Egypt has the tallest pyramid in the world. It was built at Giza (near Cairo) during the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom 'the great age of pyramid building'. It was built from more than 2 million blocks of granite and sand stone. Each side is 755 feet long and it rises to 480 feet high. It was built by the Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops). Nearby stands the two other great pyramids, one built by Khufu's son, Khafra (Chepren) which covers an area of eleven and a half acres and is 481 feet high, and the other built for Mentaure (Mycerinus) which covers two acres, is 218 feet high and 354 feet square. In the world only skyscrapers rival them in height. 

Pyramid of Khufu at Giza

It was the French Emperor Napoleon that first inspired the modern world's interest in the pyramids and Ancient Egyptian Civilization. During the French revolutionary wars two of his officers found a slab of basalt from 197BC with the same text written in three versions, Ancient Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphs and Demotic script. It was found in 1799 near the town of Rosetta, Egypt and is therefore known as the Rosetta stone. The stone was captured by the British and placed in the British museum in 1802. As the stone was written on both Greek and Egyptian scripts it was the key to deciphering hieroglyphs and the Egyptians writings unlocked many secrets of Egyptian civilization.

The Rosetta Stone

Scottish artist (born in Edinburgh) David Roberts (1796-1864) was one of the many to follow Napoleon to Egypt. In 1838 he painted many of Egypt's great monuments including the pyramids of Giza. His paintings inspired explorers and archeological research into this great civilization.

The Pyramids of Giza by David Roberts (1796-1864)

How were the pyramids built?

It is still largely a mystery and there are many questions still unanswered. The pyramids captured the imaginations of the Ancient Greeks. One classical Greek historian Herodotus (c.484BC-424BC) wrote an account around 400BC of his theory of how they were built. He suggested that they were built by 100,000 slaves over 10 years. He said that the huge blocks of sand stone were put into place using a system of cranes and wooden levers. However, the current theory amongst scientists is that the pyramids were not built by slaves but by 20,000 - 30,000 paid, skilled workers who lived in villages nearby. The huge blocks of sand stone were floated on barges up the Nile river and then dragged up mud ramps erected around the edge of the pyramid. Then skilled stone masons crafted the blocks perfectly fitting each one in place. They were built as tombs for the Old Kingdom Pharoah's approximately 2000 years before the birth of Christ. The tombs were important as they believed their body must be preserved in order to enter the afterlife. The tombs would ensure the preservation of the Pharaoh's body, his treasures, and his comfort in the afterlife. It would also ensure hat the Pharoah's name would be never be forgotten and thus would secure his immortality. To the Ancient Egyptians the sloped sides of the pyramid represented beams of light which the Pharoah could use to ascend and meet the sun god Ra. One pyramid text reads:   

"May Heaven strengthen the sun's rays for you so that you may ascend to Heaven as the eye of Ra".

Egypt's oldest pyramid is called the 'step pyramid'. it was built at Sakkara by the physician and architect Imhotep for King Djoser during the 3rd Dynasty more than 4,500 years ago. Prior to the 'step pyramid' the Pharoahs were buried in mud brick bench-like tombs called Mastaba.

The Step-pyramid of King Djoser

Imhotep laid one mastaba on top of one another and built a 'stairway to heaven' - the first Egyptian pyramid. He made it of stone rather than mud brick to ensure that it would last and protect Djoser. It is more than 200 feet high. Imhotep also constructed various traps inside to protect the body of the Pharaoh and his treasures from grave robbers. Unfortunately, the traps didn't prevent grave robbers from getting to the treasurers and mummified bodies either in this pyramid or at the pyramids at Giza. no bodies have ever been found inside a pyramid, therefore, the pyramids failed in their purpose to protect the Pharoahs (who were seen as living gods by the Ancient Egyptian people). For this reason pyramid building was abandoned. Later Pharaohs were buried in tombs carved in rock in Luxor near the capital city Thebes (known as the valley of the kings). King Tutankhamen (well known because of his treasures found with him by Howard Carter in 1922) is one of the Pharoahs buried in Luxor in a concealed rock tomb.  

Most people think of the Ancient Egyptians as the pyramid builders but they were not the first or only civilization to build pyramids.

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Pictures taken from Compton's Encyclopedia. All copyrights remain the property of their respective owners.