🎧 Listening comprehension: Source 👉 The Pyramids of GIZA
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Egypt is in the north of Africa and people have been living there for thousands of years. It has become well known for its ancient culture and famous monuments. Probably the most famous and amazing of these monuments are the Pyramids of Giza and the surrounding structures.
When they were first built, they were surrounded by desert. The boundaries of greater Cairo, have moved closer and closer so that Giza, a suburb of Cairo now sits right on the edge of this ancient site. Instead of being surrounded by desert, one side of the pyramids now faces modern restaurants, shops, and homes. In 1979 the Pyramids of Giza and other ancient ruins in Egypt were listed as World Heritage Sites.
The Pyramids of Giza are part of a site that contains many different structures. There are three main Pyramids plus several smaller ones, cemeteries, temples, and the Great Sphinx. As archaeologists continue their research, more and more amazing pieces of Egypt's history are being uncovered. Even in ancient times, people were fascinated by the Pyramids of Giza.
The biggest of them, the Great Pyramid, is the only structure still standing from a collection of monuments, named by ancient Greeks as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Herodotus, a Greek historian, visited Egypt about two and a half thousand years ago he wrote about the Great Pyramid of Giza, in a history book. His Egyptian guides told him, that it took 20 years to build the Great Pyramid. He was also told that it took as many as 100 000 slaves to build it. Of course, what makes the pyramids so incredible is that they were built before the introduction of modern technology. The ancient Egyptians did not have the kind of equipment that we use today, but their building techniques were very advanced. The Pyramids of Giza were built many thousands of years ago. Explorers, archaeologists, and scientists have been discovering their secrets for centuries.
The Great Pyramid is thought to have been built for King Khufu. Behind this Pyramid, stands the Pyramid of King Khafre who was the son of Khufu. Behind the Pyramid of king Khafre, stands the Pyramid of King Menkaure who was the son of Khafre. The three main pyramids at the ancient site of Giza are thought to have served as tombs for the kings after they had died. Kings in ancient Egypt were called pharaohs and were also considered to be gods. Along with these three main pyramids, there are eight other much smaller ones. Four are next to the Great Pyramid of Giza. Three of these are believed to have been built for King Khufu's queens. The ruins of the fourth smaller pyramid are a mystery because no one is sure what its purpose was. The pyramid of King Khafre also has the ruins of a smaller pyramid next to it. The remaining three sit next to King Menkaure's pyramid. They are thought to have been built for his three wives. The cemeteries near these pyramids contained tombs of varying sizes and styles. The tombs were used for members of the royal court and high officials as well as local workers. The temples found within the site are believed to have been used for rituals and ceremonies connected with the burial process. Several boat pits have also been found near the Great Pyramid. The pieces of one of the boats have been removed from its pit and rebuilt. It now sits in a special museum next to the pyramid. Finally, the Great Sphinx sits in front of the Pyramid of King Khafre and is believed by some to be the guardian of the area. The Great Sphinx is one of the largest sculptures to have ever been carved out of one piece of rock. Its body is that of a lion and its face is that of a man, but there is debate as to which pharaoh's face was used as a model.
The largest of the structures in Giza is the Great Pyramid. Some researchers say that the Great Pyramid is at least 10,000 years old. More modern research and testing, however, have made some researchers believe it is somewhere between 4,500 and 5,000 years old. The original height of the Great Pyramid is estimated to have been around 147 meters. But due to its outer layers having been stripped away, it now stands at about 138 meters. It was also considered the tallest building in the world until the 14th century when Lincoln Cathedral in England was built. The Great Pyramid is about 230 meters long along each of its four sides. It was positioned so that it almost precisely faces north, south, east, and west. High priests some of whom were also astronomers, helped to decide the position of the Great Pyramid. When deciding the position of a Pyramid, it is thought that these priests considered its position in relation to sacred stars. The Great Pyramid of Giza is made up of about 2.3 million blocks of stone. Each one of the blocks that was used to build it, weighs about 2.5 tons on average. Centuries of exploration inside the Great Pyramid has revealed some of its secrets. It has three main chambers and several passages. One of the chambers is underground and carved into the rock in the ground. The other two are above ground and are known as the Queen's Chamber and the King's Chamber. The queen's Chamber was named by early explorers who thought the Queen's body was placed there. However, scientists have proven that this chamber was never meant to keep the body of one of Khufu's wives. It is now thought that the chamber was meant to house a special religious statue of the king himself and other funeral gifts. The King's Chamber is placed the highest of the three chambers inside the pyramid. It still holds the granite coffin of King Khufu which was found empty without its lid. Nobody has managed to find this huge lid.
