The Great Pyramid

The pyramids are tombs that were built over 5,000 years ago for the kings of ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egyptians believed that after their kings died, they became gods in another world. A pyramid was to be the dead king’s palace in the afterlife where he would rule as a god. As well as a burial chamber, the complex included rooms to hold things the king would need in the afterlife, such as furniture, jewelry, and cooking utensils. Servants or wives who died later were buried close by in much smaller tombs. 

Archeologists believe that local farmers and villagers willingly worked on the pyramids during the flood season, when the land could not be worked. The workers thought it would ensure their own afterlife and make Egypt prosperous.

The structure of the pyramids evolved slowly. They went from platforms stacked on an underground tomb to larger step-style structures to the massive smooth-sided pyramids found at Giza. 

Of the 80 known pyramids, the biggest and finest is the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza. The base of the Great Pyramid covers over 13 acres. It was 481 feet high but, over the years, has lost 30 feet off its top. Two million blocks of stone, each weighing over 2 tons, were used to build it. Workers likely moved these huge stones into position by using ropes to pull them up ramps. As many as 20,000 to 30,000 men may have worked on this pyramid, which took 20 years to finish.

Smaller pyramids of this type were built for another 1,000 years. When robbers started looting the precious goods stored inside them, kings were buried in hidden tombs. Tombs of later kings were discovered in a valley near Luxor, which is now called the Valley of the Kings.