The pyramids of Giza
2.3 million blocks, raised in twenty years
See it on the timeline →In depth
The Great Pyramid contains around 2.3 million blocks averaging 2.5 tonnes, raised in roughly 20 years. The workers' village at Giza shows organised gangs, medical care and a ration system. The project was as much state-building as tomb-building: it required nationwide taxation, logistics, surveying and an administration able to keep tens of thousands employed during the flood season when the Nile stood over the fields. Egypt is the clearest example of how a single river can shape a civilisation for three thousand years.
For children
The Egyptians built tombs so vast they still stand 4,500 years later. The workers were not slaves but ordinary people paid in bread and beer. The Great Pyramid was the tallest building in the world for almost 4,000 years.
Connects to
Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org