...Theories on the Construction of Giza Anthony R. Woodrum Professor Kristen Messer World Cultures I July 27, 2014 Theories on the Construction of Giza There have been many theories regarding how the pyramids at Giza were constructed. Most experts agree that they were constructed as burial monuments for pharaohs, but “how” these ancient people constructed monuments of such great size without modern machinery is a mystery which is still being debated. The theories range from the use of ramps, rollers and wood sleds; to copper tools, wood, rope and sweat; and as farfetched as aliens being responsible for the construction of the pyramids. I chose what I think are the two most likely theories on how the pyramids were constructed. The two theories are the transport theory and the internal ramp theory. My first choice on the transport theory was by a polish engineer by the name of Andrzeji Bochnacki. His theory consisted of using the Nile River to move the stones close to the location of the pyramid. Apparently they built some form of a boat and tied ropes to them. They would pull the boats carrying the stones up the Nile River when the water levels would raise. Then he continued to lean towards the Egyptians using a series of external ramps with simple tools to move the blocks to their final destination. “Simple wooden levers and wedges or only wooden wedges will be completely suitable tools for blocks transport along the ramp. And we do not have to worry about friction...
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...The Giza pyramids were the burial places for the Forth Dynasty kings Khufu, Khafre and Menkoure. These pyramids were erected on a rocky plateau west of the Nile River in North Egypt. King Khufu’s complex was the largest of the three and it consisted of five boat pits, Queens’ pyramid and numerous mastabas for Khufu’s relatives and men. The most northern pyramid belongs to Khufu, this complex is known as the Great Pyramid. The Great Pyramid is the largest piece of evidence to still stand; in addition many people have visited this sight and recorded information on the structure. Further more there is ancient archaeological and written evidence still available King Khufu’s choice in location was the Giza Plateau, he decided on this site because it had many advantages. The benefits were that it is above the river valley and he ground was nearly flat. Lastly there was a lot of local limestone, which they used to construct the pyramids. The structure was originally built 140m tall and 140m wide, unfortunately due to the caliphs stealing he stones to build Cairo in the ninth century Ad the blocks were stolen. Sources speculate that each block weighed between 2.3 tons and 2.6 tons and the whole complex was said to have been built out of 2 300 00 blocks. “Cheops (Khufu) brought the country into all sorts of misery. He closed all the temples, then, not content with excluding his subjects from the practice of their religion, compelled them without exception to labour as slaves for...
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...The construction of the pyramids does not appear to be a series of sporadic events. It appeared as though the Pharaohs, who built their pyramids in Giza, oversaw everything with regards to the design and locations of their pyramid sites. The Pharaohs whom were placed in the Giza pyramids were in my opinion the architect as well as the project manager for their pyramid’s construction. Each Pharaoh chose the site for their massive pyramids for specific purposes. King Khufu for instance instructed his slaves to build his pyramids sites on the west of the Nile which he and a few other Pharaohs believed was the home to the deceased because the sun set towards the west of the Nile. It has been founded that the location of each Pharaoh’s chamber/burial site within the pyramids are located in the center of the massive edifice. Additionally the interior of the pyramids were constructed intricately. For instance the passageways within the pyramids were designed to lead down to the Pharaohs chambers which were designed to be sealed behind heavy stones after their passing. It is reasonable to consider that the construction of the pyramids were not an easy feat. The size of the pyramids is generally what fuels rational debate about the construction of the Giza pyramid site. One of the largest pyramids of King Khufu’s burial sites resides on a foundation that covers 13 acres and a base that measures 756 feet. It has been estimated that the construction (at the least) was...
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...the Pyramids of Giza RUNNING HEAD: THE MYSTERY OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PYRAMIDS 2 AT GIZA There are many mysteries surrounding our history, especially those of ancient times. It is my belief that a mystery is something that simply can’t be explained and is based off of phenomenon. In regards to the Pyramids at Giza, is it really a mystery or have we as a modern society over looked some things? Have we given our ancestors due credit for their work or do we continue to believe that since they were not as technologically advanced that somehow they weren’t as smart as we are today? The only mystery here is why we can’t fathom certain things of ancient times to have been accomplished. No one as of yet can come up with a viable explanation as to how the Pyramids of Giza were built. How could a structure so big, so wide, be built by men who had yet to advance by our definition of skill? The Great Pyramid at Giza was built for Pharaoh Khufu who ruled during the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Such as was practice in the ancient times, Pharaoh Khufu was laid to rest in one of the greatest structures ever known to mankind, The Pyramid at Giza. Great labor was...
