Pyramid Power

王曉玥

Although pyramid-shaped structures can be found all over the world， the most famous pyramids are located in Egypt. The remains of approximately 90 pyramid sites are scattered across the country， but the pyramids of the Giza plateau are by far the best known. Three giant stone structures tower over the desert floor and are visible for miles. But why are they there， and who built them？

Pyramids were used throughout ancient Egypt as extravagant tombs for pharaohs. Pharaohs ruled the kingdoms of ancient Egypt， but they were more than just ordinary kings. Ancient Egyptians believed that the pharaoh as a living god who they had to worship and obey. When the pharaoh died， it was only fitting to build such a huge monument in which to bury him.

Because the pyramids are so old， many of them are now just piles of stones， but the pyramids at Giza are still standing tall. The largest of the three， the tallest pyramid in the world， is the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was built for the pharaoh Khufu in 2570 BC. For nearly 4，000 years， this pyramid was the tallest building on earth. It was originally 480 feet tall， but because of erosion， it now stands at 450 feet tall. Each side is 750 feet long.

Egyptologists， or people who study ancient Egyptian history， are amazed by how precisely this giant structure was built using the primitive technologies that would have been available. For example， despite how long the sides of the pyramid are， the builders were able to make each side the same length within half an inch. The pyramids' sides also face exactly north， south， east， and west.

Originally， Egyptologists thought that it took hundreds of thousands of slaves almost 30 years to build the Great Pyramid. Today， the most accepted theory is that farmers worked on the pyramid during the times of the year when they did not need to be in their fields. It is also now believed that only about 30，000 people were needed for the construction.

The Great Pyramid was built using giant stones that weighed as much as four tons each. The whole pyramid weighs almost eight million tons！ Without cranes and trucks， how in the world did the ancient Egyptians move the stones into place？ No one knows for certain， but most people believe that sleds were used to slide the stones over great distances. Scholars also think that ramps were built to move the stones up the side of the pyramid and into place. One problem with this theory is that the ramps would have needed to be almost as big as the pyramid itself.

Vocabulary Skills

1. Check the sentence in which face has the same meaning as it does in paragraph 4.

A. If you face our house， the driveway will be on your right.

B. Chris had a big smile on his face when Kimm walked in the door.

2. Check the sentence in which cranes has the same meaning as it does in paragraph 6.

A. Aunt Sheryl and Lilly used a bird guide to identify the cranes they saw.

B. There were three large cranes at the construction site.

Reading Skills

1. Why is the Great Pyramid only 450 feet tall today when it was originally 480 feet tall？

2. About how much does the Great Pyramid weigh？

3. How do scholars think the ancient Egyptians moved the stones they used to make the pyramids？

4. Who were the pharaohs of ancient Egypt？

5. What conclusion can you come to using the information that the sides of the pyramids faced exactly north， east， south， and west？