Pyramids of Egypt

The oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The pyramids were built in approximately 2580 BCE which is at least 1,500 years before the other six ancient wonders; the term, Pyramids of Egypt, specifically refers to the three pyramids on the Giza plateau near Cairo, Egypt.

The age of the pyramids is a hotly debated topic and I won’t enter into the various compelling and absurd theories that surround this subject; the historian Herodotus was the first Greek to mention the pyramids and he attributes the construction to three successive generations of Egyptian pharaohs: Kufu (called Kheops by the Greeks), Khafre (Khephren) and Menkaure (Mykerinus).

The pyramids are of different sizes and were built of granite and limestone; the sheer size of the pyramids is daunting even by today’s standards and the amount of stone required for just one of the structures defies the imagination; as an example, the largest pyramid (called the Great Pyramid) is comprised of over two million stone blocks which weigh as much as two tons each; the Great Pyramid is 481 feet (147 meters) in height and 754 feet (230 meters) on each side.

The precision of the construction and the mathematical ideals represented in the shape of the structures have given engineers and philosophers ample data for their explanations, which range from the simplistic to the outrageous, as to the manner and purpose of their erection; the fact remains, the Pyramids of Egypt are truly a wonder and their existence gives us a rare glimpse into the minds and abilities of our ancient ancestors.