How was an ancient Egypt pyramid built?

Answer 1

They build the pyramid by staking large bench like rocks, like Djoser pyramid. In another occasion it might be staked like a three dimensional figure.

Answer 2

There are many different theories on how the pyramids were built: a long straight ramp, an external spiral ramp, an internal spiral ramp, they were made of locally made concrete, and of course aliens.

Answer 3

The Egyptians built the pyramid out of pure manpower; they didn't have cranes, pulleys, or bulldozers to help build the pyramid. Just thousands of men. To get the stone block out of the quarry, workers used wooden mallets, copper chisels and saws to cut out the huge 2-4 ton blocks out. Workers used the mallets to pound the chisel into the rock which would be extremely hard because the copper chisels would get dull quickly. Chisels had to constantly sharpened. When they finished cutting it out, more workers pried it off onto sledges. A team of workers then pulled the heavy stone block over wet logs or palm tree leaves. If there weren't enough logs, workers had to put the last log to the front over and over again. If the quarry was very far away from the pyramid, the labourers would have to drag them onto a boat that floated down to the Nile closer to the building site where they would unload the block. Then another team of workers would drag the block away with the same process. When they dragged the block to the pyramid, they had to drag the block up temporary ramps placed around the unfinished pyramid. There, more people heaved the block off and started placing it in the right position in the pyramid. There were also people to make sure that the blocks were aligned perfectly. Then, more workers chiseled off the rough surface and made it smooth.

When the workers finished the pyramid, painters inside would start painting scenes of daily life, or scenes of battle. The painters also drew colorful and exquisite designs on the walls. Sometimes scribes wrote prayers on the walls too.

Answer 4

It was a monumental undertaking. It is estimated that the Great Pyramid took 20 years to build. Building pyramids involved the mechanics of moving huge masses of building material, mind boggling logistics and a labour force of thousands. The building of the Great Pyramid construction was greatest building project of ancient times.

The Aztecs and Mayans also built pyramids it were the Egyptians who set the standard for classic pyramid design, massive monuments with square bases and four smooth sided triangular sides rising to a point. The construction involved highly skilled masons and various other tradesmen as well as thousands of slaves, many of whom died during construction. The crafts people lived in a specially built town where they were provided with houses, food, clothing and even medical care. The slaves were accommodated in barracks, provide with food and other things needed to survive, but not clothing, slaves went naked.

The construction was an enormous drain on both the economy and manpower resources of the civilization. Thus, the pyramids became smaller and less extravagant as time passed. It is estimated the construction period lasted from 2650 B.C. to 1550 B.C. From then on the pharaohs were buried in elaborate tombs cut into the cliffs in the Valley of the Kings.

Every time a new pharaoh ascended the throne, construction of a pyramid began. The new pyramid would be the pharaoh's final resting place for eternity. The construction site was laid out after engineers found a suitable location with a good foundation, which was excavated and levelled by the workforce.

Limestone is suitable for building is readily available local to the pyramid site. In order to quarry this stone, the blocks were marked out with just enough space in between each to allow for a small passageway for the slaves to cut the blocks. They would use a number of different tools to cut the blocks, including copper pickaxes and chisels, granite hammers, dolerite and other hard stone tools.

These large pieces weighing on average 2.5 tons were transported from local quarries using wooden sleds that were dragged by gangs of slaves. Transportation from remote quarries, some as much as 400 miles distant, was accomplished with giant barges constructed from papyrus reeds.

How the large stones were raised is uncertain. There is evidence that earthen ramps made of rubble bound together using tafla clay were used at an inclined plane during the first stages of construction. These were built up as the pyramid progressed upward and then removed as the pyramid was finished downward. The large blocks were dragged on sledges to the working level. The exact configurations of the ramps are unknown.

Pyramid construction followed exact measurements and calculations performed by the priests who know the secret of mathematics. Skilled masons had precision tools with which they ensured the stones were smooth and fit together perfectly. The workers were coordinated to bring all the materials together to accomplish the pyramid's construction. There is no documentation available on how these great artefacts were actually built. However, human stamina, ingenuity and a stunning degree of intelligence and no doubt cruelty were certainly critical to the pyramid's monumental construction.

