Excavations of the pyramid of Cheops. Why and how were the pyramids built in ancient Egypt

- Oh Osiris, I don't want to die! - Who wants to? Osiris shrugged. - But I ... I'm still a pharaoh! .. Listen, - Cheops whispered, - I will sacrifice a hundred thousand slaves to you. Only let me perpetuate one of my lives! - One hundred thousand? And you're sure they'll all die in the construction? - Rest assured. Such a pyramid, as I conceived... - Well, if so... Perpetuate, I don't mind.

The Pyramid of Cheops

No one remembers Cheops alive. Everyone remembers him only dead. He was dead a hundred, and a thousand, and three thousand years ago and always, always will be dead - the pyramid immortalized his death.

1. What is called the first wonder of the world?
Already in antiquity, the pyramids of Giza were considered one of the seven "wonders of the world." The largest of the pyramids was built by Pharaoh Khufu (2590 - 2568 BC), in Greek his name was Cheops. At present, the height of the pyramid is 138 m, although originally it was 147 m: the upper stones fell during earthquakes. The pyramid is made up of 2.5 million limestone blocks of different sizes, weighing an average of 2.5 tons. Initially, it was lined with white sandstone, which was harder than the main blocks, but the lining was not preserved. At the base of the pyramid lies a square with a side of 230 m, oriented to the cardinal points. According to some legends, the corners of the square symbolize Truth, Reason, Silence and Depth, according to others, the pyramid is based on four material substances from which the human body is created.
The greatest creations of antiquity among the pyramids include only the pyramid of Cheops, also called the Great Pyramid.
At a distance of about 160 meters from the pyramid of Cheops, the pyramid of Khafre rises, the height of which is 136.6 meters, and the length of the sides is 210.5 meters. A part of the original cladding is still visible on its top.
The Pyramid of Menkaure, which is even smaller, is located 200 meters from the Pyramid of Khafre. Its height is 62 meters, and the length of the sides is 108 meters. But the most famous Egyptian monument in the world after the pyramid of Cheops is the figure of the sphinx, vigilantly guarding City of dead.
The three pyramids are part of the complex, which also consists of several temples, small pyramids, tombs of priests and officials.
The smaller pyramids located to the south were probably intended for the wives of the rulers and remained unfinished.

2. How was the pyramid of Cheops built?

Its height is 146.6 m, which roughly corresponds to a fifty-story skyscraper. The base area is 230x230 m. In such a space, five of the largest cathedrals in the world could easily fit simultaneously: St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey in London, as well as Florence and Milan Cathedrals. From the building stone that went to the construction of the pyramid of Cheops, it would be possible to build all the churches in Germany, created in our millennium. The young pharaoh Cheops ordered the construction of the pyramid immediately after the death of his father Snefru. Like all previous pharaohs since the time of Djoser (approximately 2609 -2590 BC), Cheops wanted to be buried after his death in a pyramid.
The ivory statue of Pharaoh Cheops is the only surviving image of the pharaoh. On the head of Cheops is the crown of the Ancient Egyptian kingdom, in his hand is a ceremonial fan.
Like his predecessors, he believed that his pyramid should exceed all other pyramids in size, splendor and luxury. But before the first of more than two million blocks that made up the pyramid was cut in a quarry on east coast Nile, complex preparatory work was carried out. First, it was necessary to find a suitable site for the construction of the pyramid. The weight of the huge structure is 6,400,000 tons, so the ground had to be strong enough so that the pyramid would not sink into the ground under its own weight. The construction site was chosen south of the modern Egyptian capital of Cairo, on a ledge of a plateau in the desert seven kilometers west of the village of Giza. This solid rocky platform was able to support the weight of the pyramid.
First, the surface of the site was leveled. To do this, a waterproof shaft of sand and stones was built around it. In the resulting square, a dense network of small channels was cut down, intersecting at right angles, so that the site looked like a huge chessboard. The channels were filled with water, the height of the water level was marked on the side walls, then the water was let down. Stonemasons cut down everything that protruded above the smooth surface of the water, and the channels were again laid with stone. The base of the pyramid was ready.
Over 4,000 people - artists, architects, masons and other craftsmen - carried out these preparatory works for about ten years. Only after that it was possible to proceed with the construction of the pyramid itself. According to the Greek historian Herodotus (490 - 425 BC), construction continued for another twenty years, about 100,000 people worked on the construction of the huge tomb of Cheops. Only 1600 talents were spent on radishes, onions and garlic, which were added to the food of construction workers, i.e. approximately $20 million. Data on the number of workers are questioned by many modern researchers. In their opinion, there simply would not be enough space on the construction site for so many people: more than 8,000 people would not be able to work productively without interfering with each other.
Herodotus, who visited Egypt in 425 BC, wrote: "The method used was to build in steps, or as some call it rows or terraces. When the construction of the base was completed, the blocks for the next row above the base were raised from the main level with devices made of short wooden levers; on this first row there was another that raised the blocks one level higher, thus, step by step, the blocks were raised all Higher and higher. Each row or level had its own set of mechanisms of the same type that easily moved loads from level to level. The completion of the construction of the pyramid began at the top with the highest level, continued down, and ended with the lowest levels closer to the ground.
During the construction of the pyramid, Egypt was a wealthy country. Every year from the end of June to November, the Nile overflowed its banks and flooded the adjacent fields with its waters, leaving a thick layer of silt on them, which turned the dry sand of the desert into fertile soil. Therefore, in favorable years, it was possible to harvest up to three crops a year - grain, fruits and vegetables. So, from June to November, the peasants could not work in their fields. And they were glad when every year in mid-June a scribe of the pharaoh appeared in their village, compiling lists of those who wanted to work on the construction of the pyramid.

