What makes pyramid unique

Some of the limestone casing was brought from Tura, across the Nile, and a few of the rooms were cased with granite from Aswan.

Marks of the quarry workers are found on several of the stone blocks giving names of the work gangs such as "craftman-gang". Part-time crews of laborers probably supplemented the year-round masons and other skilled workers. The Greek historian Heroditus reported in the fifth century BCE that his Egyptian guides told him , men were employed for three months a year for twenty years to build the Great Pyramid; modern estimates of the number of laborers tend to be much smaller.

Pyramid building was at its height from the Fourth through the Sixth Dynasties. Smaller pyramids continued to be built for more than one thousand years. Scores of them have been discovered, but the remains of others are probably still buried under the sand. As it became clear that the pyramids did not provide protection for the mummified bodies of the kings but were obvious targets for grave robbers, later kings were buried in hidden tombs cut into rock cliffs.

Although the magnificent pyramids did not protect the bodies of the Egyptian kings who built them, the pyramids have served to keep the names and stories of those kings alive to this day. Ancient Egypt The Egyptian Pyramid. National Postal Museum 10p Sphinx and Pyramid single. Second Pyramid with crown of original casing masonry, S. Looking up the N. Look upwards. King Khufu's tomb, the great Pyramid of Gizeh, and the sepulchres of his nobles from N. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country.

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Science The controversial sale of 'Big John,' the world's largest Triceratops. Science Coronavirus Coverage How antivirals may change the course of the pandemic. Science Coronavirus Coverage U. Travel A road trip in Burgundy reveals far more than fine wine. Travel My Hometown In L. The pyramids of Egypt elicit awe for their size, their construction and the mystery of their purpose. People have been visiting the pyramids since ancient times, and it's not surprising that the Great Pyramid of Giza was deemed one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The pyramids continue to reveal their secrets to visitors today, and researchers continue to uncover special things about the pyramids. The Egyptians built the pyramids as tombs for their kings, or pharaohs. Egyptian beliefs held that when the pharaoh died, his spirit remained vital in the afterlife. Part of his spirit, known as ka, needed an earthly home.