Shortly after ascending the throne in 2589BC, Pharaoh Khufu commands Hemiunu, his cousin and overseer of works, to prepare a burial place in keeping with his status as a god-king, a pyramid tomb far grander than anything that had been built before or since. A site was chosen on the Giza plateau west of the Nile not far from his capital at Memphis. Great care was taken in orientating the site to the four points of the compass and in levelling the site to provide a foundation for the pyramid. When the slaves had cleared away the sand and rubble highly skilled masons were called in to level the foundations. This was done by cutting a grid of channels and filling them with water. The rock was then cut back to the water level to make it perfectly flat. Finally the water was drained away and the channels filled with rubble.

At any one time as many as 20,000 workers may have been involved on this massive project. Some of them were free men doing particular tasks such as masons, tool makers, carpenters, scribes and slave overseers. The remainder and by far the majority were slaves, naked slaves too low in status to wear clothes.

Through Khufu's reign, the construction site teemed with workers of all kinds hard pressed to complete the monument before the king's death. Day after day, year after year, the quarries buzzed with activity. Through the dust the sun baked bodies of the quarry slaves stand out dark against the yellow oolite stone. Gangs of slaves bore holes using primitive drill bits and sand which acted as an abrasive. After they had drilled cores deep enough to define a block on one side, they packed the holes with pieces of porous wood and then doused it with water. The wood expands so fast that the block splits out with a crack. After the stone blocks are extracted from the quarry face they are strapped onto sledges. A mark is made on the stone by a scribe. This aided them to place the blocks in the pyramid just as they came out of the quarry ensuring a good fit without further finishing.

From dawn to dusk, gangs drag the sledges loaded with stones each weighing about 2.5 tons to staging areas at the base of the pyramid. Most of the stone blocks proceed up the ramp without future handling. Only a fraction of the stone blocks needed to be cut to precise dimensions by the masons. The slaves begin hauling the loaded sledges slowly up the clay and rubble ramp that spiralled around the emerging structure. The noise here is one of chanting slaves and the rumble of heavy sledges. Naked under the burning sun and streaming with sweat, the slaves bend to their thankless task.

At the working level teams of slaves called setters, using nothing more than primitive levers, brute force and experience from years of hard labour, shift the blocks from the sledges into their designated positions. Once the stones are delivered the hauling gang would make their way down the ramp carrying their sledge, in order to make the same back breaking journey up as they would several times a day. Toiling below were the support workers and guards under the watchful eyes of the Pharaoh's project managers, the scribes.

Other slaves are employed in maintaining and extending the ramps as the pyramid grew. These ramps are made of rubble, bound together with desert tafla (a type of clay) and laid with planks to ease the passage of the ramps. Rows of slave labourers are seen breaking up waste material from the quarries, mixing them with the desert tafla clay and loading the finished mixture into baskets. Individual baskets are loaded onto the shoulders of slaves for delivery to the ramp builders on the pyramid.

Boats made from reeds deliver brilliant white limestone from Tura just across the river. Here the slaves, in light provided by primitive lamps, toil in manmade caves to obtain the best stone. This stone will be used for the outer case of the pyramid. Once put in place and polished the effect will be awe inspiring.

Giant reed barges brought granite from Aswan over 400 miles upriver. Some of the granite stones from Aswan weigh to 70 tons. Copper chisels used for quarrying limestone could not be used, a harder material was required. Balls of dolerite, a hard, black igneous rock, are used in the quarries of Aswan to extract the hard granite. These dolerite "pounders" were used to pulverize the stone around the edge of the granite block that needed to be extracted. To achieve this, a team of naked slaves would pound out the stone over a period of several days. At the bottom, they ram wooden pegs into slots they have cut, and fill the slots with water. The pegs will expand and split the rock with a resounding crack much more impressive than anything heard with the softer limestone. Then with hundreds of slaves hauling on ropes the great blocks are lowered onto long sledges. Long lines slaves, their bare bodies gleaming with sweat, drag the blocks to the river where they are loaded onto the barges.

there are many theories, but the most common ones are that they built a giant ramp going up the side or a ramp going around. there is a new theory that there is a secret ramp inside the pyramid that the workers would climb up.
Great blocks of stone, pulled by slaves on sledges . They did not have any machinery.
2560 B.C., the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis. For the source and more detailed information concerning this request, click on the related links section (Answers.com) indicated below this answer box.