3. Who worked on the construction of the pyramid?
Almost everyone wanted this work, which means that it was not forced labor, but voluntary labor. This was due to two reasons: each construction participant received housing, clothing, food and a modest salary while working. Four months later, when the waters of the Nile left the fields, the peasants returned to their villages.

In addition, every Egyptian considered it his natural duty and honor to participate in the construction of the pyramid for the pharaoh. After all, everyone who contributed to the fulfillment of this grandiose task hoped that a particle of the immortality of the god-like pharaoh would touch him too. Therefore, at the end of June, endless streams of peasants rushed to Giza. There they were placed in temporary barracks and united in groups of eight people. You could start work. Having crossed in boats to the other side of the Nile, the men were heading to the quarry. There they cut down a stone block, hewn it with the help of sledgehammers, wedges, saws and borers and received a block of the required size - with sides from 80 cm to 1.45 m. Using ropes and levers, each group installed its block on wooden skids and on them along the log flooring she dragged him to the banks of the Nile. The sailboat transported workers and a block weighing up to 7.5 tons to the other side.

4. What was the most dangerous job?
On the roads lined with logs, the stone was dragged to the construction site. Here came the turn of the hardest work, since cranes and other lifting devices had not yet been invented. Along an inclined entrance 20 m wide, built of bricks from the Nile silt, skids with a stone block were pulled to the upper platform of the pyramid under construction with the help of ropes and levers. There, the workers laid the block in the place indicated by the architect with an accuracy of a millimeter. The higher the pyramid rose, the longer and steeper the entrance became, and the upper working platform became more and more reduced. So the work got harder and harder.
Then came the turn of the most dangerous work: the laying of the "pyramidon" - the upper block nine meters high, dragged upward along an inclined entrance. How many people died doing just this job, we do not know. So, twenty years later, the construction of the body of the pyramid was completed, which consists of 128 layers of stone and is four meters higher than the Strasbourg Cathedral. By this time, the pyramid looked about the same as it looks now: it was a stepped mountain. However, the work did not end there: the steps were laid with stones, so that the surface of the pyramid became, although not quite smooth, but already without protrusions. At the end of the work, the four triangular outer faces of the pyramid were faced with slabs of dazzling white limestone. The edges of the plates were fitted so precisely that even a knife blade could not be inserted between them. Even from a distance of several meters, the pyramid gave the impression of a giant monolith. The outer slabs have been polished to a mirror finish with the hardest grinding stones. According to eyewitnesses, in the sun or moonlight, the tomb of Cheops mysteriously sparkled like a huge crystal glowing from within.

