Herodotus machine

A Herodotus machine is a construction tool theorized to be used by ancient Egyptians. It was used to lift large stones in order to build pyramids. It uses a system of counterweights to lever the blocks into the air, then places a flat plank underneath, slowly raising the block. It is but one of many theories about how the pyramids were built. There are multiple reasons why the Herodotus machine would have been workable, and many why it would not.
History
The first documentation of this machine was around 450 B.C. It was observed and written about by the Greek historian Herodotus, from whom the machine got its name. Herodotus himself is a controversial topic. He has been described as both "the father of history," and "the father of lies." While he documented much and kept extensive records; he was known to exaggerate. Some of his work is backed by little to no evidence. The passage written by Herodotus that described this machine was cursory and confusing.
This excerpt from his "Histories" serves as a good example of his writing. He does not go into very much detail. This could be attributed to the fact that Herodotus was part historian and part story teller. So, any parts of history that he did not deem interesting enough may not have been recorded in detail.
Pyramid construction began in ancient Egypt starting around 2700 B.C. and continued until around 1700 B.C. The first steps towards pyramid building were taken by Djoser and his architect Imhotep. However, the golden age of pyramid building came later when Sneferu's son Khufu built the Great Pyramid of Giza. Many theories may be possible for smaller pyramids, but larger pyramids were harder to build. These larger pyramids would have required ramps or construction machines.
Mechanics
The Herodotus machine works through a system of counterweights, which are used to lift heavy stone blocks placed at the center of the machine. The block rests upon the wooden structure, and is tied to a wooden plank above it. Downward force is applied to one end of the plank. Then because of leverage the block will lift slightly and a small wooden plank is inserted under the block. Now when the block is set down it will be at a small incline. Next, downward force is applied to the other side of the wooden plank, lifting the lower side of the block into the air. Then another small wooden plank is inserted under that. Now the block should be level again. This continues until the block is raised to a sufficient height to be pushed onto the next level of the pyramid.
The Herodotus machine is a machine used to lift heavy blocks. However, it does not look at all like the lifting machines we have today. The base of the machine is a rectangular frame. On one of the long sides of the base, there is a tower-like protrusion with two, tall rectangular holes. The small planks are stuck through here to elevate the block. There are beams supporting this tower on each side, giving the whole machine a trapezoidal appearance. Finally, there is a small wooden platform in the center of the machine where the block would be placed.
There are two theories about how this type of machine could have been used. Either a few were built and were used to lift the blocks. Then, because they were wooden and lightweight, they could be lifted themselves by hand to the next tier. Or a machine could have been built for each tier. In this case the blocks would be lifted from one machine and directly deposited onto a machine already sitting on the next level.
The Machine's Use
The Herodotus machine is but one of the ancient Egyptian pyramid construction techniques. Because of the distance into the past that pyramid building took place, it is very hard to find conclusive evidence. Many sources contradict each other and few can be considered leading theories. The Herodotus machine could have been implemented in the construction of both small and large pyramids.
Because of how light the machine is, it could be lifted from level to level. Also, because it is small, many could be made and stored on the levels of the pyramid. Then, blocks could be passed up from level to level quickly. This would work almost until the top of the pyramid. At that point there is only about 18 inches of space to stand on. But the blocks may have been small enough to simply lift without machines.
However, it is not widely believed that the ancient Egyptians had heard of any types of machines other than levers or shadufs. A shaduf is a simple crane with a weight on one side of a fulcrum, and the load on the other. This method would need many machines in order to be efficient and Egypt simply did not have a large enough supply of wood to do this. They often imported lumber from Lebanon. But this process is extremely costly and would not have been reasonable. Finally, this process of lifting blocks using the Herodotus machine could only have worked up to a certain level. As the steps became smaller, there would be no room for the machine to sit.
Modern Tests
The Herodotus machine was reconstructed in February 2011, in order to find if it was a plausible solution to lifting such large blocks of stone. When recreated it worked very well. The machine, built to scale, was able to lift a 300 kg concrete block. In fact, it took so little effort that a six year old was able to lift the stone.
Other Theories
* One idea is a single, long ramp that tapers off with higher elevation, similar to a pyramid. While this would have been the simplest solution; it is not possible. The ramp would have had to be over a mile long in order to reach the top at a reasonable grade.
* The next kind of ramp is one that spirals up the side of the pyramid, so as to avoid building an entirely separate structure. This theory is not possible either. When building a pyramid the corners must constantly be measured in order to come to a point. But building a pyramid with this type of ramp would mean that the corners have to be built last. So, the pyramid would not come to a point.
* The third and most plausible ramp structure is a small exterior ramp just to complete the first few levels. Then as the base of the pyramid was being built an interior ramp would be constructed, winding along the inside of the pyramid.<ref name="How to Build a Pyramid" /> While there is little evidence supporting this theory; it avoids the problems presented by the external ramps.
* This theory is similar to that of the Herodotus machine. It involves a crane-like structure, or essentially a large shaduf. This theory is simple enough for the ancient Egyptians to have come up with; but it also would not have been sturdy enough to lift such large stone blocks. It also has all the drawbacks of the Herodotus machine.

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