Experts solve riddle of pyramids

THE mystery of how the Egyptians built the pyramids may be solved after the discovery of a pulley system that moved blocks up far steeper inclines than previously thought.

An Anglo-French team unearthed a rare intact construction ramp in an alabaster quarry. It had an incline of 20%, steps on either side and holes for huge posts.

This suggests that it allowed pulling from above while the posts were used as pulleys to haul from below. University of Liverpool’s Roland Emmarch said: “It doubles the number of people who can haul.”

Yannis Gourdon, of the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology, added: “When Cheops made the pyramid in Giza they had the technology to transport huge stones on the huge steep slopes.”