5. What's inside the pyramid of Cheops?
The pyramid of Cheops is not made entirely of stone. Inside it there is a branched system of passages, which, through a large passage 47 m long, the so-called large gallery, leads to the chamber of the pharaoh - a room 10.5 m long, 5.3 m wide and 5.8 m high. It is entirely lined with granite, but not decorated with any ornament. Here stands a large empty granite sarcophagus without a lid. The sarcophagus was brought here during construction, as it does not pass through any of the passages of the pyramid. There are such chambers of the pharaohs in almost all Egyptian pyramids; they served as the last refuge of the pharaoh.
There are no inscriptions or decorations inside the Cheops pyramid, except for a small portrait in the passage leading to the Queen's chamber. This image resembles a photograph on a stone. On the outer walls of the pyramid there are numerous curvilinear grooves of large and small sizes, in which, at a certain angle of illumination, one can discern an image 150 meters high - a portrait of a man, apparently one of the deities of Ancient Egypt. This image is surrounded by other images (the trident of the Atlanteans and Scythians, a flying bird, plans of stone buildings, pyramid rooms), texts, individual letters, large signs resembling a flower bud, etc. On the north side of the pyramid there is a portrait of a man and a woman with their heads bowed to each other. These huge images were painted just a few years before the main pyramid was completed and installed in 2630 BC. top stone.
Inside the pyramid of Cheops there are three burial chambers located one above the other. The construction of the first chamber was not completed. It is carved into the rock. To get into it, you need to overcome 120 m of a narrow descending corridor. The first burial chamber is connected with the second horizontal corridor 35 m long and 1.75 m high. The second chamber is called the "queen's chamber", although according to the rite, the wives of the pharaohs were buried in separate small pyramids.
The queen's chamber is overgrown with legends. It is associated with a legend according to which the pyramid was the main temple of a certain Supreme Deity, a place where ancient secret religious rites were held. Somewhere in the depths of the pyramid lives an unknown creature with the face of a lion, which holds in its hands the seven keys of Eternity. No one can see him, except for those who have undergone special rites of preparation and purification. Only to them did the Great Priest reveal the secret Divine Name. The person who owns the secret of the name became equal in its magical power to the pyramid itself. The main sacrament of initiation took place in the royal chamber. There, the candidate, tied to a special cross, was placed in a huge sarcophagus. The person receiving the initiation was, as it were, in the gap between the material world and the divine world, inaccessible to human consciousness.
From the beginning of the horizontal corridor, another one goes up, about 50 meters long and more than 8 meters high. At the end of it there is a horizontal passage leading to the pharaoh's burial chamber, finished with granite, in which the sarcophagus is placed. In addition to the burial chambers, voids and ventilation shafts were found in the pyramid. However, the purpose of many rooms and various hollow channels has not been fully figured out. One of these rooms is a room where there is an open book on the table about the history and achievements of the country during the period when the construction of the pyramid was completed.
The purpose of the underground structures at the foot of the pyramid of Cheops is also unclear. Some of them were opened at different times. In one of the underground structures in 1954, archaeologists found the oldest ship on Earth - a wooden boat, called the sun, 43.6 m long, disassembled into 1224 parts. It was built of cedar without a single nail and, as evidenced by traces of silt preserved on it, before the death of Cheops, it was still floating on the Nile.

6. How was the burial of the pharaoh?
After death, the carefully embalmed body of the ruler was placed in the burial chamber of the pyramid. The internal organs of the deceased were placed in special hermetic vessels, the so-called canopies, which were placed next to the sarcophagus in the burial chamber. So, the mortal remains of the pharaoh found their last earthly refuge in the pyramid, and the "ka" of the deceased left the tomb. "Ka", according to Egyptian ideas, was considered something like a double of a person, his "second self", which left the body at the time of death and could freely move between the earthly and the afterlife. Leaving the burial chamber, "ka" rushed to the top of the pyramid along its outer lining, so smooth that none of the mortals could move along it. The father of the pharaohs, the sun god Ra, was already there in his solar boat, in which the deceased pharaoh began his journey to immortality.
Recently, some scholars have expressed doubt that the Great Pyramid was indeed the tomb of Pharaoh Cheops. They put forward three arguments in favor of this assumption:
The burial chamber, contrary to the customs of that time, does not have any decorations.
The sarcophagus, in which the body of the deceased pharaoh was supposed to rest, was only roughly hewn, i.e. not completely ready; lid is missing.
And, finally, two narrow passages through which air from outside enters the burial chamber through small holes in the body of the pyramid. But the dead do not need air - this is another weighty argument in favor of the fact that the pyramid of Cheops was not a burial place.
7. Who first entered the pyramid of Cheops?
The entrance to the pyramid of Cheops was originally located on the north side, at the level of the 13th row of granite slabs. Now it is closed. You can get inside the pyramid through a manhole left by ancient robbers.
For more than 3,500 years, the interior of the Great Pyramid was not disturbed by anyone: all the entrances to it were carefully walled up, and the tomb itself, according to the Egyptians, was guarded by spirits ready to kill anyone who tried to enter it.
That's why the robbers came here much later. The first person to penetrate the pyramid of Cheops was Caliph Abdullah al-Mamun (813-833 BC), son of Harun al-Rashid. He dug a tunnel to the burial chamber in the hope of discovering treasures there, as in other tombs of the pharaohs. But he did not find anything except the droppings of bats that lived there, the layer of which on the floor and on the walls reached 28 cm. After that, the interest of robbers and treasure seekers in the pyramid of Cheops disappeared. But they were replaced by other robbers. In 1168, after R. Chr. part of Cairo was burned and completely destroyed by the Arabs, who did not want it to fall into the hands of the crusaders. When the Egyptians then set about rebuilding their city, they removed the shiny white slabs that covered the outside of the pyramid and used them to build new houses. Even now, these plates can be seen in many mosques in the old part of the city. From the former pyramid, only a stepped body remained - this is how it now appears before the enthusiastic gaze of tourists. Together with the lining, the pyramid also lost its top, the pyramidon, and the upper layers of the masonry. Therefore, now its height is no longer 144.6 m, but 137.2 m. Today, the top of the pyramid is a square with sides of about 10 m. This site in 1842 became the venue for unusual festivities. The Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV, known for his love of art, sent an expedition to the Nile Valley led by archaeologist Richard Lepsius in order to acquire ancient Egyptian art objects and other exhibits for the Egyptian Museum being created in Berlin (it was opened in 1855).

