The Pyramids of Egypt

8 The Pyramids of Egypt The Great Pyramid on the Giza plateau in Egypt has always bewildered people. Who built it? How was it built? What is its significance? Finding definite answers to these questions is not as straight- forward as you might think. Long ago, the history of human bcings was not recorded. As ancient societies died out, their histories died with them. Now, most of this information is buried. Some of it, like the ancient pyramids of Egypt, sits above ground-unexplained and mysterious. Archaeologists help us to explain things. They dig at old sites and collect objects that were used by ancient cultures. Using their imagination, they come up with their " best theory" about what these objects tell us about the people who used them. We know for sure that the Great Pyramid was constructed around 2600 BC. It contains nearly two and a half million blocks of stone. Some of these stones weigh nearly 70 tons. How were these blocks moved? How did the workers move them up the tall structure to heights of 146 metres?

There are numerous measurements contained in the Great Pyramid that point to a knowledge of mathematics, science, astronomy and world geography that we would not have expected from the Egyptians. The builders of the Great Pyramid were determined to keep their secrets to themselves. When the first modern visitor discovered the pyramid in the 19th century, he wasn`t even able to find the entrance because it had been so carefully disguised by the builders. After tunnelling aimlessly for weeks, he accidentally discovered the Entrance Passage, only to find that the builders had blocked it with a massive stone plug. His men tunnelled around this obstacle and arrived at the entrance. It was blocked by another huge stone. When they finally cut it away, another stone immediately fell into its place, blocking the passage again. An intruder would have to remove each successive block of stone to enter the Great Pyramid. Why did the Egyptians make it so difficult to gain entry? Was it only the gold and treasure of the king's burial they wished to conceal? These questions, as with most things from the ancient past, are easier to ask than to answer.