Ancient Monuments Worldwide

The Great Pyramids

The “Giza Pyramid Complex” is an archaeological site on the Giza Plateau, on the
outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. This complex of ancient monuments includes the
three pyramid complexes known as the Great Pyramids, the massive sculpture known as
the Great Sphinx, several cemeteries, a workers village and an industrial complex. It is located in
the Libyan Desert, approximately 9 km west of the Nile river at the old town of Giza, and about
13 km southwest of Cairo city centre.

The pyramids, which have historically loomed large as emblems of ancient Egypt in the
Western imagination, were popularised in Hellenistic times, when the Great Pyramid was listed
by Antipater of Sidon as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is by far the oldest of the
ancient Wonders and the only one still in existence.

The Pyramids of Giza consist of the Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of
Cheops or Khufu), the somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre (or Chephren) a few hundred meters
to the south-west, and the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure a few hundred meters
farther south-west. The Great Sphinx lies on the east side of the complex. Current consensus
among Egyptologists is that the head of the Great Sphinx is that of Khafre. Along with these
major monuments are a number of smaller satellite edifices, known as "queens" pyramids,
causeways and valley pyramids.

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The Great Pyramid of Giza
Initially at 146.5 metres (481 feet), the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in
the world for more than 3,800 years. Originally, the Great Pyramid was covered by casing stones
that formed a smooth outer surface; what is seen today is the underlying core structure. Some of
the casing stones that once covered the structure can still be seen around the base. There have
been varying scientific and alternative theories about the Great Pyramid's construction
techniques. Most accepted construction hypotheses are based on the idea that it was built by
moving huge stones from a quarry and dragging and lifting them into place. There are three
known chambers inside the Great Pyramid. The lowest chamber is cut into the bedrock upon
which the pyramid was built and was unfinished. The so-called Queen's Chamber and King's
Chamber are higher up within the pyramid structure.

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What draws people to The Great Pyramid of Giza?

Some people study the Great Pyramid from a purely academic motive. They may be
archeologists, historians, scientists, mathematicians and a certain aspect of their work involves
the Great Pyramid.

Throughout history, many well known individuals and great leaders were fascinated by the
Great Pyramid. Alexander the Great was drawn to the Great Pyramid and visited it. Napoleon
also visited the Great Pyramid and even spent time alone in the King's Chamber. Sir Isaac
Newton was extremely interested in the Great Pyramid and even wrote a dissertation on it. Many
well known explorers made it a point to visit the Great Pyramid of Giza. Also many common
everyday people have gone out of their way to visit and explore the Great Pyramid. Many who
have not had the opportunity to go to Egypt have undertaken an intensive and life long study of
the Great Pyramid.

People from different cultures, walks of life, diverse time periods, rich or poor, great or
small, have been drawn to the Great Pyramid. What are they searching for? Maybe it is for
purely scholarly reasons or maybe something else draws them to the Great Pyramid.

A possibility is that people are drawn to the Great Pyramid of Giza because they are
searching for answers about life. They want to know who they are, where did they come from, is
there an afterlife, is there a God? Since the Great Pyramid has always been enshrouded in
mystery, many people think it may contain the answers to some of these questions.

Another possibility is that many are drawn to the Great Pyramid because of their interest
with its architecture, mathematics, passage system, astronomical alignment, etc. Also scholars
from many disciplines (science, history, archeology, mathematics, engineering, architecture, art,
etc.) are drawn to study the Great Pyramid as it relates to their field of study.

Also there is a mystery associated with the Great Pyramid. Why was it built, for what
purpose, who built it and when? Does it have any significance or purpose for us today? Does it
contain any hidden or lost information? As you know, archeologists have been searching for
hidden chambers and passages for some time. Some are searching for lost treasures and others
for lost secrets from an ancient civilization. Just the mystery of it is enough to attract people to
explore and study it.

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Facts about The Great Pyramid of Giza
 The pyramid is estimated to have around 2,300,000 stone blocks that weigh from 2 to 30 tons
each and there are even some blocks that weigh over 50 tons.

 The base of the pyramid covers 55,000 m2 (592,000 ft2) with each side greater than 20,000
m2 (218,000 ft2) in area.

 The interior temperature is constant and equals the average temperature of the earth, 20
Degrees Celsius (68 Degrees Fahrenheit).

 The mortar used is of an unknown origin. It has been analyzed, and its chemical composition
is known, but it can’t be reproduced. It is stronger than the stone and still holding up today.

 The Great Pyramid is the most accurately aligned structure in existence and faces true north
with only a minor degree error. The position of the North Pole moves over time and the
pyramid was exactly aligned at one time.