Powerful, surrounded by mystery .. - this is the pyramid of Cheops that stood for 4500 years

Continuing the series of stories about the wonders of antiquity on LifeGlobe, I will tell you about the biggest of Egyptian pyramids- Pyramid of Cheops, located in Giza. It is also called the Pyramid of Khufu, or simply the Great Pyramid.

This is the oldest of the seven wonders of the world, moreover, perfectly preserved to our times, unlike the Colossus of Rhodes or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Egyptologists believe that the pyramid was built as a tomb for the fourth dynasty of the Egyptian pharaoh Cheops. The construction of the pyramid lasted about 20 years and was completed in 2560 BC. giant pyramid with a height of 146.5 meters, it was the largest structure in the world for more than 4 millennia, which is an absolute record that is unlikely to ever be broken. Initially, it was completely covered with smooth stone, which crumbled over time. There are many scientific and alternative theories about the methods of building a large pyramid, from alien intervention to generally accepted ones, based on the fact that huge blocks of stone were moved from quarries by special mechanisms.

Inside the pyramid of Cheops there are three chambers - tombs. The lowest one is carved into the base of the rock on which the pyramid is built. For unknown reasons, its construction was not completed. Above it are the chamber of the Queen and the chamber of the Pharaoh. The Great Pyramid is the only one in Egypt where there are both ascending and descending corridors. She is the central key element of the Giza complex, around which several more pyramids were built for the wives of the pharaoh, as well as other temples and tombs.


The Great Pyramid consists of approximately 2.3 million stone blocks. The largest stones were found in the pharaoh's chamber, and weigh 25-80 tons each. These granite blocks were delivered from a quarry at a distance of almost 1000 kilometers. According to general estimates, 5.5 million tons of limestone and 8,000 tons of granite were spent on the construction of the pyramid.
Let us turn to the theories of pyramid construction, many of which often contradict each other. Scientists can never agree on whether the blocks were dragged, or rolled, or carried at all. The Greeks believed that the slave labor of millions of Egyptians was used, while modern research has proven that several tens of thousands of skilled workers worked on the construction, divided into teams according to their qualifications and skills.

Initially, the entrance to the pyramid was at a height of 15.63 meters (#1 in the diagram below), on the north side, assembled from stone slabs in the form of arches. Later, it was closed up with granite blocks, making a new passage 17 meters high (#2 on the diagram). This passage was carved in 820 by Caliph Abu Ja'far, in an attempt to plunder the pyramid (it is worth noting that he never found any treasures). Currently, it is through it that tourists get inside the pyramid.

Below is a sectional diagram of the pyramid, where all corridors and chambers are marked:

Immediately after entering the inside of the pyramid, a descending corridor 105 meters long (No. 4 on the diagram above) begins, flowing into a small horizontal corridor leading to the lower chamber (No. 5 on the map). A narrow hole leads from the chamber, ending in a dead end. as well as a small well 3 meters deep. As mentioned above, for some reason this chamber was left unfinished, and the main chambers were later built higher, in the very center of the pyramid.

An ascending passage goes up from the descending corridor, at the same angle of 26.5 °. Its length is 40 meters and it leads to the Grand Gallery (No. 9 on the diagram), from where there are passages to the pharaoh's chamber (No. 10) and the queen's chamber (No. 7).
At the very beginning of the large gallery, a narrow, almost vertical chamber was hollowed out, with a small extension in the middle, which is called the Grotto (No. 12). Presumably, the grotto already existed before the construction of the pyramid, as a separate structure.

From the Chamber of the Pharaoh and the Chamber of the Queen, ventilation ducts 20 centimeters wide diverge evenly, in the direction to the north and south. The purpose of these channels is unknown - either they were used specifically for ventilation, or the traditional ideas of the Egyptians about the afterlife are associated with them.

There is an opinion that the ancient Egyptians were fluent in geometry, and knew about the "number of Pi" and the "Golden Section", which was reflected in the proportions of the Cheops pyramid and the angle of inclination. The same angle of inclination was used for the pyramid at Meidum. But it is possible that this is a mere accident, since such an angle was not repeated anywhere else, all subsequent pyramids had other angles of inclination. Particularly fanatical supporters of mystical theories suggest that it was this pyramid that was built by representatives alien civilizations, and the rest were actually built by the Egyptians trying to copy it

According to some astronomers, the Great Pyramid is an astronomical observatory of the ancient Egyptians, as the corridors and ventilation ducts accurately point to the stars Tuban, Sirius and Alnitak. Opponents of this theory argue that this is a mere coincidence. During excavations near the pyramid, pits were found with ancient Egyptian boats made of cedar without the use of nails and fasteners. This boat was dismantled into 1224 parts, which were assembled by the restorer Ahmed Youssouf Mustafa, which took him 14 years. Currently on south side pyramids, a museum has been opened where you can see this boat (the museum building itself in the photo below looks quite original, it is worth noting), as well as buy a lot of souvenirs

