Pyramid Theories Ramp System and Pyramid Description

Theories of pyramid ramp systems refuted

The ramp models

Many construction techniques for the Egyptian pyramids have been suggested. On this page we take a good look at the proposed transport ramps and machines:

You want to know about the main problems or drawbacks of all ramp systems?
Franz Löhner's rope roll On this website we propose, that the stones were tied onto sledges and pulled up on wooden tracks which were anchored on the pyramid flank. Too achieve this, you have to use so called rope roll, a simple device which turns the ropes attached to the sledge around and back down. Now the hauling teams can walk down on both sides of the track instead of walking up ahead of the sledge. By walking down they pull the sledge with the stone attached to it up the tracks.
Because the haulers can add their own weight to their strength to pull the stone up, it is possible to accomplish this on the 52°-slope of the pyramid flank. Without the rope roll to turn the rope, it would not be possible.
For more details, please click on the illustrations on the left and look at the following pages:

Five requirements that every pyramid construction theory should fulfill

Franz Löhner stipulates that any method or theory for pyramid construction should fulfill the following 5 requirements, otherwise it should be rejected!
1. A solution that is as simple as possible using a technology that is as simple as possible (Occam's razor)
2. Continuity in technical matters and craftsmanship
3. Verification through pictures and/or text
4. Technology keeping with the time and culture
5. The supposed technique / method must really be a solution

Winding or spiral ramp

This model is the one, most Egyptologists propose.
To evaluate this model, you have to keep in mind, that one stone block per minute had to be transported up the pyramid. If you stop the work often, so you can lengthen or raise the ramp, then you will have to calculate with an even faster cycle!


Please note, that most of these illustrations show ramps with inclinations of more than 10°. Our calculations show, that for inclinations of 5° you need 53 haulers or more and with an inclinations of 10° already 427 haulers (with 15kp force exterted by each man you need 37 / 136 hauler) are needed to pull up a 2.5 tons stone block (unless you use Löhner's rope roll, then you need much less haulers).

This model proposes a winding or spiral ramp around the structure of the pyramid. Since it requires less ramp material than most of the others, there are several models with one or more ramps winding around the pyramid. Main problems: 1. It is extremely difficult to maneuver the large blocks of stone around the corners. The hauling teams can only haul the blocks in a straight line, so each block would have to be levered separately at the corners. To lever a 2.5 to 6 tons stone around a 90°-corner definitely needs more than a minute. 2. Measuring and controlling the shape of the pyramid is very difficult because the ramp covers most of the pyramid. 3. When using only one ramp, it is impossible to move the massive amount of material needed (1 block per minute). 4. Some winding ramps are suggested, that only rest on the unfinished outer casing blocks for support. Other models suggest several winding ramps, one propped on top of the other. Such structures are inherently unstable. The larger ramps flanking the pyramid are more stable but need more material to build. 5. Spiral ramps cover nearly the whole surface of the pyramid, but never the less there are several places on the flank that are not reached directly by a ramp. So to trim the pyramid face from extra stock and polish the surface (smoothing the casing blocks is planed for the end, when dismantling the ramps), additional smaller ramps or scaffolds have to be built. Advantages: This ramp requires less material to build than other models. Main advocates: Mark Lehner and George Goyon / used in many documentary films about pyramids More illustrations (text in German) Theories of pyramid ramp systems disproved Alignment of the pyramids and controlling the shape of the pyramid

The straight-on ramp

Ramps made from adobe blocks and debris have been suggested by a lot of archeologists. The simplest model is a ramp straight up to the side of the pyramid. Main problems: 1. To build these kind of ramps a huge volume of material has to be used - with some models a fifth to two fifth of the amount of material used for building the pyramid itself. 2. The gradient can't be very high, otherwise the blocks can't be pulled up the steep slope. With a realistic angle of inclination, the ramp would be 1553m (5°) respectively 713m (10°) long at the very top (146.59m high) 3. A single ramp is not enough for the one block per minute, that had to be hauled up to the pyramid. 4. Every time the ramp has reached a higher stone course it has to be made higher and lengthened, interrupting the building process. Soon there are serious problems of stability, unless you use a very wide base. Advantages: The four corners of the pyramid aren't covered by the ramp, so controlling and measuring the shape of the pyramid is possible. Main advocates: Jean-Philippe Lauer and Louis Croon / Ludwig Borchardt More illustrations (text in German) Theories of pyramid ramp systems disproved Building material necessary for the pyramid of Khufu

