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History of the Tombs & Pyramids of Ancient Egypt for Kids - Great Pyramid of GizaThe Civilization, Culture & History of Ancient Egypt and facts about the Great Pyramid of Giza |
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| Ancient Egyptians - Great Pyramid of Giza
A comprehensive guide and fact sheet about the Great Pyramid of Giza. Discover fascinating facts and information about ancient Egypt and Great Pyramid of Giza.
Ancient Egyptians - Great Pyramid of Giza
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Great Pyramid of Giza
Learn about the ancient pyramids of Egypt, and the tombs of the pharaohs, the fast and easy way via the Great Pyramid of Giza Fact sheets. Facts and information include the construction and the dimensions of this Wonder of the Ancient World. For additional facts and information about the pharaoh who built the Great Pyramid refer to Khufu aka Cheops. 
Giza Plateau - The Khafre (Chephren) Pyramid, Great Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) and the Sphinx
Ancient Egypt - Great Pyramid of Giza Fact Sheet |
Fact 1 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The largest of all the ancient Egyptian pyramids was built for King Khufu whose name is Cheops in Greek. It was constructed during the reign of King Khufu 2551-2528 B.C.E.
| Fact 2 Great Pyramid of Giza: | It is the most famous of the total of 138 pyramids have been discovered in ancient Egypt to date. It was called the "Horizon of Khufu".
| Fact 3 Great Pyramid of Giza: | Location: The Giza plateau about 25km (15 miles) south west of Cairo on the west bank of the River Nile.
| Fact 4 Great Pyramid of Giza: | It forms part of the Giza Necropolis, an archaeological site that includes three pyramids, the Great Sphinx, several cemeteries and a workers' village. The names of the other pyramids are the Pyramid of Khafre (or Chephren) and Menkaure's Pyramid. 
| Fact 5 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The Necropolis comes under the direction of the Ministry of State for Antiquities, previously known as the Supreme Council of Antiquities, whose mission is to protect and promote the cultural heritage of Egypt,
| Fact 6 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The Great Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids and is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that can still be seen today.
| Fact 7 Great Pyramid of Giza: | Architect: This amazing monument was built for King Khufu by his architect whose name was Hemiunu. Hemiunu was a member of the royal family and the grandson of King Snefru. Hemiunu was also Khufu's Vizier (Chief Chancellor) which made him the second most powerful man in Egypt, next to the pharaoh.
| Fact 8 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The magnificent structure was made of stone. It was built to last for eternity. Ordinary homes, even the royal palaces, were constructed using mud bricks that easily perished in time.
| Fact 9 Great Pyramid of Giza: | Construction: It was built on solid bedrock and the base and interior was constructed using limestone from a local quarry. Balsalt and granite was sourced from other Ancient Egyptian quarries, as far a away as Aswan, together with the superior white limestone that was sourced from the Tura Quarry and used for the exterior casing.
| Fact 10 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The outer casing of gleaming white limestone was highly polished that was visible for miles and a constant reminder of the wealth and dominance of the ancient Egyptian rulers. It inspired awe and wonder from all that beheld the colossal structure.
| Fact 11 Great Pyramid of Giza: | Capstone: The top of the magnificent monument was crowned with a shining, pyramidion, also referred to as a capstone. The pyramidion was believed to have been made, or gilded, with gold. When the pyramidion was struck by the sun's rays, would have projected a beautiful, mystical, magical light.
| Fact 12 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The capstone (pyramidion) is missing. It was probably one of the first items to be plundered. The gleaming, high quality white limestone was also stripped from the monument and used for other buildings. 
| Fact 13 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The capstone was one of the most important elements of the structure and its meaning was rooted in the creation myth and the legend of the Benben Stone - for additional information refer to the Meanings of the Egyptian Pyramids.
| Fact 14 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The first rays of the sun fell on the gleaming capstone (pyramidion) marking the way to heaven by ascending the rays of the sun. continued...
