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History => Ancient and Medieval History => Topic started by: Imperial Dave on July 30, 2024, 05:46:25 PM

Title: 1st pyramid hydraulic proposal
Post by: Imperial Dave on July 30, 2024, 05:46:25 PM
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/ancient-egyptians-used-a-hydraulic-lift-to-build-their-1st-pyramid-controversial-study-claims

Most Egyptolohists are in denial about it...
Title: Re: 1st pyramid hydraulic proposal
Post by: Jon Freitag on July 30, 2024, 07:29:24 PM
Quote from: Imperial Dave on July 30, 2024, 05:46:25 PMhttps://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/ancient-egyptians-used-a-hydraulic-lift-to-build-their-1st-pyramid-controversial-study-claims

Most Egyptolohists are in denial about it...
Of course, you meant, de Nile...

I read this article last week and thought it quite interesting.  Is a hydraulic water "elevator" even possible?  I reckon this needs much more study.  Perhaps the engineers will include a few Egyptologists next time?
Title: Re: 1st pyramid hydraulic proposal
Post by: Keraunos on July 31, 2024, 01:29:58 AM
The comment from the lead author that "This is a watershed discovery" makes me think they are being tongue in cheek.  They don't seem to have discovered anything yet, simply put forward a theory.  They would need to discover evidence of the dam and other massive hydraulic works that would have made this feasible to be able to say that they have indeed 'discovered' something.  And, it begs the question, if used for the first pyramid, why not for the rest, yet where is the evidence for the structures that would have been needed?
Title: Re: 1st pyramid hydraulic proposal
Post by: Nick Harbud on July 31, 2024, 08:55:14 AM
Hydraulic lifts are generally constructed as pairs, such as with the Anderton Lift (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anderton_Boat_Lift) in England.  Once one understands the principles involved, they are not difficult to design.  Of course, the main question is whether anyone understood the principles well enough to build a successful lift.  After all, this was some centuries before Archimedes leapt from his bath.

Incidentally, nearly all the locks on the River Thames utilise hydraulic power for their operation.

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