Shortly after ascending the throne in 2589BC, Pharaoh Khufu commanded his overseer of works to prepare a burial place in keeping with his status as a god-king, a pyramid tomb far grander than anything that had been built before or since. A site was chosen on the Giza plateau west of the Nile across from his capital at Memphis. The site was surveyed and levelled to provide a foundation for Khufu's Great Pyramid.

As the slaves cut the first stones for the pyramid from nearby quarries, thousands more began building the causeway, erecting storehouses and digging a canal to link the foot of the plateau to the Nile. Meanwhile scribes, the Pharaoh's project managers, dispatched orders for more supplies and labour both skilled and unskilled.

At any one time as many as 20,000 workers may have been involved on this massive project. Some of them were free men doing particular tasks such as masons, tool makers, carpenters, scribes and overseers. Many of course were unskilled slave labourers. A town was built for the free workers where they were provided with houses, food, clothing and even medical care. Less comfortable accommodation in the form of barracks was provided for the slaves.

Through Khufu's reign, the construction site teemed with workers of all kinds hard pressed to complete the monument before the king's death. Khufu and his architects did not make it easy for them. The royal planners decided to enlarge the structure several times and relocate the burial chamber from beneath the structure to its inner reaches. Day after day, year after year, the quarries rang with the sound of hammer and chisel on stone. Through the dust the bodies of the naked quarry slaves stand out dark against the yellow stone. Gangs of slaves bore holes using primitive drill bits and sand which acted as an abrasive. After they had drilled cores deep enough to define a block on one side, they packed the holes with pieces of porous wood and then pour water into the holes. The wood expands so fast that the block splits out with a bang (or at least a crack). After the stone blocks are extracted from the quarry face they are lowered onto sledges. A mark is made on the stone by a scribe. This aided them to place the blocks in the pyramid just as they came out of the quarry ensuring a good fit without further finishing.

From dawn to dusk, gangs of naked slaves drag the sledges loaded with stones each weighing about 2.5 tons to staging areas at the base of the pyramid. Most of the stone blocks proceed up the ramp without future handling. Only a fraction of the stone blocks needed to be cut to precise dimensions by the masons. The slaves begin hauling the loaded sledges slowly up the clay and rubble ramp that spiralled around the emerging structure. The noise here was one of chanting slaves, the rumble of heavy sledges and the swish of the overseer's lash.

Boats made from reeds deliver brilliant white limestone from Tura just across the river. This stone will be used for the outer case of the pyramid. Once put in place and polished the effect will be awe inspiring. Giant barges brought granite from Aswan over 400 miles upriver. Some of the granite stones from Aswan weigh to 70 tons.

At the working level teams of slaves called setters shifted the blocks from the sledges into their designated positions. Once the stones had been delivered the hauling gang would make their way down the ramp carrying their sledge, in order to make the same back breaking journey up as they would several times a day. Toiling below were the support workers and guards under the watchful eyes of the Pharaoh's project managers, the scribes.

Other slaves are employed in maintaining and extending the ramps as the pyramid grew. These ramps are made of rubble, bound together with desert tafla (a type of clay) and laid with planks to ease the passage of the ramps. Rows of slave labourers are seen breaking up waste material from the quarries, mixing them with the desert tafla clay and loading the finished mixture into baskets. Individual baskets are loaded onto the shoulders of slaves for delivery to the ramp builders on the pyramid.

