Construction of the Great Pyramid with pulley-like systems using counter-weights on sliding-ramps
Source abstract
Abstract
The construction method of Khufu’s Great Pyramid remains debated. Several theories have been proposed that implicate construction-ramps and a layer-by-layer bottom-to-top growth progress. Regrettably, none provides satisfactory explanations how to lift blocks weighing up to ~60 tons and for the tremendous pace to place blocks every ~1 min. Here, a radically different proposal for the construction of the Great Pyramid is presented, where blocks were lifted using pulley-like systems fueled by sliding counterweights down sliding-ramps. One pulley-like system and three sliding-ramps are still visible today, assigned as the Antechamber, and as the Grand Gallery, Ascending Passage, and Descending Passage, respectively. The construction proposal based on analysis of the pyramid’s architecture and masonry, is physically advantageous and can explain the fast construction. The proposal offers explanations for the recently discovered voids, and for structural features such as the course height variations, the concavity and the central furrow of the pyramid faces.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Particle Detector Development and Performance · CCD and CMOS Imaging Sensors · Space Technology and Applications
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (42)
Show source-provided references
1. Herodotus. An Account of Egypt, being the second book of his histories called Euterpe (Project Gutenberg, 2006).
2. Romer, J. The Great Pyramid: Ancient Egypt Revisited (Cambridge University Press, 2007).
3. Smith, C. B. How the Great Pyramid was built (Smithsonian Books, 2004).
4. Tallet, P. & Lehner, M. The Red Sea Scrolls: How Ancient Papyri Reveal the Secrets of the Pyramids (Thames & Hudson, 2022).
5. Tallet, P. The papyri of Wadi El-Jarf: Progress report, a decade after their discovery (In French: Les papyrus du Ouadi El-Jarf: Bilan d’étape, une décennie après leur découverte). C. R. Séances Acad. Inscr. B.-Lett. 2, 731–749 (2022).
6. Hassan, F. A. Droughts, Famine and the Collapse of the Old Kingdom: Re-Reading Ipuwer, The Archaeology and Art of Ancient Egypt. Essays in Honor of David B. O’Connor. Supreme Council of Antiquities 2007.
7. Hemeda, S. & Sonbol, A. Sustainability problems of the Giza pyramids. Herit. Sci. 8, 8 (2020).10.1186/s40494-020-0356-9 ↗
8. Petrie, F. W. M. The Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh (Field & Tuer, 1883).
9. Maragioglio, V. & Rinaldi, C. A. The Architecture of the Memphite Pyramids IV—The Great Pyramid of Cheops. Tables (In Italian: L’Architettura delle Piramidi Menfite IV—La Grande Piramide di Cheope. Tavole) (Officine Grafiche Canessa, 1965).
10. Maragioglio, V. & Rinaldi, C. A. The Architecture of the Memphite Pyramids IV—The Great Pyramid of Cheops. Text (In Italian: L’Architettura delle Piramidi Menfite IV—La Grande Piramide di Cheope. Testo) (Officine Grafiche Canessa, 1965).
11. Vyse, H. Operations Carried on at the Pyramids of Gizeh in 1837: With an Account of a Voyage Into Upper Egypt, and an Appendix. Vol. I, (Ed. Fraser, J.) (1840).
12. Vyse, H. Operations Carried on at the Pyramids of Gizeh in 1837: With an Account of a Voyage Into Upper Egypt, and an Appendix. Vol. II, (Ed. Fraser, J.) (1840).
13. Smyth, C. P. Life and work at the Great Pyramid during the months of January, February, March, and April, A.D. 1865: with a Discussion of the Facts Ascertained. (Ed. Edmonston and Douglas) (1867).10.5479/sla.860764.39088017853409 ↗
14. Lehner, M. The Pyramid Age Settlement of the Southern Mount at Giza. J. Am. Res. Center Egypt 39, 27–74 (2002).10.2307/40001149 ↗
15. Dunham, D. Building an Egyptian pyramid. Archaeology 9, 159–165 (1956).
16. Lehner, M. & Hawass, Z. Giza and the Pyramids: The Definitive History. (University of Chicago Press, 2017).
17. Arnold, D. Building in Egypt: Pharaonic Stone Masonry. Oxford University Press 1997.
18. Hawass, Z. A. The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt. University of Pennsylvania Press 1990.
19. Borchardt, L. & Croon, L. The origin of the pyramid is proven by the construction history of the pyramid at Mejdum (In German: Die Entstehung der Pyramide an der Baugeschichte der Pyramide bei Mejdum nachgewiesen) (Julius Springer, 1928).
20. Brier, B. & Houdin, J.-P. The Secret of the Great Pyramid: How One Man’s Obsession Led to the Solution of Ancient Egypt’s Greatest Mystery. (HarperCollins, 2008).
21. Klemm, D. & Klemm, R. The Stones of the Pyramids: Provenance of the Building Stones of the Old Kingdom Pyramids of Egypt. (de Gruyter, 2010).
22. Lehner, M. The Complete Pyramids: Solving the Ancient Mysteries. (Thames & Hudson, 2008).
23. De Haan, H. J. Building the Great Pyramid by Levering. A Mathematical Model. PalArch’s J. Egyptol. 6, 1–22 (2009).
24. Engineering Toolbox. Friction—Coefficients for Common Materials and Surfaces https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com, https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/friction-coefficients-d_778.html (2025).
