Scientists discover secret of pyramids' construction
University of Amsterdam researchers found that ancient Egyptians employed whatPhys.org calls a "clever trick" to facilitate the pyramids' construction: They likely wet the sand along the path they dragged their sleds, which were laden with pyramid stones weighing some 2.5 tons, reports Gizmodo.
This greatly lessened the power needed to pull the sledge from the quarry to the construction site—so much so that the number of people needed to pull the sledge could be cut in half.