Shortly after coming to the throne the Pharaoh would command his overseer of public works and architects to prepare a burial place in keeping with his status as a god-king. The chosen site was usually one on the edge of the cultivated land in an already established pyramid field. The royal survey team set to work marking out the site. Great care was taken in orientating the site to the four points of the compass and in levelling the site to provide a foundation for the pyramid. When the slaves had cleared away the sand and rubble highly skilled masons were called in to level the foundations. This was done by cutting a grid of channels and filling them with water. The rock was then cut back to the water level to make it perfectly flat. Finally the water was drained away and the channels filled with rubble. At any one time as many as 20,000 workers may have been involved on this massive project. Some of them were free men doing particular tasks such as masons, tool makers, carpenters, scribes and overseers. Many of course were unskilled slave labourers. A town was built for the free workers where they were provided with houses, food, clothing and even medical care. Less comfortable accommodation in the form of barracks was provided for the slaves. The slaves go naked too low in status to wear clothes. Through the Pharaoh's reign, the construction site teemed with workers of all kinds hard pressed to complete the monument before the king's death. The quarries are places of great activity creating clouds of dust. Through this dust the bodies of the quarry slaves stand out dark against the yellow stone. Slaves are boring holes using primitive drill bits and sand which acted as an abrasive. After they had drilled cores deep enough to define a block on one side, they packed the holes with pieces of porous wood and then pour water into the holes. The wood expands so fast that the block splits out with a bang (or at least a crack). After the stone blocks are extracted from the quarry face they are lowered onto sledges. A mark is made on the stone by a scribe. This aided them to place the blocks in the pyramid just as they came out of the quarry ensuring a good fit without further finishing. Only a fraction of the stones, where accuracy was required to maintain the alignment of the structure, went to the masons.

From dawn to dusk, gangs of slaves drag the sledges loaded with stones each weighing about 2.5 tons to a staging area at the base of the pyramid. Most of the stone blocks proceed up the ramp without future handling. The slaves haul the loaded sledges slowly up the clay and rubble ramp that spiralled around the emerging structure. The noise here was the rumble of heavy sledges, the chanting of slaves and the swish of the overseer's lash.

Boats made from reeds deliver brilliant white limestone from Tura just across the river. This stone will be used for the outer case of the pyramid. In order to obtain the best stone, the slaves toiled in man made caves lit only by primitive lamps. Once put in place and polished the effect will be awe inspiring. Giant barges brought granite from Aswan over 400 miles upriver. Some of the granite stones used for lining the burial chambers and galleries weigh up to 70 tons. At the working level teams of slaves called setters shifted the blocks from the sledges into their designated positions. These naked men used only simple levers, brute force and experience gained from years of hard labour. Once the stones had been delivered the hauling gang would make their way down the ramp carrying their sledge, in order to make the same back breaking journey up as they would several times a day. Their only substantial respite from this round of toil in the hot sun was when they stopped for a meal of bread and onions.

Toiling below were the support workers and guards under the watchful eyes of the Pharaoh's project managers, the scribes.

Other slaves are employed in maintaining and extending the ramps as the pyramid grew. These ramps are made of rubble, bound together with tafla clay and laid with planks to ease the passage of the ramps. Rows of slave labourers are seen breaking up waste material from the quarries, mixing it with the tafla and loading the finished mixture into baskets. Individual baskets are loaded onto the shoulders of slaves for delivery to the ramp builders on the pyramid. Copper chisels were used for quarrying limestone but the harder Aswan granite required something far harder. Balls of dolerite, a hard, black igneous rock, were used to extract the granite. These dolerite balls were used as hammers to pulverize the stone around the edge of the granite block that needed to be extracted. Teams of naked slaves pound out the stone for days, perhaps weeks, in the broiling heat until sufficient stone has been exposed for extraction. At the bottom, they rammed wooden pegs into slots they had cut, and filled the slots with water. The pegs would expand, splitting the rock. Slaves would then lower the blocks onto sledges. Long lines of slaves, sweat trickling down their bare bodies, drag them along a causeway to the river where they were loaded onto barges and floated down the river.
Egyptian pyramids are amongst the oldest stone buildings in the world. They were built nearly five thousand years ago. These ancient tombs are also among the world's largest structures. The biggest built by Khufu c.2560BC is taller than a 40-story building and covers the area occupied by Lincoln's Inn (about 13 acres; 5.3 hectares). Men built these huge structures without the help of equipment such as cranes and bulldozers. The ancient Egyptians used tools of copper, a softer metal than steel. Wooden wedges to help prise the stone from the quarry face and levers to help put the stones in place were also used in building the pyramids. Building a pyramid was dirty, difficult and dangerous work. It required meticulous planning and organization.

