The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest and sole-surviving member
of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and has inspired
more speculation than any other building on Earth.
of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and has inspired
more speculation than any other building on Earth.
To the south-east of the Great Pyramid lies the Sphinx.
Supposedly equipped only with the most basic tools,
how were ancient Egyptians able to achieve such an
extraordinary degree of accuracy in its construction?
how were ancient Egyptians able to achieve such an
extraordinary degree of accuracy in its construction?
How were stones, some weighing as much as 40 tons, hauled into position so precisely?
It is 481 feet tall, 756 feet long at its base,
and consists of 2.3 million blocks of stone weighing two and a half tons each.
One of the mysteries of the Great Pyramid of Giza is...
and consists of 2.3 million blocks of stone weighing two and a half tons each.
One of the mysteries of the Great Pyramid of Giza is...
How did the ancient Egyptians, with their primitive technology, build it?
Egyptologists believe that the pyramid was built as a tomb
for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops in Greek)
over a 10 to 20-year period concluding around 2560 BCE.
Initially at 146.5 metres (481 feet), the Great Pyramid
was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years.
for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops in Greek)
over a 10 to 20-year period concluding around 2560 BCE.
Initially at 146.5 metres (481 feet), the Great Pyramid
was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years.
LINK ON GOOGLE MAPS TO
THE GREAT PYRAMIDS OF GIZA
https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Great+Pyramid+of+Giza/@29.9782653,31.13116,686m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m8!1m2!2m1!1spyramid+giza!3m4!1s0x14584587ac8f291b:0x810c2f3fa2a52424!8m2!3d29.9792345!4d31.1342018
It's base covers over 13 acres and its volume is around 90,000,000 cubic feet.
You could build 30 Empire State buildings with its masonry.
It is 454 feet high which is equivalent to a modern 48-story building.
There are currently 203 courses or steps to its summit.
Each of the four triangular sides slope upward from the base
at an angle of 51 degrees 51 minutes and each side has an area of 5 1/2 acres.
The joints between adjacent blocks fit together with optical precision
and less than a fiftieth of an inch separates the blocks.
The cement that was used is extremely fine and strong and defies chemical analysis.
Today, with all our modern science and engineering,
we would not be able to build a Great Pyramid of Giza.
The Great Pyramid is thought to have been
erected around 2600 BC during the reign of Khufu (Cheops).
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only pyramid in Egypt
known to contain both ascending and descending passages.
known to contain both ascending and descending passages.
It is thought that, at construction, the Great Pyramid was originally
280 Egyptian cubits tall, 146.5 metres (480.6 ft)
but with erosion and absence of its pyramidion,
its present height is 138.8 metres (455.4 ft).
Each base side was 440 cubits, 230.4 metres (755.9 ft) long.
The mass of the pyramid is estimated at 5.9 million tonnes.
The volume, including an internal hillock, is roughly 2,500,000 cubic metres.
Based on these estimates, building this in 20 years
would involve installing approximately 800 tonnes of stone every day.
Similarly, since it consists of an estimated 2.3 million blocks,
completing the building in 20 years would involve moving
an average of more than 12 of the blocks into place each hour, day and night.
The first precision measurements of the pyramid
were made by Egyptologist Sir Flinders Petrie in 1880–82
Almost all reports are based on his measurements.
Many of the casing stones and inner chamber blocks of the Great Pyramid
were fit together with extremely high precision.
Based on measurements taken on the north eastern casing stones,
the mean opening of the joints is only 0.5 millimetres wide (1/50th of an inch).[5]
280 Egyptian cubits tall, 146.5 metres (480.6 ft)
but with erosion and absence of its pyramidion,
its present height is 138.8 metres (455.4 ft).
Each base side was 440 cubits, 230.4 metres (755.9 ft) long.
The mass of the pyramid is estimated at 5.9 million tonnes.
The volume, including an internal hillock, is roughly 2,500,000 cubic metres.
Based on these estimates, building this in 20 years
would involve installing approximately 800 tonnes of stone every day.
Similarly, since it consists of an estimated 2.3 million blocks,
completing the building in 20 years would involve moving
an average of more than 12 of the blocks into place each hour, day and night.
The first precision measurements of the pyramid
were made by Egyptologist Sir Flinders Petrie in 1880–82
Almost all reports are based on his measurements.
Many of the casing stones and inner chamber blocks of the Great Pyramid
were fit together with extremely high precision.
