Biography of egypt pyramids giza

Ancient masonry structures in Egypt

The Egyptian pyramids are ancient masonry structures located in Egypt. Sources cite at least identified "Egyptian" pyramids. Approximately 80 pyramids were built within the Kingdom of Kush, now located in the modern country of Sudan. Of those located in modern Egypt, most were built as tombs for the country's pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.

The earliest known Egyptian pyramids are found at Saqqara, northwest of Memphis, although at least one step-pyramid-like structure has been found at Saqqara, dating to the First Dynasty: Mastaba , which has been attributed to the reign of Pharaoh Anedjib, with inscriptions, and other archaeological remains of the period, suggesting there may have been others. The otherwise earliest among these is the Pyramid of Djoser built c.&#;–&#;BCE during the Third Dynasty. This pyramid and its surrounding complex are generally considered to be the world's oldest monumental structures constructed of dressed masonry.

The most famous Egyptian pyramids are those found at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo. Several of the Giza pyramids are counted among the largest structures ever built. The Pyramid of Khufu is the largest Egyptian pyramid and the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence, despite being the oldest by about 2, years.

Name

The name for a pyramid in Egyptian is myr, written with the symbol 𓉴 (O24 in the Gardner Sign List). Myr is preceded by three other signs used as phonetics. The meaning of myr is unclear, as it only self-references the built object itself. By comparison, some similar architectural terms become compound words, such as the word for 'temple' (per-ka) becoming a compound of the words for 'house' and 'soul'. By graphical analysis, myr uses the same sign, O

Largest pyramid in the Giza Necropolis, Egypt

"Great Pyramid" redirects here. For the pyramid in Mexico, see Great Pyramid of Cholula.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It served as the tomb of pharaohKhufu, who ruled during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Built c.&#; BC, over a period of about 26 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only wonder that has remained largely intact. It is the most famous monument of the Giza pyramid complex, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Memphis and its Necropolis". It is situated at the northeastern end of the line of the three main pyramids at Giza.

Initially standing at metres ( feet), the Great Pyramid was the world's tallest human-made structure for more than 3, years. Over time, most of the smooth white limestone casing was removed, which lowered the pyramid's height to the current metres (&#;ft); what is seen today is the underlying core structure. The base was measured to be about metres (&#;ft) square, giving a volume of roughly &#;million cubic metres (92&#;million cubic feet), which includes an internal hillock. The dimensions of the pyramid were royal cubits (&#;m; &#;ft) high, a base length of &#;cubits (&#;m; &#;ft), with a seked of &#;5+1/2&#; palms (a slope of 51°50'40").

The Great Pyramid was built by quarrying an estimated million large blocks, weighing 6 million tonnes in total. The majority of the stones are not uniform in size or shape, and are only roughly dressed. The outside layers were bound together by mortar. Primarily local limestone from the Giza Plateau was used for its construction. Other blocks were imported by boat on the Nile: white limestone from Tura for the casing, and blocks of granite from Aswan, weighing up to 80 tonnes, for the "King's Chamber" structure.

There are three known chambers inside of the Great Pyram

The pyramids of Egypt fascinated travellers and conquerors in ancient times and continue to inspire wonder in the tourists, mathematicians, and archeologists who visit, explore, measure, and describe them.

Tombs of early Egyptian kings were bench-shaped mounds called mastabas. Around BCE, King Djoser's architect, Imhotep, built the first pyramid by placing six mastabas, each smaller than the one beneath, in a stack to form a pyramid rising in steps. This Step Pyramid stands on the west bank of the Nile River at Sakkara near Memphis. Like later pyramids, it contains various rooms and passages, including the burial chamber of the king.

The transition from the Step Pyramid to a true, smooth-sided pyramid took placed during the reign of King Snefru, founder of the Fourth Dynasty (– BCE). At Medum, a step pyramid was built, then filled in with stone, and covered with a limestone casing. Nearby at Bahshur, construction was begun on a pyramid apparently planned to have smooth sides. About halfway up, however, the angle of incline decreases from over 51 degrees to about 43 degrees, and the sides rise less steeply, causing it to be known as the Bent Pyramid. The change in angle was probably made during construction to give the building more stability. Another great pyramid was built at Dahshur with its sides rising at an angle of somewhat over 43 degrees, resulting in a true, but squat looking pyramid.

The largest and most famous of all the pyramids, the Great Pyramid at Giza, was commissioned by Snefru's son, Khufu, known also as Cheops, the later Greek form of his name. The pyramid's base covered over 13 acres and its sides rose at an angle of 51 degrees 52 minutes and were over feet long. It originally stood over feet high; today it is feet high. Scientists estimate that its stone blocks average over two tons apiece, with the largest weighing as much as fifteen tons each. Two other major pyramids were built at Giza, for Khufu's son, King Khafre (Chephren), and a s