have been built using granite.
Starting from the walls of the burial chamber, the Egyptians could then build ramps using the lighter, smaller rocks in zigzags (pictured above left) around the structure, placing these rocks on top of each other as they went in order to build the pyramid up in layers.
The heavy blocks could then be either pulled up these ramps on sledges, or placed on the outside using scaffolding made from timber and lashings.
This theory builds on the work of French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin who, in 2007, similarly claimed that the pyramids were built from the inside out.
He suggested the ramps would have been built in the centre of the pyramid, or in a spiral 30 to 50ft beneath the outer skin (pictured centre and right).
The scaffolding used by the Egyptians would have been made from timber and lashings and James knows this would have been successful because he used these materials when repairing the pyramids.
‘It would have been impossible to build the pyramids using ramps around the outside, too, because they would have ended up being larger, in some cases, than the pyramids themselves.
‘Plus, what happened to the ramps once the pyramids were finished? I believe the Egyptians built the pyramids like a modern-day builder builds a house.
‘They would have set out the four corners a pyramid, like the four corners of a house. They then would have built four access points in the centre of the pyramid.
‘Next they would have established where the burial chamber would need to be built, and that would have been built using granite.
‘Starting from the walls of the burial chamber, the Egyptians could build ramps using the lighter, smaller rocks in zig-zags around the structure, placing these rocks on top of each other as they go in order to build the pyramid up in layers.
As different pyramids were built, the Egyptians learnt from the construction mistakes made on previous versions to build stronger versions later on. The true pyramids, so called because they were exact pyramid shapes, would have been the culmination of trial and error, according to engineer Peter James. Read more: >>
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