Two Theories behind the Construction of the Pyramids of Giza

Introduction The Egyptian empire which has been identified to have developed over the last three millennia BCE (Sayre, 2012), is known for several contributions to modern society to include: a formal irrigation system, a form of writing called hieroglyphics, their art and their architecture. The most significant of architectural structures are the Great Pyramids. The basis of the pyramid was the mastaba or mortuary compartment that was customary during the First Dynasty (Ruiz, 2001). Although the Egyptians were architectural geniuses when it came to the Great Pyramids, they did not put the same time and durability into the very homes they lived in. Although pyramids and temples from ancient Egypt still impress us thousands of years after they were built, all that remains of the homes where people were born, grew to adulthood and died are occasional low mounds of mud outlines. Temples and tombs endure because Egyptians made a sharp distinction between their religious architecture, constructed of permanent stone for eternity, and all other buildings, even palaces and fortresses, which were built of less durable adobe (Brier & Hobbs, 2008). Because a significant portion of the pyramids continue to stand today, the mystery behind how the Great Pyramids were actually constructed continues to be a significant topic of discussion for modern society aerologists, architects, engineers, and historians. Since documentation was done through a long and intricate process using pictures known as hieroglyphics, Egyptian scribes were unable to document everything about the Egyptian culture, more specifically about the building of the Great Pyramids. As a result, modern society continues to piece together facts about how these massive architectural structures were built without today’s machinery, tools and modes of