Topside Haulage: Block Throughput on Steep Pyramid Ramps and Exterior Faces

This paper introduces the concept of topside haulage — a hauling configuration in which the crew works on the flat surface at the head of a ramp, applying horizontal force via rope over a journal bearing frame at the ramp edge, while the block and sledge travel up the ramp face. The crew never works on the ramp surface itself, eliminating slope fatigue and allowing full sustained effort throughout each haul. The paper proposes a two-phase construction model for large Old Kingdom pyramids. A 26° ramp — either external lean-to or internal trench — serves the lower portion of the pyramid. For the Great Pyramid this would be up to the 50th course - which represents 29.3% of total height but approximately 66% of total block volume. Above this level, the same topside configuration applied directly to the pyramid's 52° exterior face completes the upper construction phase. Quantitative analysis demonstrates that a 20-metre wide, five-lane ramp operating on 8-minute cycle times delivers approximately 375 blocks per day at the most demanding elevation — exceeding the 260 blocks per day required for a 27-year construction schedule. Exterior face haulage sustains an average of approximately 875 blocks per day across the upper phase, completing the remaining 1.3 million blocks in approximately 8 years. Crew requirements throughout — approximately 43 workers for a standard 3-tonne block on the 26° ramp — are consistent with documented Egyptian large-crew hauling practice. The ramp volume of approximately 39,600 m³ represents about 1.5% of the pyramid's total volume and is fully absorbed into upper pyramid construction on dismantling, leaving no disposal problem and no unexplained archaeological residue. Archaeological evidence from the Hatnub quarry confirms that steep ramp haulage was within Egyptian operational practice. A rope roll found at the Djoser pyramid site establishes that rotating cylinder rope-redirection technology predates the Great Pyramid by over 100 years. The paper addresses only throughput for pyramid blocks under 20 tonnes. The placement of superstructure megaliths is addressed in the companion paper (Jepsen, 2026). https://zenodo.org/records/19858629