Ancient Egyptian Washing Machine Lift Procedure

As we all know from our previous lessons, ancient Egyptian (Middle Kingdom, 2040-1640 BC) engineer noblemen often found themselves with perplexing and weighty challenges involving domestic appliances, particularly when their household slaves had been called away and the nobleman was no longer in the prime of his lifting life. Recent deciphering of pictograms found in pre-Grecian home improvement outlet sites has provided some clues surrounding strategies for these noblemen, working alone in their modest dwellings.

In the accompanying photos, we see how a single houseperson was able to surmount the 2-slave lift requirement that characterized ancient washing machines. Here the use of cinder blocks and wooden planks simulates the fired-clay blocks believed to have been employed in these remote times. Note how the washing machine package need only be tilted on one side, involving a force of less than 40 foot-pounds, taking into account changes in gravitational constants and Coriolis effects since the time of the Middle Kingdom. In this example, we see incremental tilting that allows blocks to be placed on one package side, and then the other, and repeated in stages until the package is raised more than 1.25 cubits (or 7.1 palms, for those unfamiliar with Middle Kingdom metrics).

For next week's lesson, we will cover kitchen furniture and stovetop utensils used in the discovery of nitroglycerin.