The remains of a 4,500-year-old ramp system have been discovered in an ancient quarry in Eastern Desert, in what scientists said may give a clue on how Egyptian Pyramids were built thousands of years ago, according to Live Science.
The ramp was unearthed at the Egyptian site of Hatnub by researchers from the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in Cairo and the University of Liverpool in England.
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The scientists suggested that the ramp was specifically designed to drag 2.5-ton stone blocks up a slope with the help of sleds and rope.
Yannis Gourdon, co-director of the joint mission at Hatnub, told Live Science that the system is "composed of a central ramp flanked by two staircases with numerous post holes," to which ropes were likely tied to drag the huge alabaster stones.
"Using a sled which carried a stone block and was attached with ropes to these wooden posts, ancient Egyptians were able to pull up the alabaster blocks out of the quarry on very steep slopes of 20 percent or more," he explained.
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The great Pyramids of Giza are among the most famous and oldest man-made structures in the world. Located about 15 km outside Cairo, the complex is over 4,500 years old, and consists of three Great Pyramids, as well as a sculpture known as the Great Sphinx and several crypts.