Two varieties of stone were used, limestone and granite. The limestone which made up the bulk of the pyramid was quarried locally. The granite had to be brought from the quarries at Aswan to where the pyramid was being built. They were transported on the Nile River in massive reed boats. The average weight of one of the pyramid's stone block is two and half tons. Some of the Aswan blocks, however, weighed up to 70 tons. To complete the Great Pyramid at Giza, one stone block was quarried, shaped and placed in position every two minutes for 20 years. It was this dangerous, hard and monotonous work that was done by slaves. This was an era of slave labour and none were more expert in directing their slaves than the ancient Egyptians. The slaves were naked too low in status to be given clothes.

In the minds of the Ancient Egyptians the pyramid form served a very serious purpose. Ancient Egyptians had a strong belief in life after death. The pharaohs wanted their bodies to last forever, so they had pyramids built to protect their bodies after death. Each pyramid housed a pharaoh's preserved body. It also held the goods he would need in his next life to continue living as he had when he was alive. Granite doors, false passages and fake burial chambers were built in an attempt to confuse and stop robbers from robbing the pyramids. In spite of these precautions, all pyramids were robbed of their treasures by around 1000 B.C.

Building plans showing how the pyramid was built have never been found, experts use present knowledge about construction to make some intelligent guesses. The Ancient Egyptians were an ingenious people. You cannot help to be impressed by the fearlessness the ancient builders exhibited in taking on such a colossal project.

The limestone blocks were cut out in the quarries close the pyramid site. Most of these blocks were roughly cut to size. Only where precision was needed were they dressed and trimmed by skilled masons to exacting standards. Once the limestone blocks quarried they were hauled on sledges along a causeway by gangs of slaves. Water was poured around the sledges to help them slide.

A spiralling ramp of mud, brick and rubble was used to haul the blocks to the level where building was going on. Once at the working level the blocks were man-handled off the sledges into position by levers and brute force by further gangs of slaves called setters. Once relieved of their load the hauliers would then make their weary way back down the ramp to start the whole process again.

A canal connected the pyramid site with the Nile. Here granite brought down from Aswan and fine limestone from Tura was unloaded. These were special stones that involved a lot of preparation in their quarrying, dressing and transportation. A vast amount of labour: of quarrymen, masons and of course slaves.
The pharaoh Khufu, like the pharaohs before him, began planning his 'house of eternity' as soon as he took the throne. A spot was chosen for building on the west bank of the Nile. Cemeteries were usually built on the west bank because the sun 'died' on the western horizon every night.

Khufu's architects were wise and experienced men. They knew the importance of building the pharaoh's final resting place so that its sides faced directly north, south, east and west.

They planned a large pyramid the largest one ever built in ancient Egypt. The outlines of the pyramid were measured and marked in the desert sand by the royal survey team.

Then the building began. Large blocks of stone were cut from quarries nearby. They were dragged by gangs of men across the desert to the site of the pyramid and set in place. These workers were slaves, naked men who worked on building the pyramid under the supervision of tough uncompromising taskmasters.

After the first level of blocks was in place, the slaves built ramps of limestone chips and clay. The workers dragged the large stones up the ramps to build the next level of the pyramid.

For about 20 years, thousands of slaves toiled on building the pyramid. As they built each level, they also built up the ramps around the pyramid using a mixture of desert clay called tafla and stone chippings, waste material from the process of quarrying.

When the pyramid was almost finished, a special block covered in shining metal (either gold or electrum, mixture of gold and silver) was placed on the top of the pyramid.

Then, blocks of white limestone from quarries across the Nile were used to cover the pyramid. The blocks were trimmed to make the outside of the pyramid smooth.

Finally, the pyramid was finished.

Khufu's pyramid was only part of the complex built for him at Giza.

This complex had many different parts:

• Three pyramids for Khufu's queens.
• Several deep pits containing boats that had been buried.
• A mortuary temple where Khufu would be worshipped after he died.
• A causeway leading from the pyramid complex down to the valley temple.
• A valley temple where the pharaoh's funeral would begin.
• A small 'satellite' pyramid.
• The mastaba tombs of nobles.

