PYRAMIDS AT GIZA

THREE PYRAMIDS

The Pyramids of Giza were built by the pharaoh, Khufu. They were built during the 4th dynasty on a rocky plateau one the west bank of the Nile River. The three pyramids were including the biggest and northernmost one also called “The Great Pyramid”.

KHUFU’S PYRAMID

The sides at the base of this pyramid average 755.75 feet and its original height being 481.4. Khufu’s pyramid is maybe the most colossal structure in the world. Its sides rise at an angle of 51’52 and are accurately oriented at the four cardinal points. The core of this great pyramid is made for a yellowish limestone blocks and the inner passages and the outer casing are made from finer limestone blocks, though the outer casing is almost completely gone. The Burial Chamber inside the pyramid was made from big Granite blocks. About 2.3 million blocks of stone were collected and assembled to make a gigantic 5.7 million ton structure. In the center of this structure lies a massive coffin that was obviously designed to contain the mummy of a very important person, but archaeologists have not found a single burial in any of the pyramids.

KHAFRE’S PYRAMID

The middle pyramid was built for Khafre and the base of the pyramid measuring 707.75 and the height averaging 471 feet. It was also theorized that the left over rubble from this pyramid was used to make the sphinx. Khafre was Khufu’s son.

MENKAURE’S PYRAMID

The third and Southernmost was built for Menkaure. The base averaged about 356.5 feet on each side and 218 feet tall at original height making this the smallest of the three pyramids. Menkaure was Khafre’s successor.

CREATION OF THE PYRAMIDS

Slaves did not build the great pyramids, in fact 100,000 people worked on it

for three months a year. This was during the annual flood season so it made it

impossible to farm so most of the population was unemployed. Khufu also

provided good food and clothing for the people and was remembered kindly in

folktales.

CITES

“Pyramids of Giza”. ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA. n.d. n.p Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

“The Pyramids of Giza”. Discovering Egypt. n.d. n.p. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

James, Peter and Thorpe, Nick. “Ancient Mysteries”. Ballantine Publishing Group, 1999. Print.