Zigzag ramp

This model proposes switchback ramps zigzagging up one of the faces of the pyramid. This model is also used in several other models for the last 50 meters, where other kinds of ramps are too steep or need a very large base. Main problems: 1. It is extremely difficult to maneuver the large blocks of stone around the corners. The crews of stone haulers can only haul the blocks in a straight line, so each block would have to be levered separately at the corners. Illustration 2. If you want to maintain a functional slope (5°-10°) the ramp has to run back and forth several times. This can only be accomplished by using a large base and a lot of ramp material. Advantages: Two corners of the pyramid aren't covered by the ramp, so measuring and controlling the shape of the pyramid is difficult but possible. More illustrations (text in German)

Internal ramp

The internal ramp is a straight-up ramp leading into the body of the pyramid. Main problems: 1. The shafts, corridors and chambers inside the pyramids can only be built with difficulties. The ramp would probably be built on the south, and the chambers are in the middle and the shafts at the north of the pyramid, so they hamper each another. 2. Towards the top of the pyramid the ramp would be much too steep. Advantages: 1. This ramp requires less material to build than other models. Main advocate: Prof. Dr. Dieter Arnold More illustrations (text in German) Theories of pyramid ramp systems disproved

Combination ramp model

This model proposes a combination of ramps around the structure of the pyramid. Small straight-on ramps are used for the first meters of height. Then the material is used for a larger ramp leaning against the pyramid flank. For the final part, a series of stepped ramps are used. Illustration Main problems: 1. The ramp material is moved to another part of the pyramid construction site several times. Each time the actual work process has to be interrupted. With mud bricks as ramp material, those could probably only be used once. 2. A stone block destined for the very top has to follow an extremely complicated course with a lot of twists and turns, up several different ramps, around corners and so on. 3. It is extremely difficult to maneuver the large blocks of stone around the corners. The crews of stone haulers can only haul the blocks in a straight line, so each block would have to be levered separately at the corners. Illustration 4. The ramp used towards the end is quite large and uses a lot of material (see further illustrations). Advantages: The first few meters can be built relatively fast, because several ramps are used. Main advocate: Prof. Dr. Rainer Stadelmann More illustrations (text in German) Theories of pyramid ramp systems disproved Building material necessary for the Cheops pyramid

Going up the two pyramid flanks

This model is similar to Franz Löhner's model but should not be confused with it! The model also proposes to use the angled faces of the pyramid structure itself to haul up the stones. But without using a rope roll, major problems develop after a very short time! With this two-sided approach the stones are attached to long ropes and hauled up the lateral surface of the pyramid by hauler teams operating on the flat plateau of the pyramid. These teams walk horizontally across the plateau while hauling, until the stone reaches the edge of the pyramid. Then the stones are hauled to the construction area. Main problems: 1. The haulers still have to haul the whole 2.5 tons up the 52° incline (without employing rope rolls, you still have huge teams of haulers). 2. The ropes can be exchanged for shorter ones only at the moment when the stone reaches the plateau. 3. As long as the stone is still "hanging" on the pyramid flank the ropes are very long (= brown rope on illustration) and severely interfere with the building process on the plateau. The building space (=white area on illustration) will get smaller the higher up you work. 4. At the moment when the width of the plateau is smaller than the distance the stone has to cover up the flank, you will have to start walking down the other side of the pyramid. 5. For the top layers impossible long ropes (219m= height of the lateral surface) would have to be used Advantages: This model eliminates the need to build large construction ramps. Since the haulers are hauling horizontally and not up the incline they don't have to haul up their own weight (60 kg per person). Since that computes to a very small difference, we think that the number of haulers would be much too high to be feasible. Only with a rope roll it is possible to haul on the 52° surface of the pyramid! Main advocate: J.F. Edwards Theories of pyramid ramp systems disproved Calculating the force and kinetic coefficient of friction necessary

