Egyptian pyramids were built using an incredibly clever machine, new research suggests

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have long been a source of fascination and enigma throughout history.

impressive use of water.

Now, a new study has proposed that at least one of the great structures was constructed using equipment that was significantly more advanced than previously believed.

On 5 August, suggests that the famous 4,500-year-old Step Pyramid of Djoser was constructed with the assistance of a distinctive hydraulic lifting system.

In the past, specialists thought that the Step Pyramid was probably built using a system of ramps and pulleys.

However, the latest analysis, led by Xavier Landreau of France's CEA Paleotechnic Institute, indicates that the Ancient Egyptians directed nearby waterways to power lifting devices that supported heavy loads.

The research indicates that water was allowed to flow into two shafts situated within the pyramid itself, which were utilised to assist in lifting and lowering a float used for transporting the heavy stone building blocks.

"The ancient Egyptians are renowned for their innovative and exceptional skills in hydraulic engineering, particularly in the construction of canals for irrigation and barges for transporting massive stone blocks," the researchers noted.

“This work marks the beginning of a new area of investigation: the employment of hydraulic power to construct the enormous edifices constructed by the Pharaohs.”

The Step Pyramid is thought to have been constructed around 2680 BCE as a burial site for Pharaoh Djoser of the Third Dynasty. However, the exact method of its construction has always been a mystery.

Landreau and his colleagues claim that a nearby previously-unexplained structure, known as the Gisr el-Mudir enclosure, was, in fact, a "check dam" used to capture water and sediment.

They also suggest that a series of pits excavated just outside the pyramid may have been used as a water treatment facility. This would have allowed sediment to settle out as water passed through each subsequent pit.

From there, after flowing into the pyramid's shafts, the pressurised water would have carried the building stones up to the higher levels of the structure via an internal shaftway, in a process known as "volcano" construction.

Notwithstanding the authors' confidence that "the internal structure of the Step Pyramid is consistent with a hydraulic lifting device previously unrecorded," they acknowledge that further investigations are required.

Researchers now intend to find out how water may have flowed through the shafts, and also how much water was present in the vicinity thousands of years ago.

They still suggest, however, that other structures, including ramps, were likely used to assist in the construction of the pyramid, but a hydraulic lift system could have been employed when sufficient water was available to support the building process.

They stress that their research, carried out in conjunction with "several national laboratories", has led to "the discovery of a dam, a water treatment facility, and a hydraulic lift, which would have enabled the construction of the Step Pyramid of Saqqara."

They conclude: "This work opens a new line of research for the scientific community: the use of hydraulic power to build the pyramids of Egypt."

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