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...UNDERPAID WORKERS IN PUBLIC SECTORS: GIZA ZOO Visiting the zoo used to cost fifty piasters, nowadays it costs three pounds. Despite the six times increase in tickets almost all the employees did not have a raise in their salary. The zoo is one of the places low-income families can spend a fun day at. However, for most of the employees working there, the Giza zoo is a harsh working environment where they do not get paid enough and receive no benefits. The Giza Zoo was once the most beautiful zoological gardens in Egypt; the Ministry of Agriculture in Egypt runs it. Over the past decade its status has been deteriorating more and more. After the 25th of January movement in Egypt, many workers in the public sectors have been striking all over Egypt; among them were workers in the Giza zoo. Workers in the zoo have been living in inequality for as long as they can remember, they work over hours, six-days-a-week, many of them even sleep over in the zoo gardens because they cannot afford public transportation. Working conditions and Salaries: As you enter the zoo, you realize that by every cage there is a man standing by it wearing a green overall with stains and holes all over it. Abdel Haleem Gomaa is one of them gatekeepers. Gomaa has been working as a gatekeeper for 28 years in the zoo. Unlike many is Gomaa is a satisfied worker, he works six days a week; he has six children and his salary amounts to 480 EGP. Gomaa has been working with many...
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...The construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza has long been debated. Most theories of the Great Pyramid’s construction include using ramps and pulley mechanisms in order to move such massive stones, but exactly how has remained a mystery. There is a theory on how the Egyptians attained the large workforce needed for the construction of the Great Pyramid. The Greek 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 (Collins, Harper 1988)... During the times the Nile flooded its surrounding fields, a large local workforce would arrive to help construction for their God-King’s temples (“Who,” 1997). There are differing theories as to how the placement and utilization of the ramps allowed the Egyptians to move blocks of stone weighing as much as 100,000 pounds.One of the theories for the construction of the Great Pyramid was the single ramp theory. This theory was quickly dismissed as the scale of the ramp required would have had to of been more than a mile long; equaling more work than the Great Pyramid itself. Another external ramp theory postulated that a ramp was built along the sides of the pyramid, spiraling along-side the edge of the Great Pyramid. While that would avoid the need for a mile long ramp, this theory also has a problem. That is frequent measures of the corners of the Great Pyramid would...
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...The Mystery of the Great Pyramid Kimone Campbell Professor Jenna Thrasher-Sneathen Humanities 111 May 1, 2013 There have been many theories regarding how the pyramids at Giza were constructed. Mystery and Magic surrounding them, filling scholars and the public with wonder that presents the following question: How did our ancestors, more than 4500 years ago, build these magnificent structures, and how did they organize the workforce that was necessary for their construction. There are so many theories regarding the construction of the Giza pyramid it is hard to believe one from the ET visitation, to the levitating the blocks with some sort of sound system to the ramps they used and last but not least the slavery or some kind of labor force. Let us explore two of the most talked about theories that I have come across on my research which is the case of the Aliens and the laborers or what could be equivalent for us today some kind of military force. In the case of the Aliens. According to research done by several Egyptologist the pyramid was accurately aligned with points of a compass that only aliens could have achieved that many years ago. The angles of the slopes were precise that only aliens could be thought of to do this since they were not equipped with the mathematically advanced equipment to be so accurate. Also because the blocks were so heavy it would only make sense that the aliens did because man was not equipped with the knowledge or technology to...
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...Stefani Delap Bruce Beard Hum:111 01/31/16 The Mysterious Construction of The Pyramids Of Giza The Mysterious Construction of The Pyramids Of Giza The Pyramids of Giza are a great tourist attraction and an even more perplexing ideology of architectural construction. How were these great monuments built? In regarding how the pyramids were constructed, there have been many theories proposed but none have adequate evidence. According to the French engineer Jean Pierre Houdin: The Giza pyramids were constructed in three major stages. In the first stage the first portion of the pyramid building process, Houdin, relies on the conservative Historian standby, “the straight ramp”, to explain the mechanism of how the stone blocks were moved and placed into the monument. The process in which Jean proposes, the straight ramp was slowly constructed up which the ancient laborers dragged over a million and a half blocks that went into the Pyramids reaching the third level of the King Chamber. In an extension to the rising levels the beginning infrastructure of an internal spiral was created twisting around just inside the outer edge of the core masonry. The second stage of construction, Houdin, tries to explain that the purpose for the unique design of the Grand Gallery was solely for aiding in the moving and raising the huge granite blocks that were placed above the King’s chamber. The third stage, is perceived...
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...Name; Subject; Date; Instructor; The great pyramid of Giza The pyramids of Ancient Egypt are as entrancing and interesting, as they are amazing. Egyptologists and history specialists have since quite a while ago faced off regarding the topic of who manufactured the pyramids, and for what reason. There are a wide range of and regularly clashing hypotheses as to the development of the Great Pyramid of Giza. At the point when turning back the pages of history, it is found that various speculations have been produced to clarify the nearness of such a critical authentic milestone. Speculations differ from a tomb for a lord, to an uncommon synthetic plant, a reference point for extraterrestrial aircraft's, a stone type of the Bible, a conceivable approach to contact a Higher Being and a stone declaration of the second happening to Christ. Such case of shifting questionable hypotheses has started various theories to the riddle of the Great Pyramid of Giza. As indicated by customary Egyptology, the Great Pyramid of Giza was worked by Egyptian pharaoh Khufu amid the Fourth Dynasty around .the year 2560 BCE Schillings, M. : 1999 : Sheet . It has been proposed that the Egyptian civilization succeeded in setting up an unpredictable and sorted out work power of individuals to make and manufacture an astounding entombment tomb for the pharaoh in help of his voyage to the great beyond. Be that as it may, in opposition to this recommendation, one must inquire as to why the present day...
