Ancient Egyptians may have used a hydraulic lift to build the first pyramid

Ancient Egyptians may have used an elaborate hydraulic system to construct the world's first pyramid. Known as the Pyramid of Djoser, the step pyramid was built around 4,700 years ago on the Saqqara plateau, an archaeological site in northern Egypt.

- JENNIFER NALEWICKI

Archaeologists have long wondered how ancient workers accomplished such an architectural feat before the advent of large machinery like bulldozers and cranes. Because the pyramid sits near a long-gone branch of the Nile, researchers hypothesise that the ancient Egyptians utilised the water source to build the 62-metre-tall pyramid by designing a 'modern hydraulic system' comprising a dam, a water treatment plant and a hydraulic freight elevator, all powered by the river. They posit that the mysterious Gisr el-Mudir enclosure near the pyramid worked as a structure that captured sediment and water.