The Pyramid of Cheops is a legacy of the ancient Egyptian civilization; all tourists who come to Egypt try to see it. It strikes the imagination with its grandiose size. The weight of the pyramid is about 4 million tons, its height is 139 meters, and its age is 4.5 thousand years. It still remains a mystery how people built the pyramids in those ancient times. It is not known for certain why these magnificent structures were erected.
Legends of the Cheops pyramid
Shrouded in mystery, ancient Egypt was once the most powerful country on Earth. Perhaps his people knew secrets that are not yet available to modern mankind. Looking at the huge stone blocks of the pyramid, which are laid with perfect precision, you begin to believe in miracles.
According to one of the legends, the pyramid served as a grain storage during the great famine. These events are described in the Bible (Book of Exodus). Pharaoh had a prophetic dream that warned of a series of lean years. Joseph, the son of Jacob, sold into slavery by his brothers, was able to unravel the dream of Pharaoh. The ruler of Egypt instructed Joseph to organize the procurement of grain, appointing him as his first adviser. The storehouses had to be huge, considering that many peoples fed from them for seven years, when there was a famine on Earth. A small discrepancy in dates - about 1 thousand years, the adherents of this theory explain the inaccuracy of carbon analysis, thanks to which archaeologists determine the age of ancient buildings.
According to another legend, the pyramid served to transfer the material body of the pharaoh to the upper world of the Gods. An amazing fact is that inside the pyramid, where the sarcophagus for the body stands, the pharaoh's mummy was not found, which the robbers could not take. Why did the rulers of Egypt build such huge tombs for themselves? Was it really their goal to build a beautiful mausoleum, testifying to the greatness and power? If the construction process took several decades and required a huge investment of labor, then the ultimate goal of erecting the pyramid was vital to the pharaoh. Some researchers believe that we know very little about the level of development of an ancient civilization, the mysteries of which remain to be discovered. The Egyptians knew the secret of eternal life. It was acquired by the pharaohs after death, thanks to the technology that was hidden inside the pyramids.
Some researchers believe that the Cheops pyramid was built by a great civilization even more ancient than the Egyptian, about which we know nothing. And the Egyptians only restored the existing ancient buildings, and used them at their own discretion. They themselves did not know the plan of the forerunners who built the pyramids. The forerunners could be the giants of the Antediluvian civilization or the inhabitants of other planets who flew to Earth in search of a new homeland. The giant size of the blocks from which the pyramid was built is easier to imagine as a convenient building material for ten-meter giants than for ordinary people.
I would like to mention one more interesting legend about the Cheops pyramid. They say that inside the monolithic structure there is a secret room, in which there is a portal that opens paths to other dimensions. Thanks to the portal, you can instantly find yourself at a selected point in time or on another inhabited planet of the Universe. It was carefully hidden by builders for the benefit of the people, but will soon be found. The question remains whether modern scientists will understand ancient technologies to take advantage of the discovery. In the meantime, research by archaeologists in the pyramid continues.
Interesting Facts
In the era of antiquity, when the heyday of Greco-Roman civilization began, ancient philosophers compiled a description of the most outstanding architectural monuments on Earth. They were named "Seven Wonders of the World". They included the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Kolos of Rhodes and other majestic structures built before our era. The Pyramid of Cheops, as the most ancient, is in the first place in this list. This is the only wonder of the world that has survived to this day, all the rest were destroyed many centuries ago.
According to the descriptions of ancient Greek historians, a large pyramid shone in the rays of the sun, casting a warm golden sheen. It was faced with meter-thick limestone slabs. The smooth white limestone, adorned with hieroglyphs and drawings, reflected the sands of the surrounding desert. Later, local residents dismantled the cladding for their homes, which they lost as a result of devastating fires. Perhaps the top of the pyramid was decorated with a special triangular block made of precious material.
Around the pyramid of Cheops in the valley is a whole city of the dead. The dilapidated buildings of the funeral temples, two other large pyramids and several smaller tombs. A huge statue of a sphinx with a chipped off nose, which was recently restored, is hewn from a monolithic block of gigantic proportions. It is taken from the same quarry as the stones for the construction of tombs. Once upon a time, ten meters from the pyramid there was a wall three meters thick. Perhaps it was intended to guard the royal treasures, but could not stop the robbers.
Construction history
Scientists still cannot come to a consensus on how the ancient people built the Cheops pyramid from huge boulders. Based on the drawings found on the walls of other Egyptian pyramids, it was suggested that workers cut each block in the rocks, and then dragged it to the construction site along a ramp made of cedar. History also does not have a consensus about who was involved in the work - peasants for whom there was no other work during the flood of the Nile, pharaoh's slaves or hired workers.
The difficulty lies in the fact that the blocks had not only to be delivered to the construction site, but also to be lifted to a great height. The pyramid of Cheops was the tallest structure on Earth before the construction of the Eiffel Tower. Modern architects see the solution to this problem in different ways. According to the official version, primitive mechanical blocks were used for lifting. It is scary to imagine how many people died during construction by this method. When the ropes and straps that held the lump broke, she could crush dozens of people with her weight. It was especially difficult to install the upper block of the building at a height of 140 meters above the ground.
Some scientists speculate that ancient humans possessed technology to control the earth's gravity. Blocks weighing more than 2 tons, of which the Cheops pyramid was built, could be moved with this method with ease. The construction was carried out by hired workers who knew all the secrets of the craft, under the leadership of the nephew of Pharaoh Cheops. There was no human sacrifice, backbreaking work of slaves, only construction art, which reached the highest technologies that are inaccessible to our civilization.
The pyramid has the same base on each side. Its length is 230 meters and 40 centimeters. Amazing precision for ancient uneducated builders. The density of the stones is so high that it is impossible to insert a razor blade between them. The area of five hectares is occupied by one monolithic structure, the blocks of which are connected with a special solution. There are several passages and chambers inside the pyramid. There are vents facing different directions of the world. The purpose of many interiors remains a mystery. The robbers took out everything of value long before the first archaeologists entered the tomb.
Currently, the pyramid is included in the UNESCO list of cultural heritage. Her photo adorns many Egyptian tourist avenues. In the 19th century, the Egyptian authorities wanted to dismantle huge monolithic blocks of ancient structures for the construction of dams on the Nile River. But labor costs far exceeded the benefits of work, so the monuments of ancient architecture stand to this day, delighting the pilgrims of the Giza Valley.
