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The Great Pyramid of Giza is the most famous of over 100 surviving pyramids in Egypt. Scientists are still piecing together how the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids over 4,000 years ago without modern technology. Stone blocks were transported from quarries, either by boat along rivers or by sledges pulled manually or by animals over land, to construction sites where ramps and pulleys were used to lift them into place.

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Амалия Железняк
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192 views1 page

Reading 11

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the most famous of over 100 surviving pyramids in Egypt. Scientists are still piecing together how the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids over 4,000 years ago without modern technology. Stone blocks were transported from quarries, either by boat along rivers or by sledges pulled manually or by animals over land, to construction sites where ramps and pulleys were used to lift them into place.

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Амалия Железняк
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Pyramid Building

The most famous pyramid is the Great Pyramid of Giza which is actually only one of over a hundred surviving
pyramids. There is a long-standing question about how the pyramids were built given the lack of technology over
4,000 years ago but scientists are piercing together the puzzle. The blocks which make up the pyramids were hewn
from quarries and then transported to pyramids for construction. This was an incredible feat considering the distance
that the raw materials had to travel and enormous weight. The transportation of the materials was either by river using
a boat or by land using a wooden sledge. Given the softness of the ground, the wheel would have been of little use had
it been invented at that time. It is believed that the sand in front of the sledge was wet with water in order to facilitate
the movement of the sledge and reduce friction. These sledges were pulled manually or sometimes by using beasts of
burden depending on the ease at which the sledges could move over the ground. Interestingly, two thousand years
after the pyramid building era of the Ancient Egyptians, the Romans moved stones using similar techniques at
Baalbek. Once the blocks arrived at the pyramid construction site, it is thought they were moved into place using a
ramp and pulley system.

The Old Kingdom period in Ancient Egyptian history is also known as the pyramid building era. The Ancient
Egyptians achieved the most remarkable feats of building work which have still not been surpassed, particularly given
the primitive technology used to build them. There is nothing remotely mystical or magical about how the pyramids
were built as is commonly thought. Further still, while popular belief is that the Great Pyramid was built using slave
labour, this theory has since been debunked. The first building made in a pyramid shape is thought to be the stepped
Pyramid whichconsists of six steps placed on top of each other in a pyramid shape to create the world's first
superstructure. The credit to finally achieving a smooth sided pyramid goes to Imhotep, an architect commissioned by
King Sneferu. The pyramids were not an instant achievement, but the achievement of trial and error.

Decide if the statements below are True, False or Not Given according to the information in the

passage. Write T, F or NG into the boxes.

1. The controversy over the method used in the construction of the pyramids has been solved by

scientists.

2. It is possible that Ancient Egyptians could have lubricated paths to aid transportation by sledge.

3. Sleds were dragged by animals not humans.

4. The Romans learned the techniques of moving huge stones from the Ancient Egyptians.

5. The building work of the Ancient Egyptians is unrivalled.

6. Some people believe that magic may have been used by the Ancient Egyptians to build the pyramids.

7. The Great Pyramid was built using slave labour.

8. It took more than one attempt to get the construction of the pyramids right.

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