Great Pyramid of Giza – Wonder 1/7 (ca. 2560 BC)
The oldest of the three pyramids at Giza, the Great Pyramid is the oldest and the only remaining monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Constructed over what is believed to have been 20 years, the Great Pyramid was built as a resting place for the Pharaoh Khufu after his death.
Additional structures were built around the pyramid as part of a mortuary complex for the Pharaoh’s entire household, including several smaller pyramids, several temples, and a causeway leading down to the Nile. Near the complex was a small town for the workers, which included such facilities as a beer factory, bakeries, and metal-working production centers. Evidently, the Pharaoh spared no expense in ensuring his afterlife was as well-equipped as conceivably possible.
Recent evidence concerning the Great Pyramid’s construction suggests that previous assertions claiming the pyramid was built by slave labor are wrong. Instead, the workforce was paid, and would have included skilled craftsmen and an administrative body to ensure the project ran smoothly.
It is estimated that approximately 2 million blocks of stone, each weighing over 2 tons, were used to build the pyramid. The blocks were made of limestone, basalt and granite, with the outer casing consisting of white, highly polished, limestone slabs. The monument would have been extremely bright in the desert sun, however only several of these casing stones remain on the Great Pyramid today.
The inside of the pyramid consists of a large network of passages and chambers, and although the passages themselves were not carved with relief, a significant amount of graffiti was left behind on many of the blocks by the workers! The main burial chamber also has two small passages dubbed “air shafts” that ascend out of the Pyramid and are aimed directly at two stars in the Orion constellation; it is believed that these were intended as air shafts for the Pharaoh’s spirit to escape its entombment.
Want to read more?
Tomorrow: The Hanging Gardens
No comments yet
Leave a reply