The Ancient Egyptian Pyramids of Giza
Each pyramid consists of about two million limestone blocks that were transported from quarries both near and far away. Some quarries were as far as 500 miles away! That s the distance from Crystal Lake to Toronto, Canada!
Pyramids shadowing over the city of Cairo, Egypt.
The three pyramids of Giza are located on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt s capital. See how the pyramids overlook the city? All three pyramids were built for the same family. King Khufu s pyramid is also know as the Great Pyramid. It is the largest of the three. King Menkaure s pyramid. He was Khafre s son (Khufu s grandson). Third largest. King Khafre s pyramid. He was Khufu s son. Second largest. Menkaure s pyramid has three smaller pyramids associated with it. These were built for his three favorite Queens.
The shear size of the pyramids is startling!
The Great Pyramid
The Great Pyramid (Khufu) was built in 2560-2540 BCE. It took nearly 20 years to build with an estimated 15 to 40,000 workers!
Some scholars believe that slaves were forced to build the pyramids year-round, while other Egyptologists believe that is was actually the work of skilled masons (stone builders), who only worked on the pyramids for three months at a time when the Nile River flooded, making farming impossible. Since Egyptians could not work during the Nile s flood season, The Pharaoh (King) hired skilled masons to work on the pyramids.
Menkaure s pyramid built from 2500-2475 BCE (25 years). Khafre s pyramid built from 2550-2530 BCE (20 years). Khufu s pyramid built from 2560-2540 BCE (20 years).
The Sphinx was built for King Khafre s pyramid. It has the head of a man, with a lion s body.
Do you know why the nose is missing?
Scholars are still baffled as to how the Egyptians built the pyramids. Some theories suggest that a series of dirt ramps and wooden scaffolding allowed each block to be hauled into place.
Each pyramid block was made of solid limestone and weighed about two tons. That s about the weight of two cars!
Originally, white limestone blocks called casing stones were fit onto each layer of blocks, giving the pyramid a smooth, reflective surface that would have shined like a mirror against the desert sands. The peak of Khafre s pyramid still has part of its original layer of limestone casing.
Each casing stone was carefully polished and locked precisely into place, making the surface of the pyramid completely smooth on all four sides.
In 1300 CE, invading Arabs took over Egypt and stripped each pyramid of its limestone casing stones and used them build the city of Cairo. Note how smooth the surface becomes with each casing stone in place.
Many mysteries surround the pyramids of Giza, such as why they were built. Many scholars believe they were extravagant tombs for the Pharaohs. Despite being solid rock, each pyramid has small passageways that lead to the King s chamber-the location of which was kept very secret- where the mummified Pharaoh was laid to rest.
The Great Pyramid of King Khufu.
King Khufu s burial chamber. No hieroglyphics or papyrus writings of any kind were ever found in either of the three pyramids. This has baffled historians for centuries. Why weren t there any hieroglyphics on the walls as in so many other traditional Egyptian tombs? Were the pyramids used for something other than a tomb? What do you think?
All three pyramids of Giza were filled with unimaginable riches, jewelry, gold, precious stones, statues, and the mummified King himself. Nothing was ever found in either pyramid. The pyramids were meant to prevent thieves from entering the secret burial chamber. Workers even built trap doors and false passageways to confuse future tomb robbers. Many scholars believe that it was the pyramid builders themselves that robbed the tombs, since they were the only people with the detailed knowledge of the passageways.
The actual pyramid entrance was kept a secret, then sealed and hidden away with limestone blocks to keep the entrance from ever being found. This entrance was discovered in modern times. Archaeologists believe that in 820 CE, Arabian invaders tunneled their way into the Great Pyramid. Did they rob the tombs of their wealth and secrets? Arabian tomb robbers entrance tunnel from 820 CE.
Original entrance to King Khufu s pyramid.
What other mysteries do the pyramids hold? Were they just tombs or something more? What is their connection to the stars and space? How could they have been designed with such mathematical precision? What motivated the Egyptian people to build such immense structures? What would you like to discover about the pyramids?