pyramids

1. EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS (V. Ryan © 2002)
The Egyptian Pyramids are colossal structures used by the ancient world for religious purposes.
The largest and most remarkable of the pyramids occur in several groups on the west side of the
Nile extending for a distance of twenty five miles reaching as far as Cairo (the capital city).
They are built from hard limestone and large blocks of limestone, especially on the outside
surface. They date from 3000 BC to 2300 BC. Great skill was needed to quarry these large
blocks, transport them and then place them in position. The Ancient Egyptians were very well
organised and they required a good understanding of technology, science and mathematics to
enable them to build what has become known as one of the wonders of the ancient world.
THE THREE PYRAMIDS OF CHEOPS (the Great Pyramid), CHEPHREN AND MICERINUS
One of the first tasks of the pyramid builders who constructed the three pyramids shown above
was to build a track on which they could drag the large blocks from the quarry in the Arabian
Hills to the River Nile where they were ferried up to the construction site. The work went on in
three monthly shifts with one hundred thousand men in a single shift. It took ten years to build
the track. It took the same number of men twenty years to complete the Cheops pyramid.
Originally the pyramids were smooth on the outside but through the thousands of years since
construction this has disappeared revealing the tiers or steps underneath. Each tier is about a
metre in height.
Pyramids were built by kings as tombs or memorials of themselves and it is thought that they
were started at the beginning of each reign and that the height corresponded with the length of
each reign.
The pyramid of Cheops was originally 146 metres high and the technology for lifting the blocks
into position was well designed.
What technology was used to lift the blocks into position ?