How The Pyramids Were Built
One of history’s most ancient puzzles is the construction of the pyramids,
over and over again through the course of history, many nations, scholars
and scientists asked the question of “How The Pyramids Were Built“.
4,500 years ago Giza Pyramids constructed to immortalize the legacy
of the ancient Egyptian civilization for many generations to come, it also
able to offer insight about the life aspects of the ancient Egyptians from
religious to agricultural practices through the magical wall illustrations of the pyramids.
A workforce of the Pyramids/How The Pyramids Were Built
The techniques used in constructing the Egyptian pyramids have baffled
historians and scientists for countless years. The pyramids are the subject of
many controversial hypotheses, the general theory based on the belief that
the huge stones were carved from the quarries using copper chisels, then these
blocks dragged and lifted into position but the method concerning the
movement and placement of these stones under a great dispute.
How The Pyramids Were Built
The form of the workforce under a huge debate as it was believed that
the pyramids were constructed using slave labor but after research published in 1990,
it turned out that the pyramids build by “tens of thousands of free skilled
workers” who lived and buried near the great pyramid and worked for a salary,
a wage of ten loaves of bread or a jug of beer per day or a form of tax payment
until the construction completed. They used hammers, chisels, and levers
capable of handling the stones. The workforce highly organized and managed to the highest level.
Location of the Pyramids/How The Pyramids Were Built
The most important element in constructing a pyramid choosing the right location.
The pyramids constructed on the west side of the Nile River where the sunset
which believed where the dead enter the underworld, the location also
needed to be on the higher ground to avoid the danger of flooding at the time
of the Nile’s inundation. The location must be in close proximity from
the Nile River and on a firm rock base capable of supporting the massive
weight of any Pyramids with cracking or showing the sign of structural
weakness and more importantly must be in the close reach of the current capital.
The Base of the Pyramids/How The Pyramids Were Built
The Pyramids were constructed using locally quarried limestone which
the main material of choice for all the pyramids. A higher quality of limestone
quarried near modern Cairo used for the outer casing. Granite used
in the construction of architectural elements of the roofs and the burial chamber
and also in the outer casing like the King Menkaure Pyramid, it quarried near
Aswan. The workers begin their work by preparing a strong foundation by
removing the loose sand from the rock base which made it completely flat.
How The Pyramids Were Built
The flat base accomplished by building low mud walls all around the base
and cutting the channels in a grid pattern over the surface, then afterward the
channels would be filled with water, and the level at which the water reached
marked. After the water of drained, all the sticking-out rock would be removed
and any void would be filled with stones in order to make the surface level perfectly flat.
The Architecture of the Pyramids/How The Pyramids Were Built
The ancient Egyptians highly advanced in the field of astronomy as Each side
of the pyramid designed to face one of the cardinal points. The ancient Egyptian
builders observed the rising and setting of the northern star on the horizon which
explains why they began by establishing the true north first then the rest of the
other directions. They were able to make all the four sides exactly the same
length and in the right perfect corners. They bisected the angle thus obtaining
north and south lines, they also used their instruments in drawing right angels and find the east and the west angels.
Blocks Placement of the Pyramids/How The Pyramids Were Built
One of the biggest mysteries surrounding the construction of the pyramid
the process by which the massive limestone blocks weighing every 2.2 tons
moved across the desert. A wall painting on a tomb dating to 1900 BC depicts 170
men dragging a huge state using ropes attached to a sled and in front of it men
pouring water over the sand in order to reduce friction and make it easier to
operate the sled. The ancient Egyptians understood that adding water to the sand
increased its stiffness to drag the sleds more easily across the surface. They calculated
the amount the water necessary to reduce the friction depending on the type of sand,
the optimal amount of waterfalls between 2% and 5% of the complete value of the sand.
This discovery highly important as it not only explains how the blocks moved
but also helps the researchers in understanding the behavior of other granular materials like coal or even asphalt or concrete.
Construction Method of the Pyramids/How The Pyramids Were Built
One of the most acknowledged theories on what method used to raise the blocks
among the Egyptologists is ramps. The Greek historian shows in his writings the usage
of levers used to raise the blocks from one level to the next. As the pyramids
grow in size so did the ramps to the point where the ramp has to as huge as the
pyramid. Internal ramps also used as the grand gallery believed to have
acted as a trolley guide for counterbalance weights. They’re also a theory which
states that a form of limestone concrete cast in wooden molds then it would
transform from a wet to a hard substance after undergoing a chemical reaction.
The method of the pyramids completely shrouded with mystery
and many theories are still open for discussion.
