Gill Finch, Managing Director of flooring protection specialist Stroolmount, shares an insight into Move-it Pads and why they sit top of the pyramid when moving heavy items.
No iron tools, no wheels, no pulleys. The Great Pyramid of Giza has over two million blocks weighing 1.5 -2.5 tons. Plus, the granite burial chamber roof blocks are estimated to be 70-80 tons.
So how were these ancient blocks moved? And what can this teach us today when moving heavy furniture in and out of customer’s homes and businesses?
Blocks had to be cut and hauled out of quarries, moved to the pyramids and then moved into position up the pyramid layers.
Ramps and levers are the generally accepted view of how they were moved. Most blocks came from nearby quarries, but special stones – e.g. limestone from Tura and granite from Aswan – were transported on barges.
To haul them out of quarries and up a 20+% slope, they used a central ramp. On either side were staircases and wooden posts to attach ropes to pull up each block.
Experts believe that wooden sleds were probably used to move the stones from the quarries to the pyramid construction site. This illustration is of an alabaster statue of Diebutiboten– estimated to weigh over 60 tons – being pulled on a sledge by 172 men towards his Twelfth Dynasty tomb.
Pouring water in front of the sled reduced the friction of the sand and increased its stiffness.
The water droplets create a bridge between the grains of sand to help them stick together and probably reduced the force needed to move the statue by 50%.
Ramping up the pyramids
Once at the pyramid, levers and ramps were used. But differing theories include the straight ramp; the zig-zag up one face ramp; the spiral around 4 sides ramp; and the ramp up to one unfinished side in the middle and building the other side.
Move-it Pads are the modern equivalent of wooden sledges
“Dents, scratches and scars on flooring mean disaster when you move furniture in and out of a room. The special layer in in our exclusive Move-it Pads means even heavy furniture floats effortlessly.” explains Gill Finch, MD of flooring protection specialist Stroolmount.
“I’ve saved the trade £1,000s in insurance claims, saved the hassle of refitting flooring and saved hefty hikes in annual insurance premiums. Plus, Move-it Pads are handy add-on sales making customers’ spring cleaning easier.”.
While up to an estimated 50,000 men constructed a pyramid, Move-it Pads, make moving even heavy furniture easy, says Gill. “See on our website how I’ve moved a sideboard around like it was a dance partner.”