It is currently the most visited tourist attraction in Egypt. You can read more about other ancient wonders in the article "Seven Ancient Wonders of the World"

The Pyramid of Cheops is a monumental structure, fraught with many facts and mysteries. Here are fifteen of them, most of which you've probably never heard of. We will not touch on myths and legends - the most interesting facts about the pyramid of Cheops based on real research

1. For about three thousand years, the Cheops pyramid was the tallest creation of human hands in the world.. Only when in 1311 Lincoln was built Cathedral, this building became the second tallest.
2. The construction of the pyramid was carried out for 20 years. It remains a mystery how, with an archaic level of building knowledge and disgusting logistics, such a monumental structure was built so quickly. The construction of other burial structures took much longer - from 50 to 200 years.
3. Pyramid of Cheops - an accurate compass. The faces of the pyramid of Cheops are oriented to the cardinal points. The error is only 5 degrees. Such conformity is not easy to achieve even with the current level of construction development. At first, the alignment was perfect, and only the constant movement of the north pole of the Earth allowed a slight deviation to appear.

   3
   

4. Pyramids of Cheops seen from space. The construction of the structure took more than 2.2 million blocks of limestone. This friable building material would certainly have collapsed over time if it had not been lined with granite. There are no gaps between the facing plates, they are perfectly polished. When the lining was in place, the sunlight reflected from it was so bright that the structure of Cheops was probably visible from space.

   4
   

5. Constant temperature inside the building - 20⁰С. The Pyramid of Cheops is a giant isothermal chamber - when the outside air temperature reaches 50⁰С, it does not rise above 20⁰С in this structure.

   5
   

6. The Pyramid of Cheops Never Had a Pharaoh's Burial. Many consider the pyramid of Cheops to be the burial place of the pharaoh. In fact, the remains of the rulers were buried in the Valley of the Kings. And inside the thick walls were kept the necessary things, which, according to the ancient Egyptians, helped the ruler in the afterlife.

   6
   

7. The delivery of building materials was carried out in a way unknown to science.. Construction methods of stone monsters can be explained high level construction organization. Huge stones were cut in quarries located on mediterranean coast. It remains a mystery how they were transported a hundred kilometers from the quarry to the construction site - the condition of the horse-drawn and water transport did not allow moving heavy stones over considerable distances.

   7
   

8. The Pyramid of Cheops was built by free people. This building was built by free architects and masons who came to the place of construction from all over the Egyptian state. It is possible that slaves were used as labor force, but there is evidence that most of the workers were free and built for money. By the way, this ancient temple death erected about 100,000 people.
9. The composition of the mortar used to fasten the blocks of the pyramid has not yet been unraveled.. Limestone and granite slabs are held together by a mysterious mortar that has no modern analogues. The gripping material was developed in the early Predynastic period. After cooling, the solution became stronger than stone and was not afraid of heat, dry winds, or time. Scientists do not know how and from what it was prepared.

   9
   

10. Even a blade cannot be inserted between the facing of the pyramid. The craftsmanship of the builders is admirable, who were able to fit the cladding so tightly that even a knife blade cannot be inserted between the cladding slabs. Few modern buildings can boast of such a quality of laying building materials.

    10
    

11. The number pi and other oddities. The existence of the pyramid confirms the fact that the Egyptians knew about the "golden ratio", the number π and other constants used in geometry and architecture. Scientific proofs of these formulas were developed by ancient Greek mathematicians a thousand years later.

    11
    

12. The walls of the pyramid of Cheops from the inside are not covered with drawings or hieroglyphs. The walls of the corridors of the pyramid of Cheops are empty - they do not have numerous inscriptions and drawings. Egyptologists have found dozens of cartouches and inscriptions indicating the names of the builders who took part in the construction of the tomb. There were inscriptions of a technical nature that shed light on the technology of erecting this religious building.

    12
    

13. The ancient Greeks and Arabs knew about the pyramid of Cheops. The first explorers of Egyptian antiquities were the Greeks. The mathematician Thales was well aware of the existence of the structure of Cheops, and even measured the length of its shadow. Arab scientist Abdullah Al Mamun made an attempt to penetrate the forbidden walls. He managed to do this, but did not find any treasures or secret knowledge.
14. Napoleon was interested in ancient structures and during the Egyptian campaign he wished to visit the tomb of Cheops. But after the first minutes spent inside ancient building, Napoleon felt so bad that he no longer returned to the issue of visiting ancient tombs. But he supported the interest of scientists in uncovering Egyptian mysteries and sponsored several scientific expeditions.

