The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt
Lets start at the beginning.
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How many pyramids did the Egyptians build?
There are over 110 known pyramids in Egypt. These pyramids vary in size with the largest one being the Great Pyramid of Giza that stands at 455 ft tall. (That's the same height of approximately 30 double decker buses!)
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Almost all of the pyramids in Egypt were built for Pharaohs (kings) and queens who believed that the shape and great size of the pyramids would help them to reach the afterlife when they died.
The oldest known pyramid in Egypt was the 'Pyramid of King Djoser' and is over 4,600 years old.
However, the most impressive and famous pyramids were built next to the River Nile in a city called Giza where the Egyptians built 11 pyramids in total. Three large pyramids and eight much smaller ones.
The 3 main pyramids were built as tombs for Egyptian Pharaohs who were considered to be 'Gods on Earth'. The first and largest pyramid, known as 'The Great Pyramid' was a tomb for Pharaoh Khufu, who ruled Egypt around 2575 BC.
The 3 main Pyramids and their pharaohs:
1. The Pyramid of Khufu, also known as The Great Pyramid of Giza.
2. The Pyramid of Khafre.
3. The Pyramid of Menkaure.
The 8 smaller pyramids were built for the pharaoh's queens.
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There are over 110 known pyramids in Egypt. These pyramids vary in size with the largest one being the Great Pyramid of Giza that stands at 455 ft tall. (That's the same height of approximately 30 double decker buses!)
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Almost all of the pyramids in Egypt were built for Pharaohs (kings) and queens who believed that the shape and great size of the pyramids would help them to reach the afterlife when they died.
The oldest known pyramid in Egypt was the 'Pyramid of King Djoser' and is over 4,600 years old.
However, the most impressive and famous pyramids were built next to the River Nile in a city called Giza where the Egyptians built 11 pyramids in total. Three large pyramids and eight much smaller ones.
The 3 main pyramids were built as tombs for Egyptian Pharaohs who were considered to be 'Gods on Earth'. The first and largest pyramid, known as 'The Great Pyramid' was a tomb for Pharaoh Khufu, who ruled Egypt around 2575 BC.
The 3 main Pyramids and their pharaohs:
1. The Pyramid of Khufu, also known as The Great Pyramid of Giza.
2. The Pyramid of Khafre.
3. The Pyramid of Menkaure.
The 8 smaller pyramids were built for the pharaoh's queens.
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It is calculated that over 2 million blocks of stone were used to construct Khufu's pyramid and took a total of 20 years to complete. Construction was finished around 2560 BC.
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Built entirely of lime stone, each stone block weighed around 2.5 tons, which is the averege weight of a large car. Some of the larger blocks are believed to weigh over 16 tons and the granite roof slabs of Khufu's burial chamber weigh over 50 tons!.
Amazingly it is thought that upto 250 stones were placed each day, that's 2 minutes for every stone!!. The picture on the left shows just how big each block is. Does this help you imagine the actual size of a pyramid? |
Although it was previously thought that the men (and women) who built the pyramids were slaves and forced into working for their king, this is not known for sure. It is also believed by many that the pharaoh provided homes for those who worked on the pyramid construction and they were paid for their work with goods and food.
However, the great mystery remains:
Question: How were such wonderful and huge structures constructed without the use of cranes, diggers and lorries which we use today?
What do you think? How do you think they did it?
follow the links below to find out possible explanations.
However, the great mystery remains:
Question: How were such wonderful and huge structures constructed without the use of cranes, diggers and lorries which we use today?
What do you think? How do you think they did it?
follow the links below to find out possible explanations.