NEW Theory 'Solves' HOW the Great Pyramid was Built

Añadido: 2026-05-05

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[00:00:28]A brand new paper has been published in the HPJ Heritage Science Journal that suggests the Great Pyramid was built using an integrated edge ramp system.

[00:00:39]And according to the author, everything just adds up.

[00:00:44]How the great pyramid was built has always been a subject of debate and there are many different ideas on the table from the lifting machines documented by Heroditus all the way to Jean-Pierre Houdan's internal ramp. And although it's great the new papers are being published on the subject, the mystery is far from solved because every new idea requires authors to make assumptions. So I guess the best pyramid building ideas are the ones with the least assumptions, overcome the many many obstacles and also explain the specific observations of peculiarities on the great pyramid.

[00:01:25]This new idea apparently uses what is called a 3D computational framework and shows how an adaptive multi system could be utilized to build the pyramid and also at a blistering pace.

[00:01:39]It calculates the entire job could be done in 13.8 to 20.6 years. So very much in keeping with Kufu's reign, which is thought to be somewhere around 27 years.

[00:01:53]The paper is open access and free to download and is also 18 pages long. And I have to admit it's not for the faint-hearted. It's not written for the lay person, but it does explain a number of features we see on the Great Pyramid, including the giant granite blocks of the king's chamber and relieving chambers.

[00:02:16]In this video, I'll try and pull out the key features, present the idea the best I can, but I've left a link to the paper in the description below. I won't give a full evaluation right now, but this might come in due course.

[00:02:32]The main feature of this pyramid building model is helical pathways on the edges of the pyramid formed by simply emitting specific courses of stone on the perimeter. Courses that were later added to hide the ramp from view.

[00:02:48]So this is similar but also different to Jeania Houdan's internal ramp hypothesis.

[00:02:55]Houdan's spiral ramp was inside the edges of the pyramid. And whilst this one is also contained within the framework of the pyramid, it's very much on the edges exposed to the outside. And there are multiple ramps and not just one spiraling ramp.

[00:03:14]Vicente Louise Russell Roy is an independent researcher who's been working on the idea for the past six years. And that's because he spotted a number of problems and inconsistencies with the more conventional explanations.

[00:03:28]From making sketches by hand in 2020, he moved on to full 3D models that simulated the pyramids construction process block by block.

[00:03:40]He's not proposing one winding ramp starting at the bottom and leading to the top, but that there were multiple ramp systems starting on each of the four faces of the pyramid. This would allow for a speedier and more coordinated workflow.

[00:03:56]Apparently, there is evidence for four perpendicular ramps on the Old Kingdom sinky pyramid, one on each face. And although this pyramid is far far smaller than the Great Pyramid, Russell Roy has used it as supporting evidence for his method.

[00:04:14]And whilst this is all well and good for transporting the more manageable blocks of pyramid limestone, what about the enormous multi-tonon blocks of granite, the ones we find in and around the king's chamber?

[00:04:28]This is often the biggest problem for pyramid building theories. Although in my opinion, Jeanpierre Houdan's Grand Gallery centered counterweight system does work.

[00:04:40]Russell Roy's model does not use the Grand Gallery, but instead has a terrace to terrace transport strategy using short ramps that could be dismantled and reused.

[00:04:52]Basically, in his model, the granite beams are on site from the very start of the project, placed on top of the square building terrace.

[00:05:01]Then as the pyramid rises in height, teams of people lifted the blocks with reusable ramps in association with wooden bolards for capstand control.

[00:05:12]In this model, the large square pyramid plan terraces had enough space to accommodate specialized teams and their focus was lifting the 40 plus ton granite blocks course by course without disrupting the continuous flow of the standard limestone blocks brought up the pyramid by the multi-ramp system.

[00:05:34]Now, I agree the multi-ramp system is better than a single winding ramp because you can have multiple teams working at the same time, speeding up the entire process.

[00:05:46]And having a separate team in charge of the granite, moving it upwards as the pyramid grows course by course would explain how they got it into position around the king's chamber. No enormous ramp was needed.

[00:06:01]All in all, in theory, this new model does work and apparently means the Great Pyramid could be built in under 27 years.

[00:06:11]But of course, it's all theory. Does it have any physical supporting evidence?

[00:06:18]Well, apparently the position of the Northace corridor discovered by the Scan Pyramids mission lines up with one of the ramps proposed.

[00:06:28]And the ramp also lines up with this cavity on the corner edge of the pyramid, as well as other anomalies noted by Russell Roy. Russell Roy also says the intense wear observed at the pyramid's corners, particularly in the southeast, could mark the entry points where the greatest flow of blocks occurred and where the back filling of the ramp was also most vulnerable.

[00:06:54]Because of the length and detailed nature of the new paper, this really is a basic overview to introduce you to the new concept, but those that wish to analyze it in more detail should download the paper on the link below.

[00:07:10]But the use of a computational framework is interesting and apparently it can be adapted to test construction theories for other pyramids as well such as the red bent caf and manor pyramids.

[00:07:24]The researcher has also shared the code and data sets on zenodo so that egyptologists and engineers can check, refine and test the model and I think this is to be commended.

