If so, this might explain why tombs were built on the northern part of the Saqqara plateau which has a higher altitude [45] and nothing was constructed inside the Trench until the reign of Userkaf and Unas (Vth Dynasty). As authentic sources from the working sphere of pyramid architects are currently lacking, no generally accepted wholistic model for pyramid construction exists yet. Although many detailed publications dedicated to pyramid-building procedures have given tangible elements [5, 6], they usually explain more recent, better documented, but also smaller pyramids [7]. These techniques could include ramps, cranes, winches, toggle lifts, hoists, pivots, or a combination of them [8–10]. Studies of the pyramid’s construction sites also revealed a high level of expertise in managing the hydraulic and hydrological beyond technical analysis environment, such as utilizing waterways to deliver materials, constructing ports and locks, or setting up irrigation systems [11, 12].
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- Although many detailed publications dedicated to pyramid-building procedures have given tangible elements [5, 6], they usually explain more recent, better documented, but also smaller pyramids [7].
- Taken together, the granite box’s architecture and its removable plug surrounded by limestone clay-bound blocks present the technical signature of a water outlet mechanism.
- These developments resulted in a substantial increase in the megaliths’ size [2], leading to pyramids of spectacular dimensions, such as those of the Meidum, Dahshur, and Giza plateaus.
- Without absolute dating of these works, it is essential to approach their attribution and construction period with caution.
- Further investigation above the vault and on the pyramid sides could help to identify such an eventual gallery.
If we assume that most of the water available in the Wadi Taflah was diverted toward Saqqara, this volume could be filled about a dozen to more than one hundred times per year on average. We hypothesize a typical filling level of 45 m ASL in https://forexarena.net/ the Deep Trench, but an accurate topographical survey is lacking, and the maximum water level could vary between 40–52 m ASL, according to the surrounding terrain elevation. According to the Saqqara topography (Fig 3), the Abusir wadi flowed through the Gisr el-Mudir enclosure before heading north towards the Nile floodplain, where it used to feed an oxbow lake, the Abusir Lake [51]. With such a localization, the Gisr el-Mudir walls literally dam the Abusir wadi valley’s entire width.
Beyond technical analysis : how to develop and implement a winning trading system
A paleo-drainage system can be identified upstream of the Gisr el-Mudir structure as the origin of the Abusir wadi (Fig 1, pink line). The boundaries of this runoff system form a catchment area never reported so far, although easily recognizable from the geomorphological imprints of surface paleochannels in the desert and on historical maps [52]. Although it currently has a 15 km2 surface area, we cannot rule out the possibility that the drainage divides shifted and changed due to land alterations and aeolian sand deposits over the past 4,500 years. After 16 years of trading, I have come to realize that mindset and beliefs are critical to achieving consistent success in the markets. Through personal experience and countless hours of market analysis, I’ve discovered that the psychological aspect of trading often makes the difference between consistent gains and recurring losses.
Beyond Technical Analysis: How to Develop and Implement a Winning Trading System
Our study began with the postulate that the larger Cheops’ and Chephren’s pyramids of Giza plateau were the outcomes of technical progress from previous pyramids, with the Step Pyramid as a technological precursor. While many literature studies focus on the construction of Cheops’ pyramid, we found it more relevant to examine the building techniques used for the Step Pyramid first. This would provide insight into the processes used by ancient builders that were later refined in subsequent pyramids. As a first approach, we analyzed potential reasons for the specific building of King Djoser’s Complex on the Saqqara Plateau. While it is theoretically possible to buy a “canned” trading system, most experts agree that the best system is proprietary to each trader–developed, implemented, and tested by the individual to suit his or her exact requirements. The climatological conditions on the Saqqara plateau during the IIIrd Dynasty are still not well understood [37].
This configuration would have had the particular advantage of minimizing the elevation gain for which the hydraulic lift would be required. Although Firth [114] considers this gallery to postdate the IIIrd Dynasty, it remains possible that it was recut on the basis of an earlier gallery. The catchment it intercepts is large enough (15 km2), plus eventual water derivation from the Wadi Taflah to produce flash floods transporting significant amounts of gravel, sand, mud, and debris due to its slope during intense rainfalls. The valley upstream of the western wall likely served as a first reservoir where the coarsest gravels tended to deposit. The overflowing water then filled the inner basin of the Gisr el-Mudir, where coarse sand would again deposit.