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...The Great Pyramid of Giza Imagine building a pyramid that has 2,300,000 blocks that weigh equal to 25 elephants each, without modern technology. Well, that’s what the Ancient Egyptian slaves had to do for 23 years! The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the Seven Wonders of the World because of its size, the purpose of why it’s there, and because of its culture. Construction of the pyramid began in 2540 B.C. and is located at the northern edge of the Giza Plateau is where the pyramid is located. It used to stand about 481 ft. tall, but today it stands about 449.5 ft. tall. For about 4,000 years, it was the tallest structure in the entire world. Its total weight is 6.5 million tons with about 2,300,000, and 2 to 30 ton blocks. Currently, there...
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...The Pyramids Of Giza Remember those triangle things you saw on tv once, well, those things are called pyramids, and a few of them are found in Egypt like the pyramids of Giza. It all started off i]on August 23, 2470, BC, the exact day they started building the first pyramid at Giza. Not only is there just one pyramid at Giza, but there are three pyramids all with their own special features. Also, if you remember seeing a big cat close to these pyramids, don’t worry, nothing happened to your brain, that thing is just called a sphinx. Fun fact: If you jump off the top of the Great Pyramid, you would die, so don’t do it. You can also go inside these pyramids at Giza lots of days in the year. Inside of these pyramids are the bodies of the Pharaohs who wanted these built. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the first wonder out of all the seven wonders of the world. It was the largest pyramid in the world at an astonishing 146.5 meters tall, but there was a debacle, so now The Great Pyramid stands proudly at 136 meters. Firstly, The...
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...Giza has fascinated the world with its architecture culture. Archeologists and historians still debate on how the pyramids were established even though the egyptians have their own theories about the connection and relation with the God. Giza is located west and south of the today’s city known as “Cairo”. The Great Pyramid of Djoser is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza plateau. This is known to be the tallest man-made pyramid in the world for over 3800 years. What is left of the pyramid is the core layer of the architecture, the original outside layer was covered with casing stones that formed a smooth outer surface. Historians believed that this was built as a tomb for fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu....
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...The Great Pyramid of Giza is the most long lasting structure in the world. And the most mysterious. How much do you really know about the Great Pyramid of Giza? Did you know that it watermarks have proved it was once halfway submerged in saltwater? Or that it’s weight is estimated at 5,955,000 tons? The Great Pyramid is one of the wonders of the world. It's gotten this label because even today, we have no idea how it was built. It is located in the Giza Necropolis, or modern day Cairo, Egypt. We thought it was built for the burial of the fourth dynasty pharaoh Khufu, ( who is also known as Cheops) and was completed around 2560 B.C. The Great Pyramid is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that is still standing. Nobody knows...
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...Lisa Rochen in her article remarks, “The great pyramids of Giza represent an extraordinary moment of built audacity and utter modesty” (Rochen, p 44). This extraordinary scale of these structures, as well as the attempt of building it, reflects the Ancient kingdom’s prosperity and coercive power regarding the usage of work. Moreover, the brilliant architectural design echoes the advancement in technology, engineering, and mathematics to be able to produce these royal tombs. For more than 4000 years, humankind has been fascinated by these ancient wonders and how they came into being without any use of pulleys, wheels, iron tools or compasses but only crude chisels, saws, hammers, and drills made of copper, wood, and stone. According to the civil...
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...There are many theories as to how the pyramids at Giza were constructed. Most experts agree that they were constructed as burial monuments for pharaohs, but “how” these ancient people constructed monuments of such great size without modern machinery is a mystery which is still being debated. The pyramids of Giza are the only surviving Ancient Wonder of the World and one of the most famous tourist attractions in the modern world. They are some of the oldest divine sites in our index and certainly among of the most impressive. The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt were built as tombs for Kings and Queens, and it was the exclusive privilege to have a Pyramid tomb. However, this tradition only applied in the Old and Middle Kingdoms. Today there are more than 93 Pyramids in Egypt; the most famous ones are those at Giza. Even in scientific circuses there are still a lot of theory about how and whom the pyramid was constructed by. According to ancient Greek historian Herodotus, Khufu enslaved his people to build his pyramid. Most of the modern Egyptologists believe it was built instead by tens of thousands of skilled workers, both men and women. There is another theory from Herodotus, which states that machines formed of short wooden planks were used to raise the stones. “After laying the stones for the base, they raised the remaining stones to their places by means of machines formed of short wooden planks. The first machine raised them from the ground to the top of the first...
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