 The Great Pyramid is located at the center of the land mass of the earth. The east/west
parallel that crosses the most land and the north/south meridian that crosses the most land
intersect in two places on the earth, one in the ocean and the other at the Great Pyramid.

 The four faces of the pyramid are slightly concave, the only pyramid to have been built this
way.

 The centers of the four sides are indented with an extraordinary degree of precision forming
the only 8 sided pyramid; this effect is not visible from the ground or from a distance but
only from the air, and then only under the proper lighting conditions. This phenomenon is
only detectable from the air at dawn and sunset on the spring and autumn equinoxes, when
the sun casts shadows on the pyramid.

 The granite coffer in the “King’s Chamber” is too big to fit through the passages and so it
must have been put in place during construction.

 The coffer was made out of a block of solid granite. This would have required bronze saws 8-
9 ft. long set with teeth of sapphires. Hollowing out of the interior would require tubular
drills of the same material applied with a tremendous vertical force.

 Microscopic analysis of the coffer reveals that it was made with a fixed point drill that used
hard jewel bits and a drilling force of 2 tons.

 The Great Pyramid had a swivel door entrance at one time. Swivel doors were found in only
two other pyramids: Khufu’s father and grandfather, Sneferu and Huni, respectively.

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 The Descending Passage pointed to the pole star Alpha Draconis which was once The North
Star.

 The southern shaft in the King’s Chamber pointed to the star known as Zeta Orionis in the
constellation of Orion. Also, all three pyramids are precisely aligned with the Constellation
of Orion.

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The Interior
The modern entrance to the pyramid was created in the Ninth Century A.D. by el-
Mamoun son of Haroun el-Rhasied. The true entrance is above this one. This passage goes down
through the pyramid, and then connects to another corridor that ascends to the King’s and
Queen’s Chambers. The original passage continues downwards into an unfinished chamber
directly under the pyramid. Discussion about the purpose of these chambers and the complexity
of the pyramid is varied and ongoing.

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Khafre’s pyramid complex
Khafre’s pyramid complex consists of a valley temple, the Sphinx temple, a causeway, a
mortuary temple and the king’s pyramid. The valley temple yielded several statues of Khafre.
Several were found in a well in the floor of the temple by Mariette in 1860. Others were found
during successive excavations under the British occupation. Khafre's pyramid appears larger than
the adjacent Khufu Pyramid by virtue of its more elevated location, and the steeper angle of
inclination of its construction but it is, in fact, smaller in both height and volume.

The Great Sphynx of Giza

The Great Sphinx of Giza commonly referred to as the Sphinx of Giza or just the Sphinx,
is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the
head of a human. Facing directly from West to East, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west
bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The face of the Sphinx is generally believed to represent
the Pharaoh Khafre. It is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt and is commonly
believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of the
Pharaoh Khafre.
The Great Sphinx is one of the world's largest and oldest statues, but basic facts about it
are still subject to debate, such as when it was built, by whom and for what purpose. These
questions have resulted in the popular idea of the "Riddle of the Sphinx," alluding to the original
Greek legend of the "Riddle of the Sphinx."
First century writer Pliny the Elder mentioned the Great Sphinx in his Natural History,
commenting that the Egyptians looked upon the statue as a "divinity" that has been passed over
in silence and "that King Harmais was buried in it."

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Conclusion
The pyramids of Giza and others are thought to have been constructed to house the
remains of the deceased Pharaohs who ruled over Ancient Egypt. A portion of the Pharaoh's
spirit called his "ka" was believed to remain with his corpse. Proper care of the remains was
necessary in order for the "former Pharaoh to perform his new duties as king of the dead." It's
theorized the pyramid not only served as a tomb for the Pharaoh, but also as a storage pit for
various items he would need in the afterlife. "The people of Ancient Egypt believed that death on
Earth was the start of a journey to the next world. The embalmed body of the King was
entombed underneath or within the pyramid to protect it and allow his transformation and
ascension to the afterlife."
One thing is certain. The Great Pyramids are the only part of "The Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World " that still exists to this date and still continues to amaze us through it’s
remarkable architecture and it’s astonishing size which are hard to match today even with our
technology and skill.

“From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

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Bibliography
 http://www.ancient-code.com/25-facts-about-the-great-pyramid-of-giza/

 http://www.livescience.com/34193-great-pyramids-of-giza.html

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giza_pyramid_complex

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sphinx_of_Giza

 The Great Pyramid: A Miracle in Stone, 1973, Joseph A. Seiss

 Secrets of the Great Pyramid, 1978, Peter Tompkins

 Back in Time 3104 B.C. to the Great Pyramid, 1990, S. G. Taseos

 The Authorship and Message of the Great Pyramid, 1953, Julian T. Gray, E. Steinmann
& Co.

 Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid, 1891, C. Piazzi Smyt

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