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Ancient Egypt - Great Pyramid of Giza Fact Sheet |
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All of the Giza Pyramids Great Pyramid of Giza
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about the Great Pyramid of Giza for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about the Great Pyramid of Giza for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about the Great Pyramid of Giza for research, schools, students and kids of all ages. |
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Dimensions of the Great Pyramid of Giza
Learn about the construction and dimensions of the Great Pyramid of Giza the fast and easy way via the Fact sheet.
Exterior Dimensions of the
Great Pyramid of Giza | | | | | Original Height: | 146.5 metres (480.6 feet) | | Current height (the capstone is missing) | 138.8 metres (455.4 feet) | | Base Length | 230.4 metres (755.9 feet) | | | |
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Ancient Egypt - Great Pyramid of Giza Fact Sheet |
Fact 15 Great Pyramid of Giza: | Construction: The monument soared to over 146 meters (480 feet) which is equivalent to the height of a modern 40 storey building.
| Fact 16 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The estimated total weight of the structure is 6.5 million tons. To put this figure into perspective, a small car weighs about one ton.
| Fact 17 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The Red Pyramid has graffiti Inscriptions at the base, and 30 courses of stones higher, that indicate the speed that the ancient Egyptians were able to build the pyramids. Based on this type of information the Great Pyramid only took the ancient Egyptians 23 years to build.
| Fact 18 Great Pyramid of Giza: | Early historians believed that the pyramids were built by slaves. But later discoveries indicate that construction was undertaken by the people of Egypt. The kings were able to employ as many of their subjects as they wanted in forced, or conscripted, labor.
| Fact 19 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The labor force was organised in such a way that conscripted labor was only required for a few weeks in every year which ensured the agriculture of Egypt was not unduly effected.
| Fact 20 Great Pyramid of Giza: | Some of the skilled workers were paid for their work and they resided in permanent villages near the construction site.
| Fact 21 Great Pyramid of Giza: | There were teams of workers who were divided into groups responsible for the construction of one part of the pyramid complex. Workers were divided into smaller units of 10 - 20 men.
| Fact 22 Great Pyramid of Giza: | Up to 10,000 men would work on the construction. The number of workers required at any one time depended on the weight of the stone blocks, the number of blocks to be placed and the working space available.
| Fact 23 Great Pyramid of Giza: | It has been estimated that about 600,000 building blocks, weighing an average of 2.5 tons each were used in the construction.
| Fact 24 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The base of the monument covers 13 acres, 568,500 square feet! The average size of the stone blocks used at the base measured 5 ft x 8 ft x 12 ft. 
Base of the Great Pyramid of Giza
| Fact 25 Great Pyramid of Giza: | It was built in a series of 201 stepped tiers, which are visible because the casing stones have been removed. The casing work was begun from the top, and the capstone placed on first, the steps being covered one after the other, until they reached the bottom.
| Fact 26 Great Pyramid of Giza: | Each side is oriented almost exactly with the four Cardinal points, one side faced exactly east, another exactly south, and so on. The sides were therefore directed to the four cardinal points of the compass and therefore had a strong astronomical association with the sun and the stars. 
| Fact 27 Great Pyramid of Giza: | Khufu’s burial complex consisted of a Valley Temple (now buried) that was connected to a causeway which led to the Mortuary Temple of Khufu. The mortuary temple of Khufu was connected to the king’s pyramid. There are three satellite pyramids on the north side of the monument, which are referred to as the Queen's Pyramids. The Queen's Pyramids are ascribed to Queen Hetepheres, Queen Meritites and Queen Henutsen - see reconstruction picture below. There was also a harbor, linking the complex to the River Nile. Members of the royal family were buried in small pyramids and tombs to the east of the Great Pyramid and court officials and nobles to the west.
| Fact 28 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The 'Valley Temple' was built on the lowest end of the complex and led to the River Nile. The 'Valley Temple' was a site of worship and the starting point of the funeral ceremonies and rituals.
| Fact 29 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The causeway (a raised roadway) ran between the Valley Temple and Khufu's mortuary temple. The causeway was paved with white limestone and had a low wall built on each side.
| Fact 30 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The burial complex of Khufu also had 5 boat pits and two smaller boat pits beside the queen's pyramids. The boat pits contained hearse boats that might have been intended for the king's use in the Afterworld and used in the funerary procession of the king. One of Khufu's hearse boats has been restored and is on display. continued...
