The Great PyramidIn the fourth Dynasty, Pharaoh Khufu (or Cheops, by the Greeks) built the Great Pyramid at Giza. It covers 13 acres, with more than 2 1/2 million blocks of stone contained in the structure, each weighing from 2 - 70 tons EACH! All together they weigh over 6 Million Tons! Each of the Stones is leveled within a fraction of an inch.The Pyramid is 481 feet tall: that’s as tall as a 40-story building! The Pyramids used to have a limestone casing but it has since been stripped off for use in other buildings. Near Khufu’s Pyramid are two smaller pyramids: the pyramid of Khafre (or Kephren) and the pyramid of Menkaure (or Mykerinos). There are also six much smaller pyramids, possibly used for the wives and daughters of Khafre. These three make up the Pyramid Complex at Giza. There is no description of the pyramids in ancient Egyptian text, so we do not know what they looked like thousands of years ago. Some say they were likely painted in various colors, marked with designs, or inscribed with symbols, although many Scientists will disagree on this point, it has never been proven, and the only way to have know for sure would have been if the limestone was still there and we could find traces of paint.
Good Books if you wish to learn more: Secrets of the Great Pyramid, by Peter Tompkins Egypt-Land of the Phraohs, Published by Time Life books What Life was like on the banks of the Nile, Published by Time Life books
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