The Egyptian pyramids were built in the 26th and 25th centuries B.C.
The exact years that they were built is not certain, as the dates depend on when the pharaohs who built them ruled. The Metropolitan Museum of Art believes that the reign of Khufu was ca. 2551 B.C., Khafre as being ca. 2520 B.C. and Menkaure are. Different sources and scholars have different estimates for when the pharaohs ruled.
Speculation and debate surrounds the construction of the pyramids. Many researchers believe that a ramp system was used to move blocks during construction. Most of the white limestone that encased the pyramids is lost today.
Water was put on the sand in front of the blocks in order to make them easier to move. Researchers found a 4,500-year-old contraption in a quarry in the eastern desert that may have been used to help move blocks up a ramp. There are numerous post holes on the staircases in the contraption. Researchers said a similar contraption could have been used.
Goods from across ancient Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean were able to be shipped to the site from a bustling port in Giza.
The southeast tips of the three pyramids are almost exactly the same, despite the differences. Each pyramid had a mortuary and valley temple. Smaller pyramids were referred to as satellites or queens.
The valley temple of the king is near the Sphinx, an enigmatic monument. The "Wall of the Crow" is a long and thick structure that is to the south of the Sphinx.
The lost city is a settlement south of the wall that may have housed troops. Senior officials would have used a mansion discovered in the city. Research has shown that the pyramid workers lived in simpler housing near the pyramids.
After the construction of the pyramids came to an end, many graves were found beside them. Some of the tombs were used for senior officials.
The 4,300 year-old tomb of a female official was found by archaeologists. A pair of monkeys are dancing in front of an orchestra in one of the paintings on the wall of the tomb.
The Great Pyramid was completed in 481 feet. The pyramid is slightly shorter now that some of the stone has been lost. It was the tallest building in the world until 1311.
The western side of the Great Pyramid is slightly longer than the eastern side. In 2016 it was discovered that the eastern side was between 755.561 and 755.833 feet, while the western side was between 755.833 and 757 feet.
There are three smaller pyramids to the southeast of the Great Pyramid. Two of them are dedicated to Queen Henutsen and Queen Meritites, who were the wives and mothers of the man.
There are seven boat pits at the pyramid, two on the south side, two on the east side, and one beside the mortuary temple and causeway. The best-preserved boat is 142 feet long and has wooden oars. The purpose of these boats is a mystery.
The pyramid held three chambers. A grand gallery leads to the king's chamber, a red granite room with a sarcophagus. The king's chamber was protected from grave robbers by a primitive machine that dropped giant blocks in front of it. At some point in antiquity, people were able to get into the chamber and steal it.
The so-called queen's chamber is in the center of the pyramid. Like the queen's chamber, the subterranean chamber is a mystery.
The king's chamber and the queen's chamber each have two air shafts, although they may not have been used as such. The shafts from the king's chamber now lead outside, while the two from the queen's chamber stop after a distance. The shafts lead to doors with copper handles and hieroglyphs.
There is no pyramid in Egypt that has these types, according to Zahi Hawass, the former Egyptian minister of state for antiquities.
The pyramid was scanned using high-energy particles that constantly rain down on Earth. Muons act differently when interacting with different materials. The researchers found evidence of a void above the grand gallery that is roughly 98 feet (30 meters) long and 20 feet (6 m) in height. It may have more than one chamber. There was a second smaller void beyond the north face of the Great Pyramid.
A new mission using more powerful muon detectors has been approved, and it may reveal more about what the void contains.
The construction of the pyramid complex was a huge undertaking. Mark Lehner, an Archeologist who excavated at Giza, estimates that an average of 231 cubic yards of stone per day had to be put down. He writes in his book that there is a rate of one block every two or three minutes.
The workers who built the pyramid are being studied by scholars. The workers who built the pyramids were not slaves according to scholars. An important find was made when the remains of a group of workers, led by a man referred to as Merer, was uncovered from the Red Sea site of Wadi al-Jarf.
The workers helped transport limestone from Tura to the Great Pyramid. The limestone would have been used in the pyramid. This gang worked all over Egypt in the year, according to the logbook. Scientists continue to analyze and decipher the logbook, and future work may reveal more about the group of workers who helped to build the Great Pyramid.
The pyramid built by Djedefre was off-site. The pyramid built by the person who succeeded Djedefre is smaller than the one built by the other person. It was built on a slightly higher elevation, making it look taller than it is.
The outer shell of the pyramid would have looked different than that of the other pyramid. The upper part of the pyramid was made of limestone, while the lower part was made of red granite, according to Miroslav Verner, the former director of the Czech Institute of Egypt. Most of the red granite is gone.
Outside the pyramid is one satellite pyramid. The architecture of the pyramid is simple. It has two entrances, one on the north side and the other on the ground level.
The passageways lead to the burial chamber. Verner wrote that there was no trace of the mummy or burial equipment in that chamber. They might have been robbed in antiquity.
Jeffrey Newman, a PhD candidate in Egyptology at UCLA, wrote an article on the American Research Center in Egypt about the statue of Khafre sitting on his throne in his valley temple. The sides of the throne contain hieroglyphs, which is one of the most important and important surviving sculptures from ancient Egypt.
Menkaure's is the smallest of the three pyramids, with a base of 335 feet and a height of 215 feet. The building mass is one-tenth that of the pyramid. There are three satellite pyramids on the south side of the complex.
The entranceway for Menkaure's pyramid is located above ground level and leads to an antechamber and burial chamber. The sarcophagus was found by Howard Vyse in the 19th century, but it was lost when the ship that was taking it to England sank.
Menkaure's pyramid is smaller than the other two. There wasn't room at Giza for another large pyramid or Menkaure's reign prevented him from building another large structure. No future pharaoh would ever build a pyramid as large as those built by the two men.
The mortuary temples connecting to the valley temples were found in all three of the pyramids. The Sphinx is a monument nearby the valley temple that is dedicated to the pyramid.
The Sphinx is a monument carved out of limestone. The face of a man is next to the body of a lion. The mythical creature can be seen in art throughout the ancient Middle East, as well as in India and Greece. The sun sets on the shoulder of the sphinx.
In Greek, the word "sphinx" can mean "strangler" or "constricted," according to an essay published in the book. The face of the giant statue at Giza may have been based on that of Khafre. Efforts to conserve and restore the Sphinx have been going on for at least 3,400 years.
The discovery of a sarcophagus in all three pyramids supports the idea that the pyramids were places of burial for their kings. The king was able to ascend to the afterlife because of the pyramid complexes.
Verner wrote in his book that the pyramid was supposed to be the death residence of the pharaoh. The temple buildings nearby were dedicated to the worship of the dead, which was supposed to last forever.
The spiritual importance of Giza appears to have changed over time. Near the Wall of the Crow, archaeologists discovered the remains of about 400 people who were starving. They are thought to have been buried two millennia after the pyramids were built, suggesting that they wanted to be near Giza.
The Giza pyramids are a UNESCO world heritage site and are visited by people from all over the world.
Owen Jarus updated the article on May 6, 2022.
Jonathan J. Price and Rachel Zelnick-Abramovitz wrote "Text and Intertext in Greek Epic and Drama: Essays in Honor of Margalit Finkelberg".
The Pyramids, The Sphinx: Tombs and Temples of Giza was published in 2004.
The Complete Pyramids: Solving the Ancient Mysteries was written by Mark Lehner.
The Pyramids: The Archaeology and History of Egypt's Iconic Monuments is a new and updated edition.
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