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Ancient Egypt - Great Pyramid of Giza Fact Sheet |
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Picture showing the reconstruction of the pyramid complex at Giza
Top left: Pyramid of Khafre
Top right: The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops)
Bottom Left: The Tomb of Queen Khentkaus
Bottom right: The Valley Temple of Khafre, above which is the Great Sphinx |
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Inside the Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza contains three burial chambers. The first is called the Unfinished Subterranean Chamber which is underground and carved into the bedrock. The second chamber is above ground and is called the Queen’s Chamber. The last chamber is above ground and called the King’s Chamber. 
Ancient Egypt - Great Pyramid of Giza Fact Sheet |
Fact 31 Great Pyramid of Giza: | There are no hieroglyphics or writing inside the Great Pyramid.
| Fact 32 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The entrance to the pyramid is on the north face of the monument and is placed up high from the ground. It leads to a passageway that descends 58 meters (191 feet) to the Unfinished Subterranean Chamber, also known as the pit, which had been carved into the bedrock. The passageway ends 60 feet farther to a blind passage. The purpose of the chamber is unknown but it could have been built to fool tomb robbers.
| Fact 33 Great Pyramid of Giza: | Potential robbers examined the passage with care, and found in the roof 62 feet distant from the chamber door, a block of granite among the surrounding limestone.
| Fact 34 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The block of granite was so hard that the robbers were forced to break a way through the softer stone around it. Passing the granite obstacle past was an ascending passage that had two branches. One led horizontally to the Queen's Chamber and the other branch hewn on on a steeper angle led to the Grand Gallery and on to the King's Chamber.
| Fact 35 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The horizontal branch led into the centre of the pyramid, and ended in a limestone chamber with a pointed roof called the "Queen's Chamber". It was never intended for a queen, it was given the name by the first explorers. The "Queen's Chamber" is made entirely of beautifully finished limestone blocks with a gabled ceiling.
| Fact 36 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The second branch continued upwards and changed its form and appearance to that of a gallery. The gallery is 148 feet long and 28 feet high and was built of highly polished stone from the Mokattam quarry, east of Cairo.
| Fact 37 Great Pyramid of Giza: | A fresh obstacle arose for the robbers at the end of this gallery. The passage was closed by a slab of granite and by 4 portcullises of granite which had to be broken.
| Fact 38 Great Pyramid of Giza: | Having breached the granite obstacles the robbers would have finally reached the burial chamber of the king - the King's Chamber.
| Fact 39 Great Pyramid of Giza: | The King's Chamber is a granite chamber with a flat roof, 19 feet high, 34 feet long, and 17 feet wide. The tomb robbers stripped the chamber of all the golden artefacts. All they left was a granite sarcophagus, lidless and mutilated.
| Fact 40 Great Pyramid of Giza: | So despite all of the security precautions taken by the ancient Egyptian architects and builders the King's Chamber was robbed.
| Fact 41 Great Pyramid of Giza: | 300 feet of stone stood over King's Chamber and the weight of the materials was a serious problem to the architects. To prevent the King's Chamber from being crushed five low hollow spaces, one over the other, were left above it. The last is sheltered by a pointed roof, formed of two enormous slabs leaning one against the other. 
| Fact 42 Great Pyramid of Giza: | Due to this clever device, the central pressure was thrown almost entirely on the side faces, and the King's Chamber has been preserved to this very day.
| Fact 43 Great Pyramid of Giza: | It is no wonder that the Great Pyramid Of Giza was classed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
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Ancient Egypt - Great Pyramid of Giza Fact Sheet |
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Great Pyramid of Giza
Learning about the ancient Egyptians and Great Pyramid of Giza inspires everyone to visit historical sites and undertake Egypt Travel and Tours to experience the wonders of this magical land at first hand. Many people choose to experience a tour of Egypt on a Nile Cruise stopping at the famous destinations and sites of Egypt such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. The information and facts about the Great Pyramid of Giza will provide you with a great insight into Egypt and the legacy of the ancient Egyptians. Great Pyramid of Giza |
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