25. Perring, J. S., Andrews, E. J. & Birch, S. The Pyramids of Gizeh, from Actual Survey and Admeasurement (James Fraser, 1839).
26. Morishima, K. et al. Discovery of a big void in Khufu’s Pyramid by observation of cosmic-ray muons. Nature 552, 386–390 (2017).10.1038/nature24647 ↗
27. Procureur, S. et al. Precise characterization of a corridor-shaped structure in Khufu’s Pyramid by observation of cosmic-ray muons. Nat. Commun. 14, 1144 (2023).10.1038/s41467-023-36351-0 ↗
28. Schumacher, T. et al. Confirmation of the ScanPyramids North Face Corridor in the Great Pyramid of Giza using multi-modal image fusion from three non-destructive testing techniques. Sci. Rep. 15, 9275 (2025).10.1038/s41598-025-91115-8 ↗
29. Neubauer, W., Doneus, M., Studnicka, N. & Riegl, J. Combined high resolution laser scanning and photogrammetrical documentation of the Pyramids at Giza. In Proc. of the XXth International Symposium CIPA, Torino 2005, (ed. Dequal, S.) 470–475, Torino, Italy, (Comité International de la Photogrammétrie Architecturale (CIPA), 2005).
30. Monnier, F. The so-called concave faces of the Great Pyramid: facts and cognitive bias. Interdiscipl. Egyptol. 1, 1–18 (2022).
31. Smyth, C. P. Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid: Including all the Most Important Discoveries up to the Present Time (W. Isbister & Co, 1874).
32. Haase, M. The Service Shaft of the Great Pyramid of Cheops. Remarks on the construction of the Connecting Shaft between the Great Gallery and the Descending Corridor (In German: Der Serviceschacht der Cheops-Pyramide. Bemerkungen zur Konstruktion des Verbindungsschachtes zwischen Großer Galerie und absteigendem Korridor), Sokar, Vol. 9, 12–17 (Verlag Michael Haase, 2004).
33. Dorka, U. E., Nguyen, C. K. L. & Ansalone, A. Experimental Investigation on a Full-Scale Replica of the Closing Mechanism in Cheops’ Antechamber https://kobra.uni-kassel.de/items/7c2072be-d256-45be-a3a1-5179ca26d33a (2025).
34. Edgar, J. & Edgar, M. The Great Pyramid Passages and Chambers (Elliot Stock, 1910).
35. Hassan, S., Excavations at Gîza 10: 1938–39. The Great Pyramid of Khufu and its Mortuary Chapel (General Organisation for Government Printing Offices, 1960).
36. Maragioglio, V., Rinaldi, C. A., Howell, E. & Roccati, A. The Architecture of the Memphite Pyramids 8. The Pyramid of Neuserra, the “Small Pyramid” of Abu Sir, the “Destroyed Pyramid” of Saqqara and the Complex of Zedkara Isesi and his Queen: with an Excursus by Alessandro Roccati; Text + Tables (In Italian: L’architettura delle piramidi Menfite 8. La piramide di Neuserra, la “small pyramid” di Abu Sir, la “piramide distrutta” di Saqqara ed il complesso di Zedkara Isesi e della sua regina: con un excursus di Alessandro Roccati; testo + tavole) (Officine Grafiche Canessa, 1975).
37. Tallet, P. Ayn Sukhna and Wadi el-Jarf: two newly discovered pharaonic harbours on the Suez Gulf. Br. Museum Stud. Anc. Egypt Sudan 18, 147–168 (2012).
38. Tallet, P. & Marouard, G. THE HARBOR OF KHUFU on the Red Sea Coast at Wadi al-Jarf, Egypt. Near Eastern Archaeol. 77, 4–14 (2014).10.5615/neareastarch.77.1.0004 ↗
39. Yoshimura, S., Nakagawa, T. & Tonouchi, S. Non-Destructive Pyramid Investigation (2) (Waseda University, 1988).
40. Grobert, J.-F. O.-L. Description of the Pyramids of Ghize, the city of Cairo and its Surroundings (In French: Description des pyramides de Ghize, de la ville du Kaire et de ses environs) (Logerot-Petiet, 1801).
41. Bui, H. D., Lakshmanan, J., Montlucon, J. & Nakhla, C. First Results of Structural Analysis of the Cheops Pyramid by Microgravimetry, Egyptian Antiquities Organization International Symposium, (ed. Safwat El-Alfy, A. M.) Cairo, 1–25 (Egyptian Antiquities Organization, 1987).
42. Maragioglio, V. & Rinaldi, C. A. The Architecture of the Pyramids Memphite VI—The Great Pit of Zauiet el-Aryan, the Pyramid of Menkaure, the Mastabat Faraun, the Tomb of Khentkaus. Tables (In Italian: L’architettura delle piramidi Menfite VI - La Grande Fossa di Zauiet el-Aryan, la Piramide di Micerino, il Mastabat Faraun, la Tomba di Khentkaus. Tavole) (Officine Grafiche Canessa, 1967).