Shortly after coming to the throne the Pharaoh would command his overseer of public works and architects to prepare a burial place in keeping with his status as a god-king, a launching pad to enable his soul to soar from the earth to join the gods and his ancestors in the heavens. The chosen site was usually one on the edge of the cultivated land in an already established pyramid field. The royal survey team set to work marking out the site. Great care was taken in orientating the site to the four points of the compass and in levelling the site to provide a foundation for the pyramid. When the slaves had cleared away the sand and rubble highly skilled masons were called in to level the foundations. This was done by cutting a grid of channels and filling them with water. The rock was then cut back to the water level to make it perfectly flat. Finally the water was drained away and the channels filled with rubble.

At any one time as many as 20,000 workers may have been involved on this massive project. Some of them were free men doing particular tasks such as masons, tool makers, carpenters, scribes and overseers. Many of course were unskilled slave labourers. A town was built for the free workers where they were provided with houses, food, clothing and even medical care. The slaves receive food and shelter in the form of a barracks, far less comfortable than the houses of the skilled workforce. They are naked, too low in status to wear clothes.

From the yawning depression of the quarry come the clink-clink of copper chisels and the thump of rock hammers of the quarry slaves toiling under the hot sun. After the stone blocks are extracted from the quarry face they are lowered onto sledges and a mark is made on the stone by one of the scribes. This aided them to place the blocks in the pyramid just as they came out of the quarry ensuring a better fit than random blocks without further finishing.

From dawn to dusk, gangs of slaves drag the sledges loaded with stones each weighing about two tons to staging areas at the base of the pyramid. Most of the stone blocks proceed up the ramp without future handling. Only a fraction of the stone blocks needed to be cut to precise dimensions by the masons. The slaves begin hauling the loaded sledges slowly up the clay and rubble ramp. Whether it was a single long or spiralling ramp depends on the size of pyramid.

When the sledges reached the working level teams of slaves called setters shifted the blocks from the sledges into their designated positions. These naked men used only simple levers, brute force and experience gained from years of hard labour. Once the stones had been delivered the hauling gang would make their weary way down the ramp carrying their sledge, in order to make the same back breaking journey up as they would several times a day.

Other slaves are employed in maintaining and extending the ramps as the pyramid grew. These ramps are made of rubble, bound together with desert tafla (a type of clay) and laid with planks to ease the passage of the sledges. Rows of slaves are seen breaking up waste material from the quarries, mixing them with the desert tafla clay and loading the finished mixture into baskets. Individual baskets are loaded onto the shoulders of slaves for delivery to the ramp builders on the pyramid.

Granite came from Aswan located 400 miles to the south. Granite was used for the lining of the burial chamber and the internal passage leading to it or in some instances the lower courses of the pyramid. These blocks were the largest in size used on the structure, for example, some of the granite stones used on the Great Pyramid at Giza weighs up to 70 tons. Copper chisels used for quarrying limestone could not be used, a harder material was required. Balls of dolerite, a hard, black igneous rock, were used in the quarries of Aswan to extract the hard granite. This is a place of great heat, dust and noise a hellish place to be sent to work. These dolerite "pounders" were used to pulverize the stone around the edge of the granite block that needed to be extracted. Teams of slaves pound away for weeks in order to expose enough stone for the block to be extracted from the quarry.

At the bottom, they ram wooden pegs into slots they have cut, and fill the slots with water. The pegs will expand and split the rock with a resounding crack much more impressive than anything heard with the softer limestone. With much cursing and sweat the slaves lower the great blocks onto sledges. As many as two hundred slaves, their nude bodies gleaming with sweat, drag the loaded sledges along a causeway to the river where they are loaded unto barges and floated downriver with the current to the pyramid site.

The Egyptian farmers built this by stacking ramps and more of them when they got the format othe pyramid then they covered it with stones.

Answer 5

2560 B.C., the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis. For the source and more detailed information concerning this request, click on the related links section (Answers.com) indicated below this answer box.

Answer 6

they were very wealthy. Thousands of peasants had no work during the off season of crop growing, so they were willing to work for pay during their breaks from farming.

Answer 7

They used sun dried mud bricks, it wasn't easy to build them. It took about 20 years to build pyramids.

Answer 8

they used ramps or boards to build them so high :)

Answer 9

the stonecut workers cut the stone into halfs and carried it or they got alot of men to carry it