    14
    

15. The birthday of the Cheops pyramid is a national holiday in Egypt. Modern Egyptians receive a good income from tourists visiting ancient monuments. They even approved the birthday of the Cheops pyramid - it is celebrated on August 23rd. Despite the fact that this date is very controversial, the Egyptians on this day celebrate the beginning of the construction of the tomb of Cheops.

We hope you enjoyed the selection of pictures - Interesting Facts about the pyramid of Cheops (15 photos) online of good quality. Please leave your opinion in the comments! Every opinion matters to us.

The Pyramid of Cheops is a legacy of the ancient Egyptian civilization; all tourists who come to Egypt try to see it. It strikes the imagination with its grandiose size. The weight of the pyramid is about 4 million tons, its height is 139 meters, and its age is 4.5 thousand years. It still remains a mystery how people built the pyramids in those ancient times. It is not known for certain why these majestic structures were erected.

Legends of the pyramid of Cheops

Shrouded in mystery, ancient Egypt was once the most powerful country on Earth. Perhaps his people knew secrets that are still inaccessible to modern humanity. Looking at the huge stone blocks of the pyramid, which are stacked with perfect accuracy, you begin to believe in miracles.

According to one of the legends, the pyramid served as a storehouse of grain during the great famine. These events are described in the Bible (Book of Exodus). Pharaoh had a prophetic dream that warned of a series of lean years. Joseph, son of Jacob, sold into slavery by his brothers, managed to unravel Pharaoh's dream. The ruler of Egypt instructed Joseph to organize the harvesting of grain, appointing him as his first adviser. The storehouses must have been huge, given that many peoples were fed from them for seven years when there was a famine on Earth. A slight discrepancy in dates - about 1 thousand years, the adherents of this theory explain by the inaccuracy of carbon analysis, thanks to which archaeologists determine the age of ancient buildings.

According to another legend, the pyramid served to transfer the material body of the pharaoh into upper world Gods. Surprising fact is that inside the pyramid, where the sarcophagus for the body stands, the mummy of the pharaoh was not found, which the robbers could not take away. Why did the rulers of Egypt build such huge tombs for themselves? Was it really their goal to build a beautiful mausoleum that testified to greatness and power? If the construction process took several decades and required huge labor costs, then the ultimate goal of building a pyramid was vital to the pharaoh. Some researchers believe that we know very little about the level of development ancient civilization, the mysteries of which are yet to be discovered. The Egyptians knew the secret of eternal life. It was acquired by the pharaohs after death, thanks to the technology that was hidden inside the pyramids.

Some researchers believe that the pyramid of Cheops was built by a great civilization even older than the Egyptian one, about which we know nothing. And the Egyptians only restored the existing ancient buildings, and used them at their own discretion. They themselves did not know the intention of the forerunners who built the pyramids. The Forerunners could be the giants of the Antediluvian civilization or the inhabitants of other planets who arrived on Earth in search of a new homeland. The gigantic size of the blocks from which the pyramid is built is easier to imagine convenient building material for ten-meter giants than for ordinary people.

One more interesting legend I would like to mention the pyramid of Cheops. It is said that a secret room is hidden inside the monolithic structure, in which there is a portal that opens paths to other dimensions. Thanks to the portal, you can instantly find yourself at a selected point in time or on another inhabited planet in the Universe. It was carefully hidden by the builders for the benefit of the people, but will soon be found. The question remains whether modern scientists will understand ancient technologies in order to take advantage of the discovery. In the meantime, archaeological research in the pyramid continues.

In the era of antiquity, when the heyday of the Greco-Roman civilization began, ancient philosophers compiled a description of the most outstanding architectural monuments on Earth. They were called "Seven Wonders of the World". They included hanging gardens Babylon, the Ear of Rhodes and other majestic buildings built before our era. The Pyramid of Cheops, as the oldest, is in the first place in this list. This wonder of the world is the only one that has survived to this day, all the rest were destroyed many centuries ago.

According to the descriptions of ancient Greek historians, a large pyramid shone in the rays of the sun, casting a warm golden sheen. It was lined with meter-thick limestone slabs. The smooth white limestone, decorated with hieroglyphs and drawings, reflected the sands of the surrounding desert. Later locals dismantled the lining for their dwellings, which they lost as a result of devastating fires. Perhaps the top of the pyramid was decorated with a special triangular block made of precious material.

Around the pyramid of Cheops in the valley is located whole city the dead. Dilapidated buildings of the mortuary temples, two other large pyramids and several smaller tombs. A huge statue of a sphinx with a broken nose, which has recently been restored, is carved from a gigantic monolithic block. It comes from the same quarry as the stones used to build the tombs. Once upon a time, ten meters from the pyramid was a wall three meters thick. Perhaps it was intended to protect the royal treasures, but could not stop the robbers.

