The Great Pyramids of Giza

It's 756 feet long on each side, 450 feet high and is composed of 2,300,000 blocks of stone, each averaging 2 1/2 tons in weight. Despite the limited tools at the time of construction, no side is more than 8 inches different in length than another. Furthermore the entire structure is perfectly oriented to the points of a compass. Until the 19th century it was the tallest building in the world.It is known as Great Pyramid of Khufu, at Giza, Egypt.The pyramids are known as this due to King Khufu, who is also known by the greek name "Cheops," who was the father of pyramid building at Giza. He ruled from 2589 - 2566 B.C. and was the son of King Sneferu and Queen Hetpeheres.

Some of the earliest history of the Pyramid comes from a Greek traveller named Herodotus of Halicanassus. He visited Egypt around 450 BC and included a description of the Great Pyramid in a history book he wrote. Herodotus was told by his Egyptian guides that it took twenty-years for a force of 100,000 oppressed slaves to build the pyramid. Stones were lifted into position by the use of immense machines.

Some have suggested that the pyramid was never meant as a tomb, but as an astronomical observatory. Richard Proctor, an astronomer, did observe that the descending passage could have been used to observe the transits of certain stars. He also suggested that the grand gallery, when open at the top, during construction, could have been used for mapping the sky.

Facts

Dates Built: c. 2589-2566 B.C.

Total Blocks of Stone: over 2,300,000

Base: 13 square acres, 568,500 square feet, or 7 city blocks. The length of each side of the base was originally 754 feet (230 m), but is now 745 feet (227 m) due to the loss of the outer casing stones.

Total Weight: 6.5 million tons

Average Weight of Individual Blocks of Stone: 2.5 tons, the large blocks used for the ceiling of the King's Chamber weigh as much as 9 tons.

Height: Originally 481 feet (146.5 m) tall, but now only 449 feet (137 m).

Angle of Incline: 51 degrees 50' 35"

Construction Material: limestone, granite