Scientists Discover Clever Trick Ancient Egyptians Used to Build Pyramids

Pulling around massive limestone blocks to construct equally massive monuments necessitates tricks —especially 4,000 years ago.

A team of physicists discovered one trick ancient Egyptians may have used to move the stones on sledges across the sand: water.

A team of physicists from the FOM Foundation and the University of Amsterdam learned that, when moving the sledges, Egyptians probably wet the sand in front of them to make it moist and, consequently, stiffer. According to their research, the wet, stiffer sand halved the required pulling force to move heavy stones and statues in comparison to dry sand. Read more...