Construction history

Scientists still cannot come to a consensus on how the ancient people built the pyramid of Cheops from huge boulders. According to the drawings found on the walls of others, it was suggested that workers cut each block in the rocks, and then dragged it to the construction site along a ramp made of cedar. History does not have a single opinion about who was involved in the work - the peasants for whom there was no other work during the flood of the Nile, the pharaoh's slaves or hired workers.

The difficulty lies in the fact that the blocks had to be not only delivered to the construction site, but also raised to a great height. The Pyramid of Cheops before construction was the tallest building on Earth. Modern architects see the solution to this problem in different ways. According to the official version, primitive mechanical blocks were used for lifting. It is terrible to imagine how many people died during the construction by this method. When the ropes and straps holding the block broke, it could crush dozens of people with its weight. It was especially difficult to install the upper building block at a height of 140 meters above the ground.

Some scientists suggest that ancient people had the technology to control the earth's gravity. Blocks weighing more than 2 tons, from which the pyramid of Cheops was built, could be moved with this method with ease. The construction was carried out by hired workers who knew all the secrets of the craft, led by the nephew of Pharaoh Cheops. There were no human casualties, overwork of slaves, only building art, which has reached the highest technologies that are inaccessible to our civilization.

The pyramid has the same base on each side. Its length is 230 meters and 40 centimeters. Amazing accuracy for ancient uneducated builders. The density of the masonry stones is so great that it is impossible to stick a razor blade between them. An area of ​​five hectares is occupied by one monolithic structure, the blocks of which are connected by a special solution. There are several passages and chambers inside the pyramid. There are ventilation openings facing different directions of the world. The purpose of many interior spaces remains a mystery. The robbers took out everything of value long before the first archaeologists entered the tomb.

The pyramid is currently listed cultural heritage UNESCO. Her photo adorns many Egyptian tourist brochures. In the 19th century, the Egyptian authorities wanted to disassemble the huge monolithic blocks of ancient structures for the construction of dams on the Nile River. But the costs of labor far exceeded the benefits of work, so the monuments ancient architecture stand to this day, delighting the pilgrims of the Giza Valley.

Therefore, in this article only the main general facts and figures relating to the Great Pyramid as a whole.

Date of construction and geometric dimensions

According to the generally accepted opinion, the Great Pyramid was built in the 2560-2580s BC as a tomb for the pharaoh of the IV dynasty Cheops (Khufu) who reigned at that time. Despite some difficulties in explaining the possibility of building it within the required timeframe using the technology available at that time, this version is nevertheless considered the main one and has quite numerous confirmations in the form of inscriptions found inside the Pyramid and the Pit of the Solar Boat with it.

The Pyramid of Cheops is the largest of the Egyptian pyramids.

• Altitude (today): ≈ 138.75 m
• Height (originally): ≈ 146.5 m
• Angle: 51° 50"
• Side face length (original): 230.33 m (calculated) or about 440 King's cubits
• Side face length (now): about 225 m
• The length of the sides of the base of the pyramid: south - 230.454 m; north - 230.253 m; west - 230.357 m; east - 230.394 m.
• Base area (originally): ≈ 53,000 m² (5.3 ha)
• Area of ​​the pyramid: (originally) ≈ 85,500 m²
• Perimeter: 922 m.
• The total volume of the pyramid without deducting the cavities inside the pyramid (initially): ≈ 2.58 million m³
• Total volume of the pyramid, after subtracting all known cavities (initially): 2.50 million m³
• The average size of the observed stone blocks of the rough masonry: 1.27 m in width and depth, 71 cm in height (according to Petrie)
• Average weight of rough masonry stone blocks: 2.5 t
• Heaviest rough stone block: 15 t
• The heaviest stone block (known; granite; above the entrance to the King's Chamber): 90 tons
• Number of blocks: about 2.5 million (provided that the pyramid is not of the infill type)
• Estimated total weight of the pyramid: about 6.25 million tons (possibly about 6 million tons according to microgravimetry)
• The base of the pyramid rests on a natural rocky elevation in the center (in the area of ​​the Grotto) more than 9 m high.
• Materials used in the construction (of the known ones): limestone from the Giza Plateau - rough masonry, Tursky white limestone - interior walls, ventilation shafts and exterior cladding, Aswan granite - Prechamber, King's Chamber, unloading chambers (partially), traffic jams; Sinai - sarcophagus. Also found inside and quartz sand.
• the pyramidion of the pyramid was not found, the stones of its fastening, too.
• The True Entrance is located traditionally, i.e., on the northern side. He is the only known one.

The difference in the thicknesses of the layers of the pyramid masonry

Despite the fact that the pyramid was built in layers, the thickness of the layers is different and varies from 60 cm to one and a half meters.

The reasons for this are not exactly known, there are several hypotheses, the simplest says that large blocks were laid in eras when an excess amount of labor appeared on the laying of layers of rough masonry. What can be connected, for example, with the release of it after the completion of a certain laborious stage of building some complex internal infrastructures or the season for harvesting blocks, etc. The scheme requires careful analysis.

