The Great Pyramid of Giza

Lakota Jewett, Madison Fried, Carson Mosser, Yasmine Mojica

History

The Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis in El Giza, Egypt. The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the oldest wonders of the world and is mostly still intact. This pyramid was constructed between 2560-2540 BC. The initial height of the pyramid was 481 feet. The pyramid today stands at 455 feet due to erosion.

Purpose

        There isn’t an exact reason in why The Great Pyramid of Giza was built. Many people believe that Pharaoh Cheops built the Great Pyramid for his tomb about 3350 BC, many other pyramids that were built at this time were found to be burial chambers for the many kings of Egypt. Although, some people think different. Some think that The Great Pyramid of Giza was a time capsule left by an advanced civilization.  

Dimensions of the Pyramid

The Great Pyramid of         Giza is a very large monument. It took about 20 years for the Great Pyramid to be built and about 100,000 slaves to complete the job. The large blocks that were used weighed roughly around 5 tons. The sides of the pyramid roughly measure around 660 feet on each side. Also they almost had perfect right angles on the corners. Back in the times that this monument was built they didn’t have the measuring systems that we have now so to have that even of sides and angles were pretty impressive.

Materials used in building

        It is believed that the estimated 2.3 million blocks that make up the Pyramid was transported from the nearby quarries, and the granite and stone blocks were carried across the Nile River, the farthest  haul from Aswan, which was more than 500 miles away from the construction site. Traditionally, ancient Egyptians cut stone blocks by hammering wooden wedges into the stone which were then soaked with water, which, after absorption, caused the rock to crack. Many alternative, often contradictory, theories have been proposed regarding the pyramid's construction techniques. Many disagree on whether the blocks were dragged, lifted, or even rolled into place; the Greeks believed that slave labour was used, but modern discoveries made at nearby workers' camps associated with construction at Giza suggest it was built instead by tens of thousands of skilled workers. Verner posited that the labour was organized into a hierarchy, consisting of two gangs of 100,000 men, divided into five zaa or phyle (groups) of 20,000 men each, which may have been further divided according to the skills of the workers. Another mystery of the pyramid's construction is its planning. John Romer suggests that they used the same method that had been used for earlier and later constructions, laying out parts of the plan on the ground at a 1-to-1 scale. He also argues for a 14-year time span for its construction.