For centuries, the method by which Egypt’s Great Pyramid was constructed has puzzled archaeologists, as no ancient records have detailed the techniques used to elevate and fit its colossal stone blocks with such speed.

Conventional explanations suggest the use of ramps and a gradual construction approach; however, these theories fall short in addressing how stones, some weighing as much as 60 tons, were hoisted to great heights within just 20 years.

Recently, a groundbreaking study has introduced the idea that the pyramid may have been constructed using an internal system comprised of counterweights and mechanisms akin to pulleys, concealed within its very structure.

Published in the journal Nature, the research by Dr. Simon Andreas Scheuring from Weill Cornell Medicine in New York unveils calculations indicating that workers could have lifted and positioned the massive blocks at an extraordinary rate—potentially one block per minute.

Dr. Scheuring posits that achieving such efficiency would have required the use of sliding counterweights to provide the necessary power, rather than relying solely on the sheer force of manpower, to elevate stones to the higher tiers of the Pyramid of Khufu.

The study also pointed to architectural features inside the pyramid that support this model, identifying the Grand Gallery and Ascending Passage as sloped ramps where counterweights may have been dropped to create a lifting force. 

The Antechamber, long thought to be a security feature, is reinterpreted as a pulley-like mechanism that could help lift even the heaviest blocks. 

If true, the study suggested the Great Pyramid was constructed from the inside out, starting at an internal core and using hidden pulley systems to raise stones as the structure grew.

A new study has proposed a new theory of how the Great Pyramid was built, suggesting it was constructed from the inside out using pulleys 

The Great Pyramid of Khufu, the oldest and largest of the Giza pyramids, was built as the tomb for Pharaoh Khufu around 2560 BC, about 4,585 years ago. 

The pharaoh’s mummy and his treasures have never been found, and the pyramid has remained the world’s tallest structure for millennia and the only Ancient Wonder still largely intact. 

It is famous for its precise construction from millions of stone blocks and for its complex internal passages leading to the King’s Chamber.

According to the new study, heavy counterweights slid downward along sloped internal passages, generating a force that lifted blocks upward elsewhere in the core. 

Scheuring reinterpreted the Ascending Passage and the Grand Gallery as internal construction ramps rather than ceremonial corridors. 

He pointed to scratches, wear marks and polished surfaces along the walls of the Grand Gallery as evidence that large sledges once moved repeatedly along its length, suggesting mechanical stress consistent with sliding loads rather than foot traffic or ritual use.

The study also offered a new explanation for the Antechamber, a small granite room just before the King’s Chamber. 

Traditionally thought to be a security device meant to block tomb robbers, the Antechamber is reimagined as a pulley-like lifting station. 

If true, the study suggested the Great Pyramid was constructed from the inside out, starting at an internal core and using hidden pulley systems to raise stones as the structure grew

Grooves cut into its granite walls, stone supports that may have held wooden beams, and unusually rough workmanship point to a functional machine rather than a finished ceremonial room.

In Scheuring’s reconstruction, ropes would have run over wooden logs set into the Antechamber, allowing workers to lift stones weighing up to 60 tons. 

The system could be adjusted to increase lifting power when needed, similar to changing gears. 

Oversized rope grooves and an uneven, inlaid floor suggest the chamber was once connected to a vertical shaft that was later sealed once construction ended.

Beyond individual rooms, Scheuring argued that the pyramid’s entire internal layout reflects engineering compromises rather than symbolic design. 

Major chambers and passages cluster near a shared vertical axis but are oddly offset rather than perfectly centered. 

The Queen’s Chamber, for example, is centered north–south but not east–west, while the King’s Chamber sits noticeably south of the pyramid’s central axis. 

Such irregularities are difficult to explain if the pyramid was built neatly from the ground up using external ramps. 

In a traditional model, builders could have placed chambers wherever they wanted, with perfect symmetry. 

Instead, the offsets suggest builders were working around mechanical constraints imposed by internal lifting systems.

The theory also offered explanations for puzzling exterior features, including the slight concavity of the pyramid’s faces and the complex pattern in which stone layers gradually change height. 

According to Scheuring, these features may reflect how internal ramps and lifting points shifted as the pyramid rose and stones became lighter at higher levels.

Importantly, the model makes testable predictions, suggesting no large undiscovered chambers remain hidden in the pyramid’s core, an idea supported by recent muon-scanning surveys. 

However, smaller corridors or remnants of internal ramps may still exist in the outer portions of the structure, particularly higher up. 

If supported by future discoveries, Scheuring’s proposal could reshape how archaeologists understand not only the Great Pyramid but also pyramid construction across ancient Egypt.