The current state of affairs and appearance after the disappearance of the cladding

Perhaps the observed picture is simply a consequence of the most profitable extraction of stone.

The question of using the pyramid for its intended purpose

Since the most ancient times, the question has been sharply raised - was the pyramid of Cheops used for its intended purpose? There is still no single answer to this question. On the one hand, there is almost complete certainty that the pyramid was completely finished by the builders. On the other hand, what we see inside it, for example, is clearly not best quality a sarcophagus in the King's Chamber, an unfinished floor in the Queen's Chamber, or a picture of continuous incompleteness in the Underground Chamber - everything suggests that the pharaoh in these famous the premises could hardly be buried at all. Herodotus also claimed that Cheops was buried elsewhere, on an island surrounded on all sides by water. On the third hand, traces of obvious breaking of traffic jams and shutters of the Antechamber indicate that the pyramid was carefully sealed for some reason. The official point of view of science on this matter suggests that crackers visited the pyramid no later than the first 500-600 years from the moment it was built. But what they found, who they were, and whether they found anything at all is completely unknown. In volume Great Pyramid the volume of all known and explored rooms is less than 1 percent, and it is already known that in addition to the explored ones, there are several unknown sealed rooms in it.

Blocks and Careers

Egyptologists believe that the pyramids of Giza were built from natural stone, which was mined in three quarries. The actual construction of the pyramids is made of nummulite limestone of the Mokattam formation. The quarries were located in close proximity to the pyramids. The lower parts of the pyramids of Khafre and Mykerin were faced with granite from the Aswan quarry, which is located in southern Egypt at a distance of 934 kilometers along the Nile (700 kilometers in a straight line). Several rows of granite cladding have been preserved at the pyramid of Menkaure. Middle and upper parts of two great pyramids were lined with limestone from the Tours quarry, which is located on the east bank of the Nile south of Cairo at a distance of 13-17 kilometers from the pyramids. The number of pyramid facing blocks (granite and limestone) that have come down to us is relatively small. Therefore, we can simply agree that stone from the Tur and Aswan quarries was used in the construction of the pyramids. The opinion that the pyramids were built of nummulite limestone is not fully true. The lower rows of the pyramids are composed of solid limestone from the Moqattam Formation. Higher up, blocks of soft limestone dominate, in which there are no nummulites. It is fundamentally. That is, when describing blocks of pyramids in the specialized literature, it seems to remain “behind the scenes” that most of them are carved from soft limestone.

The lower rows of the pyramids (approximately 1-7/10 rows) are built from blocks carved from hard limestone. The first row of the pyramid of Cheops (thickness 1.5 m) is carved from a layer of strong limestone, having the greatest thickness - 1.5 m. In the upper rows of the pyramids, blocks carved from soft limestone predominate (or cast blocks indistinguishable from them. - the statement requires proof, Supervisor 03:05, 22 May 2011 (UTC)). When developing a quarry, it was necessary to fulfill one condition: the time elapsed from the moment of opening soft limestones to cutting building blocks from them should be minimal. That is, soft limestones had to be cut into blocks before they hardened from contact with air. In addition, after cutting blocks of soft limestone, it took some time for them to harden and not crumble during transportation. These requirements correspond to the cyclic nature of quarrying. Its section was being developed, the area of ​​which was approximately 1.5 times larger than the area of ​​a number of blocks, on which the construction of the pyramid was stopped. Blocks were cut from layers of hard and soft limestone and stored "by layer", that is, according to their vertical dimensions. After removing all the limestone from the area of ​​the site, it began to be laid into the body of the pyramid. The sequence of laying blocks of different thicknesses (and, accordingly, different weights) was determined by the ratio of labor costs for their lifting. This ensured the ranking of rows of blocks according to their thickness.

base of the pyramid

The rocky base of the pyramid of Cheops, according to modern calculations, occupies from 23% of the volume of the pyramid, or about 600,000 cubic meters. The minimum figures were obtained when determining the height of the rock in terms of an average level of 12.5 meters. medium height 20 meters. In any case, new exploration work is required to clarify these data. It also requires a revision of most of the old works with calculations of the stone used during construction. In addition, there are estimates of 10-12% of the volume of the pyramid, which is occupied by a solution that holds the blocks together.

The directions to the north of the side faces were drawn out so precisely that due to the sphericity of the Earth and the colossal size of the Pyramid, its northern side turned out to be 20 cm shorter than the southern one. (the exact dimensions of the pyramid are known from the preserved pits of the supporting corner stones)

Sources

[http://supernovum.ru/public/index.php?doc=171 | Mining and Geological Aspect of Giza Pyramid Construction Technology]

[http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/31/95/86/PDF/PyramidsSR.pdf Geological and Geomorphological study of the original hill at the base of Fourth Dynasty Egyptian monuments.]