Building the next pyramid

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel rolling method for moving large stone blocks used in pyramid construction, significantly reducing friction and effort compared to dragging, demonstrated through experiments with a 1,000 kg block.

Contribution

The paper presents a new technique for moving large stone blocks by rolling with rods, achieving much lower friction than traditional dragging methods.

Findings

Rolling method reduces dynamic friction to below 0.06.

The method is effective for large pyramid-sized blocks.

Experimental results outperform previous dragging techniques.

Abstract

The results of experimental tests of a novel method for moving large (pyramid construction size) stone blocks by rolling them are presented. The method is implemented by tying 12 identical rods of appropriately chosen radius to the faces of the block forming a rough dodecagon prism. Experiments using a 1,000 kg block show that it can be moved across level open ground with a dynamic coefficient of friction of less than 0.06. This value is a factor of five lower than that obtained for dragging the block, and the best values reported for dragging by others, at 0.3. the results are more dramatic than those obtained on smaller scale experiments on a 29.6 kg block, also reported here. For full scale pyramid blocks, the wooden "rods" woudl need to be posts of order 30 cm in diameter, similar in size to those used as masts on ships in the Nile.