The Great Lift of Giza: How Water Lifted the Human Imagination

How were over 2 million multi-ton blocks lifted into place to form the Great Pyramid?This paper proposes a float-actuated vertical lift system—a large-scale hydraulicmechanism anchored by vertical shafts and sealed diorite or granite containers designedfor buoyancy. By converting hydrostatic pressure into mechanical energy through wateractuatedlift chambers, the system reframes the Giza Necropolis as a functional machinerather than a symbolic funerary complex.Recent SAR imaging conducted by the Malanga–Biondi–Mei research team has revealeddeep vertical anomalies beneath the Giza Plateau, along with subterranean voidsand anomalous channels extending across the necropolis 1. We interpret these featuresas remnants of a water-driven actuator network capable of meeting the logistical demandsof a 20-year construction timeline, delivering more than 200 blocks per day with precisionand repeatability.This reinterpretation recasts architectural elements such as the Osiris Shaft and granitesarcophagi as engineered hydrostatic components—pressure reservoirs and buoyantfloats—offering testable alternatives where funerary explanations fall short. This accountsfor structural overengineering, the absence of remains, and the lack of ritual artifacts withinthe Great Pyramid.The hypothesis also extends beyond construction, proposing post-functional utilitythrough cyclic hydraulic discharge, potentially routed via the Sphinx as a terminal recoverybasin. In this context, a cohesive geotechnical network emerges—designed not forsymbolic burial, but for engineered performance.This study invites interdisciplinary collaboration across archaeology, fluid mechanics,geophysics, and remote sensing to validate, refine, or falsify its claims through empiricalinvestigation.