The Egyptian pyramids are ancient structures that were built to last, with the Great Pyramid of Giza standing at 481 feet tall. The pyramids were constructed using limestone, granite, and other stones, and were built by a workforce of skilled laborers, not slaves. The laborers were divided into two teams: primary workers who worked on the quarries and were hauliers and masons, and temporary workers who built ramps, shaped tools, and made mortar. The pyramid builders used clever techniques to move the massive stone blocks into place, including using sledges and wetting the sand to make it easier to drag. The builders also used a system of measurement based on the length of the human body, and used the movements of the stars to align the pyramids with the cardinal directions. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of the pyramid builders' villages and camps, including graffiti and artifacts that provide insight into their lives and working conditions.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. The Great Pyramid of Giza was originally 481 feet tall, but has since eroded to 451 feet.
2. The average three-story building is about 45 feet tall.
3. The Great Pyramid would have been equivalent to a 32-story building.
4. There are about 80 pyramids currently standing in Egypt.
5. The oldest pyramid is the Pyramid of Djoser, built in 2630 B.C. for King Djoser.
6. The Pyramid of Djoser is located in Saqqara, north of the city of Memphis.
7. Many of the notable pyramids, including the Giza Necropolis, are in Giza, a city on the outskirts of Cairo.
8. Ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife.
9. They believed that a part of the king's spirit, or his "ka," remained with his physical body after death.
10. The process of mummification was used to preserve the king's spirit.
11. The king's ka was believed to need supplies, such as food, furniture, and riches, in the afterlife.
12. Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was an incarnate of Horus, God of the Sky, and later took on the form of Osiris, God of fertility and the underworld.
13. The pyramids were built to last, using stone such as limestone, white limestone, pink granite, basalt, and alabaster.
14. The core of the pyramid was built using limestone.
15. The outer casing of the pyramid was built using white limestone.
16. The interior walls of the pyramid were built using white limestone.
17. Pink granite was used on the walls inside the pyramid.
18. Basalt and alabaster were sometimes used for the floors of the pyramid.
19. The construction of the pyramid took between 20 to 30 years to complete.
20. The workforce behind the Great Pyramid was made up of two teams: primary workers and temporary workers.
21. There were about 4,000 primary workers who worked on the quarries and were hauliers and masons.
22. The primary workers lived with their families in a pyramid village.
23. The temporary team was made up of 16,000 to 20,000 workers who built ramps, shaped tools, made mortar, and performed miscellaneous activities.
24. The temporary workers lived in a separate camp near the pyramid village.
25. A skeleton crew of workers would work on the pyramids throughout the year, but a larger force would labor in late summer and early autumn, when the Nile flooded surrounding fields.
26. Archaeologists have discovered that pyramid builders slept on mud ramps, which served as barracks-style beds.
27. The barracks were in galleries, which could accommodate up to 2,000 temporary workers.
28. The sleeping galleries also had spaces in the back for cooking and copper-working.
29. Pyramid builders ate beef, fish, and drank beer.
30. The construction of the pyramids came at a cost: discoveries of workers' bodies show they suffered from arthritis and lower vertebrae damage.
31. The Egyptians used a system of cubits and hands to measure and align the pyramids.
32. A cubit was equal to the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow.
33. A "hand" was a unit of measurement equal to the width of the hand with the thumb on the side.
34. The Egyptians used sighting rods and circles to identify the rising and setting stars or the sun's shadow to align the pyramids.
35. The movements of the stars helped the Egyptians identify which way was North.
36. The Egyptians used a simple yet effective method to move the blocks of stone into place, using sledges and wet sand to reduce friction.
37. The construction of the Great Pyramid required the use of an L-shaped jetty, 200 meters long, to transport copper from the Sinai Peninsula.
38. The Great Pyramid was built using a combination of limestone, granite, and other materials.