Great Pyramid: Scientists propose internal pulley and counterweight construction method

A study published in Nature proposes that the Great Pyramid could have been built using internal pulley-like systems driven by sliding counterweights, and the authors say this model can account for a rapid construction pace and several interior features.

Scientists publish a proposal in Nature that reinterprets how the Great Pyramid of Giza may have been built. The authors, led by Dr. Simon Andreas Scheuring of Weill Cornell Medicine, argue that internal pulley-like systems powered by sliding counterweights could have moved heavy blocks. They say this approach would allow a much faster pace of construction than traditional ramp models. The study cites architectural and masonry features inside the pyramid as the basis for this interpretation. Key points: - The study appears in the journal Nature and is authored by Dr. Simon Andreas Scheuring and colleagues. - The authors estimate the Great Pyramid contains about 2.3 million limestone blocks and say their calculations imply construction over roughly two decades, which they report would equate to a block placed about every minute. - The paper proposes internally routed pulley-like systems driven by sliding counterweights along inclined passages rather than solely external ramps. - The Grand Gallery and Ascending Passage are reinterpreted as sloped internal passages that could have served as sliding-ramps for counterweights, with polished surfaces and wear cited as supporting features. - The Antechamber is proposed to have functioned as a mechanical fulcrum in the system rather than as a nonfunctional portcullis, and the authors note off-center chambers and passage layouts as consistent with building around mechanical constraints. Summary: If supported, the proposal would change interpretations of some internal features and offer an alternative mechanism for how heavy blocks were lifted during construction. Undetermined at this time.