Its boundaries are defined to the south by an outcropping limestone ridge and to the east by the Sekhemkhet and Djoser’s enclosures (Fig 3). From a hydrological standpoint, the Abusir wadi is considered a second environmental factor that strongly influenced the Early Dynastic development of the Saqqara necropolis at least [45, 48–50]. Before this study, academic research mainly focused on the downstream part of the wadi [45, 48–50], namely the Abusir Lake [51] located north of Saqqara Plateau. The Inner south channel and the Deep Trench are built inside the Unas Valley, a hydrological corridor connecting the Abusir wadi plain to the Nile floodplain (Fig 3).
As with many other small wadis, the Early Dynastic hydrology of the Abusir wadi remains largely unknown. According to fluvial sediment analysis in the Abusir Lake area, the Abusir wadi was probably a perennial stream during the Old Kingdom period [51]. Although the climate is hot and arid nowadays, several studies support a more humid environment during the Old Kingdom [34].
So far, only about 240 m [78] of its probable 410 m length have been subject to archaeological excavations in 1937–1938 [78], 1937–1945 [81], and 1975 [82]. Consequently, approximately 170 m remains unexplored, mainly due to the presence of the later Old Kingdom two groups of mastabas built above the trench and at risk of collapse if submitted to underground excavation (transparent grey parts in Fig 8). The Djoser’s Complex is surrounded by a vast excavation area, commonly referred to as the ’Dry Moat’ since Swelim spotted its outlines [77, 78] (Fig 3, blue strip). The Dry Moat is alleged to be a continuous trench cut in the bedrock, up to 50 m wide and ≈3 km long, enclosing an area of ≈600 m by ≈750 m around the Djoser complex [77, 79, 80].
When considering an average depth of 20 m for the four sides of the trench [61], the total excavated volume is estimated at ≈3.5 Mm3, approximately ten times the Step Pyramid‘s volume. Due to the thick cover of sand and debris [61] accumulated over the past millennia, its precise geometry is incompletely characterized. The current catchment summit is about 110 m ASL, giving the Abusir wadi a 1% average slope over its slightly more than 6 km length.
The stones could have been elevated by filling and emptying cycles, allowing the lift to move up and down with stones (Fig 13). Recent discoveries have shown that this gallery was kept open until the very end of the pyramid’s construction, after which it was closed [1, 91]. In our scenario, the stones could have been transported directly at ground level, corresponding to the pyramid’s first course, or slightly higher through a ramp penetrating in a (currently sealed) corridor some meters above the ground level.
With such steep slopes, transportation of sand and gravel is expected during flashfloods, which can cause severe downstream damage (scouring or burying of structures, filling of excavations and ponding areas). In comparison, irrigation channels are rather at least ten times less steep (about 0.1%), and the Nile slope is less than 0.01% (less than 200m of elevation gain between Aswan and Cairo). From a geological standpoint, the layered structure of the limestone at Saqqara was indeed stressed as a favorable factor for excavating large amounts of construction stones [46, 47]. These details, thoroughly documented during Lauer’s excavation [3, 108] and visible on pictures (Fig 12A and 12B), clearly point to technical rather than symbolic application. Taken together, the granite box’s architecture and its removable plug surrounded by limestone clay-bound blocks present the technical signature of a water outlet mechanism.
Unfortunately, the main part of the materials that filled the twin shafts was removed during past archaeological excavations, mainly in the 1930s [108], leaving only the two granite boxes at their bottom (Fig 11, insets 3 and 4). Therefore, the shafts’ internal layout description is mainly based on the explorers’ archaeological reports and testimonies[109–111]. Its position as an appendix of the primary water circuit connecting Gisr el-Mudir to Djoser’s complex seems optimal to minimize water circulation and maximize water-settling time, thus increasing its purification. The second and third sections likely allowed further settling of particles and would have served as reservoirs during dry periods. The relatively smooth walls of the whole structure would have hindered the growth of microbes, plants, and other contaminants, thereby helping maintain the water’s cleanliness [98]. Four surface wells allowed access to the end of the last compartment where the water, kept clear and fresh in the shadow of this subterranean monumental cistern, could be used by the building site workforce [99].