One of the main passages is known as the Grand Gallery. It is a large stone tunnel that leads to the King's Chamber. A descending passage leads to the underground chamber. There is also a passage that leads downward from the entrance of the Grand Gallery. When it was first discovered in the 17th century, it was blocked by a lot of debris. The debris was finally cleaned out in the 19th century, which showed it was connected to the descending passage. Some experts say that the pyramid was never meant to be used as a tomb. They think that the structure was meant to serve as a place from which to look at the stars at night. Most archaeologists however, agreed that the Great Pyramid of Giza was the largest of all the tombs ever built for a pharaoh.
During Egypt's Old Kingdom, the Egyptians had a good government. The pyramids were a symbol of their power and religious beliefs. Ancient Egyptians believed that when the pharaoh died, he became the king of the dead, so he had to be buried in a way that would keep him happy in the afterlife. They also believed that it was important to take good care of the pharaoh's dead body. If they did not, then the dead pharaoh would be unable to carry out his duties properly as king of the dead. It was believed that Egypt would suffer a terrible disaster if this happened. In order to stop any disaster from happening, all dead pharaohs had their bodies made into mummies, and then placed in a tomb. Everything a pharaoh would need in the afterlife, was also placed in the tomb. This would include things made of clay, stone and gold. They even placed things such as furniture, food, and figures of the pharaoh's servants inside the tomb.
There is still a great mystery surrounding the Great Pyramid and the king's treasures. Some experts believe that King Khufu's mummy and treasures were stolen. There are other experts though who do not believe thieves were ever able to get into the Great Pyramid. One question still remains: where are Khufu's mummy ends treasures? Nobody knows where these are. Some people believe that they are still buried somewhere inside the Great Pyramid. People are still searching. With the help of modern technology, specially designed robots are being used to look in places that humans cannot. New stone blocks which are thought to be like doors have been found. Discoveries like this keep the theories alive that there are areas inside the Great Pyramid still to be found.
Many different kinds of people were involved in the construction of the pyramids. Some think that the pyramids were built by slaves, but this has been proven to be wrong. The pyramid builders were neither slaves nor foreigners. Archaeologists have found skeletons that show that the pyramid builders were Egyptians. Some of them were permanent employees of the pharaoh but others only worked for a limited time. Some are also thought to have been women. No drawings of women builders have been found, but female skeletons were they show that the women worked with heavy items such as stones. The people building the pyramids lived in nearby villages that were quite sophisticated. In these ancient villages, there were bakeries, butcher shops, storage buildings for grain and cemeteries. There were even shops where drinks like beer and wine were made. Bakeries found near the pyramids may have once produced thousands of loaves of bread every week.
It is also thought that there was some sort of medical care available because there is evidence of workers surviving serious injuries. There is even ancient graffiti. The graffiti, for example "friends of Khufu", suggests that workers were proud of their work and named their teams. The graffiti was written in hieroglyphics, which was a unique writing system used in ancient Egypt. It used pictures to represent particular sounds or objects that were very common at that time. Experts have learned how to read many of these pictures and so they were able to find out the meaning of the graffiti.
Modern theories estimate as many as 30,000 workers were used to build the three main pyramids of Giza over a period of approximately 80 years. It is also thought that most of the work took place while the Nile River was flooded. Huge stone blocks could then have been floated from quarries up river right to the actual base of the pyramids. However recent discoveries of quarries near the pyramids, have made some researchers think the quarries were not miles up river. It took much more than physical labor to build the Great Pyramid and other pyramids in Egypt. It took a lot of intelligence too. It is thought that ancient architects managed to build perfect pyramid shapes by putting ropes at each corner and then pulling the ropes up to form a point.
Every single person from the poorest worker to the high priests knew their place in the order of things. They also understood that continuing the life and death cycle of the pharaohs was good luck for Egypt. Many theories about the origins of the Pyramids of Giza have emerged over time. The most widely accepted theory among experts is that the ancient Egyptians built their own monuments.
One of the stronger theories to challenge this is that the pyramids were built by a long-lost civilization. It is thought that this civilization was destroyed by some enormous disaster around 10,000 BC. Those who doubt, that the ancient Egyptians had the technical knowledge and ability to build the pyramids, raise some interesting points. They point out that there is nothing in Egypt that shows how the ancient Egyptians could have developed such amazing skills that allowed them to build the Pyramids of Giza. Some also say that the pyramids built after those of Giza were not as good. This perhaps will remain one of the biggest puzzles of the pyramids for many more years.
The Pyramids of Giza continue to attract many experts, archaeologists, and tourists. Perhaps one day someone will be able to find out the truth.
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