Ancient Greeks built temples 2,700 years ago with an intricate system of ropes and levers to lift and move 900-pound blocks of stone — 150 years BEFORE the crane was invented
- In the sixth century BC the crane would not be in vented for another 150 years
- Many stone ancient temples predate this and it is not known how they were built
- Theory now states a pulley system of ropes was the most likely explanation
- Grooves were found in the blocks that make up 2,700-year-old structures
The Ancient Greeks may have invented an intricate pulley system of ropes and levers to lift vast blocks weighing up to 900 lbs when building their enormous structures.
In the sixth century BC, the crane had not yet been invented but architects and engineers erected enormous structures, like the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
Many ancient temples around the empire, including those in the cities of Isthmia and Corinth, date back up to 2,700 years.
Chunks of rock were stacked atop one another to create the 104 original Corinthian columns at the Temple of Olympian Zeus measuring 55ft (17m) tall.
A pulley-based predecessor to the crane may have been instrumental in its creation and could be the first ever documented use of levers by the civilisation.
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Alessandro Pierattini, assistant professor of architecture at the University of Notre Dame, studied ancient rock formations to unpick the mystery of how these structures were built.
He claims to have found evidence that blocks were being lifted and dropped into position around 150 years before the crane.
Grooves in ashlar blocks rocks found at the ancient temples of Isthmia and Corinth dating from 700-650 B.C. and weighing between 440lbs – 880lbs (200-400 kg) each have remained a mystery to scientists for some time.
The twin grooves run parallel along the bottom and turning up on one end.
Two schools of thought emerged, with some saying they were made by ropes when lifted into place and others claiming they show how they rocks were extracted from a quarry.
Dr Pierattini believed the former is more likely.
In the sixth century BC, the crane had not yet been invented but architects and engineers erected enormous structures, like the Temple of Olympian Zeus (pictured)
‘While examining the blocks, I found evidence that after being lifted, the blocks were manoeuvred into place with a method anticipating the Classical period’s sophisticated lever technique,’ Dr Pierattini said.
‘The placement involved a combination of levers and ropes that allowed for lowering each block tight up against its neighbour already in place in the wall. This is the earliest documented use of the lever in Greek construction in historical times.’
He argues that in the first half of the seventh century BC, Greek builders were experimenting with a lifting framework.
The expert in the architectural history of Greek temples says the innovative Greeks may have started using winches from around 600 BC.
The crane, which would change the architectural game forever, came shortly afterwards.
‘The foremost discovery of the Greeks in building technology is the crane,’ Dr Pierattini said.
‘No previous civilisations are known to have used it, and it has remained central to building construction without remarkable changes for nearly 25 centuries — because it was perfect.’
The research has been published in the Annual of the British School at Athens.
Many ancient temples around the empire, including those in the cities of Isthmia and Corinth, date back up to 2,700 years (pictured)
