Egypt’s Great Pyramid history shattered as new ‘evidence’ reveals how the ancient structure was really built

The mystery of how the Great Pyramid in Egypt was built may finally be solved.

For decades, experts have struggled to explain how ancient workers lifted and placed millions of huge stone blocks, some weighing up to 15 tons, without modern machinery. No written records explain how they did this.

Now a new study suggests that the Pyramid of Khufu was built using a hidden spiral ramp that ran through the structure.

Computer scientist Vicente Luis Rosell Roig believes workers used an ‘edge ramp’, a curved path along the outer edges of the pyramid that was gradually covered as each new layer was added.

Instead of relying on massive external ramps, this would allow workers to move the stones up one level at a time.

The scale of the project is staggering. The pyramid extends approximately 755 feet along each side of its base and rises to approximately 481 feet.

Historians estimate that the structure was built from approximately 2.3 million stone blocks; this was a feat that required extraordinary planning and coordination during Pharaoh Khufu’s reign.

The new model also sheds light on how long construction may have taken.

Simulations show that blocks can be placed quickly and consistently, every four to six minutes.

At this rate, the pyramid could be completed in just 14 to 21 years.

When quarrying, transportation and workers’ breaks are factored in, the total timeline rises to around 20 to 27 years, in line with current estimates.

Most importantly, the theory could also explain why mysterious empty spaces were detected inside the pyramid. This suggests that parts of the hidden ramp may still be inside.

“Old Kingdom technology prohibited iron tools, wheeled heavy transport, and compound pulleys, but allowed copper chisels, water-lubricated sledges, ropes, levers, earthworks, and Nile barges,” Rosell Roig said. NPJ Heritage ScienceIt was released in March 2026.

‘Accordingly, we constrained the ramp slope, lane width/span and friction and assessed the dispatch advance (time between placement of successive blocks) required to meet the 20-27 year window and coded these constraints as model parameters.’

For centuries, experts have debated how ancient builders managed to lift such massive materials with limited technology while maintaining the pyramid’s precise geometry.

Many earlier ramp theories attempted to explain how construction could proceed efficiently without creating obstacles or requiring large amounts of additional materials.

Now a new study suggests that the Pyramid of Khufu may have been built using a complex system of hidden ramps that could move stone blocks every few minutes.

Rosell Roig’s research aimed to overcome these challenges by combining multiple forms of analysis into a single system.

According to the research, he created a computer model that simulated how the stones were moved and how the structure remained stable as it rose layer by layer.

At the center of the system is the IER ramp itself, a stepped path built into the outer structure of the pyramid rather than relying on large external ramps.

Sections of the outer stone layers were left temporarily open to form the upward path, then filled in as work progressed, eliminating visible evidence of the ramp when construction was completed.

Rosell Roig described this method as ‘a spiral path created by bypassing and filling in the surrounding courses’, allowing the ramp to rise along the structure.

It turns out that timing is one of the most important elements of the study. The model calculated that maintaining constant block placement intervals would allow construction to proceed within realistic historical time frames.

When expanded to include additional logistical steps such as quarrying stone and transporting materials across the Nile, the overall construction window increased but remained consistent with accepted estimates.

Structural stability was another key focus, with phased finite element analysis used to simulate the pressure that builds as each new layer of stone is added to the growing monument.

The results showed that ‘stresses and settlements remained within reasonable limits for Old Kingdom limestone under its own weight’, indicating that the structure could support its own enormous mass throughout construction.

The model was also tested against physical observations already established within the pyramid. Imaging technology revealed unexplained interiors, and the study found that the proposed ramp geometry corresponded to these features.

This design would allow workers to move stone blocks steadily upwards without building massive external ramps that would require vast amounts of additional material.

This alignment suggests that the gaps may not be accidental gaps but rather structural elements created as part of the construction process.

The most important strength of the model is its ability to be tested. Rather than proposing an idea that cannot be proven, the research outlines measurable physical signatures that archaeologists can investigate.

These include ‘falsifiable predictions (edge ​​fill marks, corner wear)’, which refer to specific patterns expected where ramps are infilled or where heavy traffic may cause repeated wear.

According to Rosell Roig, the IER model helps solve many long-standing questions about how the pyramid was built efficiently without leaving visible traces.

He wrote that the system ‘helps reconcile production, research access and zero footprint closure,’ meaning it allows construction to remain efficient while preserving the final appearance of the pyramid.

Combining logistics, geometry and structural modeling into a single framework, the study presents what it describes as a feasible construction path based on measurable constraints.

If future archaeological research confirms the predicted physical evidence, the findings could reshape modern understanding of how one of the world’s most famous monuments was built not just by brute force but by careful planning, engineering precision and a construction method designed to disappear into the finished structure.