THEORY: Egyptians used A Frame to lift and Roller Decks to move, large blocks of stone.
DATE of ORIGIN: February, 1989
DESCRIPTION: An A Frame with a fixed length of rope to attach to the load and a longer length of rope for a gang of men to pull on. This method would have been very fast as the blocks could have been moved into and out-of-place in minutes.
It is interesting that the “A” Frame is not listed as a simple machine. The six simple machines are, Lever & Fulcrum, Wheel & Axle, Pulley, Incline Plane, Wedge and Screw. Note that both the Wheel and Pulley are as complex as the A Frame. This omission from the list of simple machines is likely the reason why the speculation has gone on for so long. The omission is also part of the mystery.
This should end all speculation as to how they built the Pyramids. They did not build large ramps. Why would they put up with the friction when they knew how to get around it. Nor did come up with ingenious methods to lever and pivot. This is the preferred method that would have been used. There would have been many A Frames around the perimeter of the pyramid some lifting stone, some lifting fill. They would also be at different heights as unfinished sections would have been left as lifting avenues to lift stone to the top. As the pyramids were finished they worked their way down the lifting avenue of the pyramid to finish it off.
1)The A frame;
A Frames.
As can be seen in this simple drawing they would have used a simple A frame with a long rope attached to the top and a large gang of workers would have pulled on the rope until such time as the block rests at a higher level. Heavier blocks could have been lifted with a double A frame. This would have reduced the load, requiring less effort to pull.
The A frame would have rested in two grease blocks at the base of the A frame. These blocks would have allowed the A frame to pivot from a horizontal position to a vertical position. lifting the fixed length of rope and the load to a high position.
This is not an A frame but it is close as this one uses a pulley to lift the load and then it is pulled over to the location required. This is operating more like a crane and requires the development of the pulley which came after the wheel, the A frame would have come first.
2)Grease blocks and rollers;
A frames, grease blocks and rollers would have been the technology of the day. Great expense and care would have taken place to procure these machines and the required wood would have traveled down from Europe.
3)Roller bearing decks, wheels and pulleys;
Tackle blocks and wheel bearings would have followed very quickly. As they went from rollers on the ground to rollers in place to rollers on axles. All of this technology would have been exploding around the world at the same time. In Egypt, China, India, Central America and in Cambodia. It is how all the temples of the time were built.
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