Machines

Machines such as the capstan, the shaduf, the lifting jack, the gantry crane and hoists have been suggested to aid building the pyramid.
A shaduf is an ancient water-raising device used by ancient Egyptians. To be able to use them for constructing the pyramid, wooden towers would have be constructed and moved up the stepped sides of the pyramid as construction proceeds. However the proposal that some form of shaduf was used has to be deemed an impractical solution because they can't lift or move enough stones (calculations show one 2.5-ton stone per minute) in the time available. We also doubt, that a wooden beam alone could carry that much weight.
Shaduf (or shadoof): Wikipedia / Egyptian painting / photo / used on the pyramid flank

Lifting jack: The lifting jack uses a short pole and several short planks. A stone block is levered using the pole at one side and the plank is inserted to keep that side of the block up. Then the opposite side of the block is levered in a similar manner and again a plank inserted. This process can be repeated until the desired elevation is achieved. By the time the pyramid of Khufu had reached half its completed height, some fifteen hundred separate jacking actions, together with approximately eighty horizontal transfers, would have had to be undertaken for a single stone block [2], so it could reach the appropriate height - way too much time and effort - an impractical solution!
 
The capstan consists of a wooden drum or barrel mounted on an axle. So called handspikes, are mounted or inserted through holes on the top and are used to turn the capstan. It is used on ships to lift the anchor or heavy loads. However the capstan is not stable enough to lift the amount of stones needed for the pyramid. And since it uses an axle like a wheel it was probably not known during the time, when the pyramids were built. However later during the Late Period of ancient Egypt, water drawing machines were used, where oxen pulled on a large horizontally mounted wheel (Sakije) [3] similar to the capstan.
Wikipedia Capstan

The winch should not to be confused with Löhner's rope roll. A winch is a mechanical device that is used to wind up a rope. It consists of a spool and attached cranks. Winches are often used in ships to hoist up the anchor or to lift up buckets with water from deep water wells. The rope is wound around a cylindrical drum.
The ancient Egyptians probably didn't know this device until the wheel was introduced to Egypt. The spool or drum is turning around a central axis like a wheel. Axles are not very stable and likely to break if the load is too heavy. Löhner's rope roll has a diameter of 14cm and - more important - only a piece of about 10cm is used to deflect the rope. A short but thick piece of wood is much more stable than a think and long piece like in a wheel.
Wikipedia Winch
The pulley and the gantry crane or other hoists also have to be discarded, because the basic building block, the wheel, was unknown to the Egyptians. Other devices using cogwheels or steel hooks have been suggested, but these machines were not known during the area of the pyramid builders.
Wikipedia Pulley / Gantry crane

Using horses or oxen and wheels

Some people suggest, that horses or oxen could have hauled the sledges (or wagons) with the stones up the ramps. The first known painting of an oxen hauling a sledge dates from 1000 years after Khufu built his pyramid. For heavy loads, a sledge is anyway much better, wagons needs roads and an animal to pull it. Horses only reached Egypt around 1700 before Christ, when Hyksos invaded Egypt. The wheel was not known at that time either. Anyway, wagons with an axle were not stable enough to transport heavy stones - a frieze from Nineveh shows a statue on a sledge. A wagon just behind it is only loaded with building material.
Transporting the stone blocks using a sledge on tracks

What has been found?

Only small, embankment-like structures have been discovered on the Giza plateau. Actually some smaller ramps were found - one on the southern side of the pyramid of Medûm (Meidum), which was 5m wide (adobe bricks) and at the pyramid of Sesostris I in Lisht there is a ramp of about 50m length. But these ramps are much smaller than the huge construction ramps suggested by the Egyptologists, more like transport roads or auxiliary ramps.
Facts contradicting all models
All ramps get smaller when they reach the upper portion of the pyramid. So it is of great importance, that when you get higher up you only use smaller and lighter stones. With a ramp you would expect, that the size of the stones would decrease steadily as you get higher. It is interesting, that this is not the case in the pyramid of Khufu! On the contrary you find thicker stone layers even very high up - on 69m, 75m and on 89m. This fact is inconsistent with the proposed ramps but corroborates the use of Franz Löhner's rope rolls and the installation of rope-roll stations also high up on the pyramid flank.
Stone courses of the Pyramid of Khufu
Transport up the pyramid flank with Löhner's rope roll
There is a dearth of conclusive archaeological evidence supporting and several facts contradicting the theory that massive ramps were used for the construction of the pyramids. For winding ramps there is no archaeological record at all that indicates the use of one, the depictions of ramps on wall paintings or papyrus generally show straight ones which lead up to a wall.