Oscillating Gantry: A Hypothetical Pulling and Lifting Device for Ancient Egyptian Construction

This technical note presents the "Oscillating Gantry", a simple wooden device built and tested by the author as a hypothetical construction tool for Pharaonic-era builders, at a time when neither the wheel nor the pulley was used on construction sites. The gantry consists of two arms resting on the ground, joined by crossbars, with wooden triangles allowing it to swing from side to side. Ropes are attached to pegs at different heights: the lower the attachment point, the greater the pulling force and the smaller the block's movement (e.g. on a 5 m frame, attaching the rope at 2.5 m doubles the force; at 1.25 m, it quadruples it). Several configurations are described and demonstrated on video: vertical lever (moving blocks on flat or sloping ground), pendulum piston (adjusting joints), straightening a block, lifting a block, lifting and moving at the same time, installing a lintel, and erecting a column or statue. The existence of this device in antiquity is hypothetical. It is proposed as a complement to the author's method for building the Great Pyramid of Giza (rocker cradles and modular ramp), especially for blocks that cannot be rolled.