Based on measurements taken on the north eastern casing stones,
the mean opening of the joints is only 0.5 millimetres wide (1/50th of an inch).[5]
The accuracy of the pyramid's workmanship
is such that the four sides of the base
have an average error of only 58 millimetres in length.
The base is horizontal and flat to within ±15 mm (0.6 in).
The sides of the square base are closely aligned
to the four cardinal compass points (within 4 minutes of arc)
based on true north, not magnetic north,
and the finished base was squared
to a mean corner error of only 12 seconds of arc.
The completed design dimensions, as suggested
by Petrie's survey and subsequent studies, are estimated to have
originally been 280 cubits high by 440 cubits long at each of the four sides of its base.
The ratio of the perimeter to height of 1760/280 cubits equates to 2π to an accuracy
of better than 0.05% (corresponding to the well-known approximation of π as 22/7).
Some Egyptologists consider this to have been the result of deliberate design proportion.
Verner wrote, "We can conclude that although the ancient Egyptians
could not precisely define the value of π, in practice they used it".
Petrie, author of Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh concluded: "but these relations of areas and of circular ratio are so systematic that we should grant that they were in the builder's design".
Others have argued that the Ancient Egyptians had no concept of pi
and would not have thought to encode it in their monuments.
They believe that the observed pyramid slope
may be based on a simple seked slope choice alone, with no regard
to the overall size and proportions of the finished building.
is such that the four sides of the base
have an average error of only 58 millimetres in length.
The base is horizontal and flat to within ±15 mm (0.6 in).
The sides of the square base are closely aligned
to the four cardinal compass points (within 4 minutes of arc)
based on true north, not magnetic north,
and the finished base was squared
to a mean corner error of only 12 seconds of arc.
The completed design dimensions, as suggested
by Petrie's survey and subsequent studies, are estimated to have
originally been 280 cubits high by 440 cubits long at each of the four sides of its base.
The ratio of the perimeter to height of 1760/280 cubits equates to 2π to an accuracy
of better than 0.05% (corresponding to the well-known approximation of π as 22/7).
Some Egyptologists consider this to have been the result of deliberate design proportion.
Verner wrote, "We can conclude that although the ancient Egyptians
could not precisely define the value of π, in practice they used it".
Petrie, author of Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh concluded: "but these relations of areas and of circular ratio are so systematic that we should grant that they were in the builder's design".
Others have argued that the Ancient Egyptians had no concept of pi
and would not have thought to encode it in their monuments.
They believe that the observed pyramid slope
may be based on a simple seked slope choice alone, with no regard
to the overall size and proportions of the finished building.
On the Giza Plateau, Khufu's builders oriented his pyramid almost perfectly north.
The largest pyramid ever built, it incorporates about 2.3 million stone blocks,
weighing an average of 2.5 to 15 tons each. It is estimated that the workers
would have had to set a block every two and a half minutes.
The largest pyramid ever built, it incorporates about 2.3 million stone blocks,
weighing an average of 2.5 to 15 tons each. It is estimated that the workers
would have had to set a block every two and a half minutes.
The pyramid has three burial chambers.
The first is underground, carved into bedrock.
The second, above ground chamber was called the queen's chamber by early explorers.
We now know it was never intended to house one of Khufu's wives
but perhaps a sacred statue of the king himself.
The third is the king's chamber, which held a red granite sarcophagus
placed almost exactly at the center of the pyramid.
The first is underground, carved into bedrock.
The second, above ground chamber was called the queen's chamber by early explorers.
We now know it was never intended to house one of Khufu's wives
but perhaps a sacred statue of the king himself.
The third is the king's chamber, which held a red granite sarcophagus
placed almost exactly at the center of the pyramid.
The king's chamber is accessed via the 26-foot-high (8-meter-high)
Grand Gallery, which was sealed off from thieves by sliding granite blocking systems.
Grand Gallery, which was sealed off from thieves by sliding granite blocking systems.
The Great Pyramid was the centerpiece of an elaborate complex,
which included several small pyramids, five boat pits, a mortuary temple,
a causeway, a valley temple, and many flat-roofed tombs
for officials and some members of the royal family.
which included several small pyramids, five boat pits, a mortuary temple,
a causeway, a valley temple, and many flat-roofed tombs
for officials and some members of the royal family.
CLASSIC FACT: Several mystery shafts extend from the king's and queen's chambers. Neither airshafts (they were sealed) nor hallways (they are too narrow), they may have been designed to allow Khufu to travel to the stars in his afterlife. A blocked shaft from the queen's chamber was penetrated in 2002. Archaeologists discovered another stone blocking their way (read more in National Geographic News).