[00:07:38]After reading the paper and trying my best to understand it, I do already have a few problems. But then again, there are issues with every single great pyramid building theory out there.

[00:07:52]For a start, we don't know the ramps he proposes ever existed. And just because some pyramid anomalies are explained by the ramps, it doesn't mean the ramps are responsible. The ramps proposed probably can never be testable. And that's because in his model the ramps are back filled with limestone.

[00:08:13]So whilst the multi ram system is the basis of the model, it will probably always be somewhat unknown.

[00:08:22]The model and time scale proposed also assumes a somewhat homogeneous pyramid with the age-old assumption the Great Pyramid has 2.3 million blocks of limestone. When we know the inside of other pyramids can have a far more complex structure.

[00:08:39]As we see in the great gash on the manor pyramid, there is evidence of a step core with different layers of casing stone, backing stone, specific stone for the steps, and then a rubble-like filling.

[00:08:53]By assuming the fabric of an enormous pyramid, you are simplifying the model, and it could be completely unrealistic.

[00:09:03]And you can't just use the observations at the tiny sinky pyramid to support a model, but then ignore the stepcore observations noted at the Manor pyramid, the Giza Queen's pyramids, and also the Maidoom pyramid.

[00:09:19]But I do agree that the moving and laying of the granite and limestone should be looked at as different tasks.

[00:09:26]I don't think the granite and the limestone took the same path into the pyramid. But my main problem is the idea that the huge granite beams were at the building site from the very beginning of the pyramid project.

[00:09:40]First of all, the architect would have had to plan the pyramid project. Then the order would be made to quarry the stone from Aswan and then the stone was brought by boat to the Kufu harbor and this would take a long long time.

[00:09:54]Then the granite was unloaded from the boats, dragged from the harbor all the way to the pyramid building site. And according to the model, all this was done before the pyramid building began.

[00:10:08]I don't know exactly how long it would take to quarry and transport these huge blocks, but it does seem unrealistic that a pharaoh would hang around waiting, especially when life expectancy in the old kingdom was not like it is today.

[00:10:24]I guess technically it does work, but as far as I can see, Russell Roy also does not factor in the natural mound of limestone bedrock that's hidden in the pyramid.

[00:10:37]The initial shaping of this mound, preparing the land, and then moving all the granite up and onto the mound all needs to be factored in.

[00:10:47]And then we have to consider course 206, a course of limestone much thicker than expected and so high on the pyramid.

[00:10:56]Some of the blocks on this course were enormous and they weighed more than 10 tons. They were positioned 456 ft above the pyramid's base and very close to the summit. This was recently identified in the research of the great history for granite.

[00:11:16]I guess the explanation for the granite could also explain the anomalous course 206.

[00:11:23]To get these blocks into position, I assume that Russell Roy would say that like the granite beams, these would be brought in at the very start of the pyramid building project and raised course by course with the granite.

[00:11:38]But the problem is that these enormous blocks of limestone ended up much higher, very close to the summit, a place where you simply haven't got the space for large teams of people, small ramps, and capstandance.

[00:11:52]I would like the author to specifically have a go at tackling the problem of course 206.

[00:11:59]Right now, Houdans's Grand Gallery in Big Void counterweight method and Russell Roy's new method do technically explain how the granite beams got into position. But course 206 does need more attention, and we are lucky to have history for granite for uncovering the details of this now missing course of stone.

[00:12:22]But I do like Russell Royy's multi-ramp hypothesis for the limestone. And the model also offers an explanation for the changes and patterns we see in the thickness of the pyramid courses of stone.

[00:12:36]For example, there is a correlation between his predicted turning tears and course thickness.

[00:12:44]This has been a very basic overview of the new work, but I do think the new study should be downloaded, read and digested by all. We do have to keep in mind the ideas right now. I think we are still some way off understanding how the Great Pyramid was built, but I do have a picture emerging in my mind.

[00:13:06]I do think the core structure of the Great Pyramid is a stepped construction and that the backing stones were added to form a true pyramid in the later stages of the project.

[00:13:18]But I do think that hiding in the backing stones are winding ramps. And I do like Russell Royy's multi-ramp idea.

[00:13:26]And I also agree that course thickness measurements do hide knowledge regarding the pyramid's construction.

[00:13:34]But I do think the Houdans counterweight system with the Grand Gallery in Big Void does make the most sense for moving the granite into position. It means there's no hanging around for the boats to arrive from Aswan. And in theory, it does work.

[00:13:51]So, I think as time goes by, we'll end up taking aspects from multiple ideas on pyramid building. And I'm sure the best model will be a mix of work from different researchers.

[00:14:04]We would all love to be that one person that solves the problem all by ourselves, but I do think it will be a real team effort in the end.

[00:14:14]But of course, the answer to how did they build the Great Pyramid will probably never be confirmed. And I have no doubt this will not be the last idea to be published by a credible journal.

[00:14:27]But I do take off my hat to Russell Roy.

[00:14:31]It's an idea he's clearly spent a long time working on. And yes, assumptions are made. No, I don't think it's 100% correct, but I do think that some of his concepts are very credible and also possible.

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