A pyramid is a pyramidal building, usually made of stone. From ancient to modern times people in many different parts of the world have built such structures.
In 2620BC the architect Imhotep created the first pyramid - the 'step pyramid' at Saqqara - as a tomb for the pharaoh Zoser.
Early Egypt recorded the names of the architects who built the great pyramids. The first great architect, Imhotep, who lived almost 5,000 years ago, is also the first scientist known by name today.
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built by 100,000 people working 10 hours a day for 23 years.
It took approximately 2.5 million blocks to build the Pyramid of Giza.
Originally the pyramids were covered with a protective coating of smooth white highly polished Tura limestone. The coating gave off such a shine from the hot desert sun that they could be seen from the Israeli mountains hundreds of miles away,
As for what happened to these white stones, many were taken and used in other projects. A few of them still stand today such as several mosques in Cairo; time and environmental conditions took care of most of the rest.
EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS
In 2620BC the architect Imhotep created the first pyramid - the 'step pyramid' at Saqqara - as a tomb for the pharaoh Zoser.
Early Egypt recorded the names of the architects who built the great pyramids. The first great architect, Imhotep, who lived almost 5,000 years ago, is also the first scientist known by name today.
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built by 100,000 people working 10 hours a day for 23 years.
It took approximately 2.5 million blocks to build the Pyramid of Giza.
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| Great Pyramid of Giza |
Originally the pyramids were covered with a protective coating of smooth white highly polished Tura limestone. The coating gave off such a shine from the hot desert sun that they could be seen from the Israeli mountains hundreds of miles away,
As for what happened to these white stones, many were taken and used in other projects. A few of them still stand today such as several mosques in Cairo; time and environmental conditions took care of most of the rest.
The Egyptian pyramids were built by paid workers, who often left graffiti on unexposed areas of the tombs. They inscribed their crew's nickname ("The Friends of Khufu Gang," "The Drunkards of Menkaure") onto the bricks.
The Pyramids were so well built that when Al-Aziz Uthman, Saladin's son and the Sultan of Egypt, tried to destroy a small Pyramid 3,000 years after its construction, the workers could only move 1-2 stones a day and gave up after creating only a gash after eight months.
in 1196 AD, Al-Aziz Uthman, Saladin's son and the Sultan of Egypt, attempted to demolish the pyramids, starting with that of Menkaure. Workmen recruited to demolish the pyramid stayed at their job for eight months, but found it almost as expensive to destroy as to build. They mostly failed.
The capstone of an ancient Egyptian pyramid was found in 1900. It's made of black basalt and weighs 4.5 tonnes (9921 lbs).
The word "pyramid" comes from the Greek word "pyramis" which meant "wheat cake." This was because the Greeks mocked the Egyptians' strangely constructed tombs, calling them "wheaten cakes."
The uppermost piece of an Egyptian pyramid is called a "pyramidion."
Egypt isn't the country with the most pyramids. It's Sudan where there are approximately 255 pyramids.
The highest mountain in Texas has a stainless steel pyramid at its summit.
The largest pyramid by volume is in Mexico. The Cholula pyramid was built in AD 100 from sun-dried brick and earth. Although it’s only 177ft high — less than half the height of Great Pyramid of Giza — its volume is more than 141 million cubic feet, 25 per cent larger than any pyramid in Egypt. A pre-classical masterpiece, it is part of a vast complex of interwoven rooms and temples.
The tenth tallest pyramid in the world is a Bass Pro Shop superstore in Memphis, Tennessee. The facility was built in 1991
The largest pyramid north of Mesoamerica is located near Collinsville in Illinois. Covering 13 acres, its footprint is comparable in size to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Source QI: The Third Book Of General Ignorance by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Andrew Hunter Murray
The word "pyramid" comes from the Greek word "pyramis" which meant "wheat cake." This was because the Greeks mocked the Egyptians' strangely constructed tombs, calling them "wheaten cakes."
The uppermost piece of an Egyptian pyramid is called a "pyramidion."
PYRAMIDS IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Egypt isn't the country with the most pyramids. It's Sudan where there are approximately 255 pyramids.
The highest mountain in Texas has a stainless steel pyramid at its summit.
The largest pyramid by volume is in Mexico. The Cholula pyramid was built in AD 100 from sun-dried brick and earth. Although it’s only 177ft high — less than half the height of Great Pyramid of Giza — its volume is more than 141 million cubic feet, 25 per cent larger than any pyramid in Egypt. A pre-classical masterpiece, it is part of a vast complex of interwoven rooms and temples.
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| Artist's conception of what the pyramid might have looked like |
The tenth tallest pyramid in the world is a Bass Pro Shop superstore in Memphis, Tennessee. The facility was built in 1991
The largest pyramid north of Mesoamerica is located near Collinsville in Illinois. Covering 13 acres, its footprint is comparable in size to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Source QI: The Third Book Of General Ignorance by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Andrew Hunter Murray
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