A new study has found that ancient Egyptians were able to transport heavy stones for pyramid construction with ease, using a sled.
Researchers from the University of Amsterdam led by physics professor Daniel Bonn discovered that the ancient Egyptians developed a technique to move heavy blocks of stone and big statues to pyramid construction sites, ultimately reducing half the number of workers building the structures.
These Egyptians reportedly used a sled pulled over the sand by workers. To make the pulling a bit easier, they wet the desert sand over which the sled passed. Based on experiments, the force required in pulling objects on the sand can be reduced significantly simply by applying the right amount of wetness to the sand.
"If you use dry sand, it won't work as well, but if the sand is too wet, it won't work either," Bonn said during an interview with LiveScience. "There's an optimum stiffness."
After discovering a wall painting from the tomb of Djehutihotep, researchers wrote that his simple "wet sand" trick was most likely a common technique used by the Egyptians. In the painting, a person is seen standing at the front side of the sled. As it's being pulled, another person pours water above the sand right at the front.
Scientists explained that the wet desert sand has the same quality of stiffness found in dry sand if the right amount of water is used to bind sand grains together. Compared to dry sand, the wet sand's firm and stiff nature enables easy gliding of a sled simply because wet sand does not pile up in front of the vehicle.
Scientists further explained in a press release that the technique can be useful in modern-day applications. By gaining a deeper understanding on granular materials such as coal, concrete, asphalt and sand, modern humans can develop techniques to maximize granular material transport and processing, which should eventually reduce current worldwide energy consumption by 10 percent.
Further details of the study can be read on the April 29 issue of the Physical Review Letters.
