The pyramids, in general, are masterpieces. Tons of people in this day and age fawn over them each and every day.
The Great Pyramid of Giza has even been dubbed one of the ‘wonders’ of the world. This pyramid was built with such precision that we would not even be able to begin replicating it. There are tons of theories about how it came to be, and who really built it but as you know history claims it was merely the Egyptians.
Whether you believe that or not you will be surprised to know there are a lot of facts about Giza that most people don’t know. Sure, we are taught about the pyramids in school but we aren’t taught everything. Take a look at the list of things below and let us know if you were aware of any of them.
13 Facts About The Great Pyramids Of Giza You Probably Didn’t Know:
1. The three largest pyramids in the Giza complex were built to correspond with the three stars in Orion’s Belt.
2. The Great Pyramid itself is the only surviving structure left intact from the seven wonders of the ancient world.
3. It must have taken at least 20 years to build Khufu’s Great Pyramid. Could you imagine a process like this?
4. The pyramids were once white. They were sadly stripped of most of their white limestone coverings overtime.
5. These pyramids are over 4,000 years old. They are actually probably closer to 5,000 years old in this day and age yet, they are standing strong.
6. It has been estimated that 2.3 million stone blocks make up Khufu’s pyramid. Each of these blocks is thought to weigh anywhere from 3-15 tons.
7. In 1990, a cemetery was discovered for the workers who built these pyramids. While many people believe those working on the pyramids were slaves a lot of things seem to point to them having been workers instead. Investigations into the bones of these workers showed that the work they were doing was literally backbreaking but it seems they had lots of perks overall.
8. Not as many people were working on the pyramids as you might assume. While Herodotus has claimed there were around 100,000 the village had a maximum capacity of 20,000 people. Only about half of these people were probably working on the pyramids at a time.
9. Not all pyramids are built the same way. Some are built with different materials and as you can tell they are all a bit different in appearance.
10. The Great Pyramid is the only 8-sided pyramid ever found.
11. The three pyramids in Giza Necropolis are the most famous Egyptian pyramids but there are actually about 140 pyramids in total discovered in Ancient Egypt.
12. There was actually an attempt to destroy the Giza pyramids back in the 12th century. Al-Aziz, a Kurdish ruler tried to demolish them but had to give up because the task proved to be too much.
13. Even though outside temperatures reach very high levels the temperature inside the pyramids stays relatively constant, around 20 Celsius (60 F).
If you found these facts interesting check out the video below, while it is an older documentary it is quite fascinating. I for one would love to see these pyramids in person someday. I can only imagine how magical it feels to be there.
Source: Awareness Act