Travel back in time
Nearly 5,000 years ago, outside the ancient city of Memphis, Egyptians built pyramids as tombs for their kings. These monuments are still standing today in the city of Giza. Zoom in to explore them.
Building a behemoth:
The Great Pyramid
YEARS AGO
4,500
BLOCKS USED
2,300,000
YEARS TO BUILD
20
Digging for the truth
Egyptologists and archaeologists have been studying the Pyramids for centuries,
yet
much of their history is still unknown.
What do we know for sure?
HISTORY
HISTORY
We know that construction began on the first Pyramid around 2600 BC, during the Fourth Dynasty, one of the 31 dynasties of Egyptian history. Part of Egypt's Old Kingdom, the Fourth Dynasty ruled Egypt from 2613 to 2494 BC, more than 2,500 years before Queen Cleopatra.
LOCATION
LOCATION
We know the Pyramids were built just outside the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, capital of the Fourth Dynasty and home to the Pharaohs who built them. The city's close proximity to the Nile River was useful in the transport of building materials to the site of the Giza Necropolis.
PURPOSE
PURPOSE
We know the Pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs (or kings) of ancient Egypt to facilitate their journey to the heavens. After death, a pharaoh was mummified and enclosed in a wood coffin and stone sarcophagus. He was buried with important items for the afterlife, ranging from household goods to precious valuables. Pharaohs built pyramids not only to house their bodies, but to leave a legacy of their power.
MATERIALS
MATERIALS
We know the Pyramids were primarily built with limestone, but granite, mortar, basalt and mud were also used in their construction. The average block weighed 2.5 tons, and many came from up to 800 km (500 miles) away by barge. How the stones were lifted into place is still being debated. Approximately 5.5 million tons of limestone were used for the Great Pyramid, which is more than ten times the weight of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.
LABOR
LABOR
We know tens of thousands of people built the Pyramids, although there is no way to know exactly how many. Until recently it was believed they were constructed with slave labor, but we now know that seasonal laborers worked, lived and were buried on site. One work gang inscribed their nickname on the inside of the Pyramid they built: 'The Drunkards of Menkaure.'
First glimpse
Millions of people have traveled down this road to visit one of the most
famous landmarks on Earth. In the distance you can see the pyramids of Khufu,
Khafre and Menkaure rising like man-made mountains.
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Get up close
Walk right up to the Pyramid of Khafre and imagine it covered with smooth,
white stone. Over the years, the original casing stone has been pillaged,
along with many artifacts from inside the tomb itself. Turn around
180-degrees to get a view of the Pyramid of Menkaure.
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Spotting the Sphinx
With the body of a lion and the head of a man, the Great Sphinx sits at the
eastern end of the complex. Measuring 73 meters long by 20 meters high (241 x
66 ft), it is one of the largest sculptures in the world. Take a closer look:
his nose is missing (though historians can't confirm how he lost it).
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Tour the Great Pyramids
Take a self-guided tour through the major attractions of the Giza Necropolis, and explore one of the most famous archaeological sites on Earth.
A sight to behold
The Pyramids of Giza are some of the oldest and most fascinating structures on Earth. Built thousands of years ago, they stand as a testament to the engineering accomplishments of civilizations past. Take a journey through time and discover these ancient wonders.
What is a pyramid?
A pyramid is a shape with triangular sides that join at an apex on top. There are over 100 pyramids in Egypt, most of which were built as tombs for pharaohs, although none are as recognizable as the Pyramids of Giza. Pyramids can also be found in other parts of the world, including Italy, India and Mexico.
The Pyramids of Giza
The Pyramids of Giza were built 4,500 years ago during the Fourth Dynasty, Egypt's golden age. They took roughly 85 years to construct and were built by three generations of Pharaohs: Khufu, his son Khafre and grandson Menkaure. Their tombs are flanked by three smaller Queens' Pyramids.
The Great Pyramid
The Great Pyramid, built by Khufu, was the first and largest pyramid at Giza.
Standing 139 meters high (455 ft), it was the tallest man-made structure on
Earth for nearly 4,000 years. The pyramid is aligned with the cardinal
directions, and faces almost exactly due north, a confounding architectural
feat.Next to the Great Pyramid is the Khufu ship, a fully intact solar boat intended to
transport the pharaoh to the afterlife.
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The Pyramid of Khafre
The white-topped Pyramid of Khafre appears to be the largest of the three
pyramids, but it's an illusion: although smaller in stature, it was built on
elevated bedrock to appear taller. Remarkably, the symmetrical sides and
identical angles of this pyramid were achieved using basic tools like
cubit rods and plum bobs.
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The Great Sphinx
The Great Sphinx is a limestone sculpture depicting what is likely King
Khafre's head on a lion's body. The Sphinx is a mythical creature pharaohs
believed could bring them favor with the sun god in the afterlife. For
centuries, the Great Sphinx was mostly buried by shifting desert sand, but it
has now been fully excavated.
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The Pyramid of Menkaure
The third and smallest Pyramid of Giza is the tomb of Menkaure, located at
the southern edge of the complex. Menkaure has been a source of both precious
artifacts and archaeological disappointments. First, human bones recovered
inside were found to have been from another site, then a sarcophagus
excavated in the pyramid sunk in a shipwreck.
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Building the Pyramids
No one knows for sure how this ancient society built monuments so massive. Building the pyramids involved transporting enormous stone blocks to the Giza Plateau, then using ramps, pulleys and levers to stack them at perfect angles. Tens of thousands of paid laborers (not slaves) built the Great Pyramids, which are more technically advanced than the earlier step pyramid style.
Egyptian burial customs
After the death of a pharaoh, it took 70 days to mummify the body, including removing the brains and internal organs. The mummy was then 're-animated' through a series of rituals, including the 'Opening of the Mouth' ceremony to help the pharaoh breathe and speak in the afterlife. Mummies then were placed in a wood coffin and stone sarcophagus. Some mummies were masked, like this much later example of King Tut's mask from the Google Cultural Institute.
Close to the capital
The Pyramids were built on the outskirts of the old capital, Memphis, and now stand a short drive from Egypt's current capital, Cairo. While this is convenient for tourists, their close proximity to this growing city has created challenges for the Pyramids, including noise, light and air pollution.
Discover a world wonder
The Great Pyramid was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in the
2nd century BC, and it is the only one still standing. Learn
more about these marvels of human engineering.
An ancient legacy preserved
The Pyramids of Giza were built to survive eternity. So far, they’ve succeeded: the Great Pyramid is the last standing wonder of the ancient world.
The architecture of these structures is so extraordinary that historians are still unsure exactly how ancient Egyptians built them without the help of modern engineering. After 4,500 years of exposure to the elements, the Pyramids still stand like man-made mountains, reflecting the ingenuity of the people who built them. The legacy of ancient Egypt is preserved through these monuments.
Now, with Street View, the Pyramids are preserved in a whole new way. Whether you’re at home, work or school, simply drag your finger or cursor across the screen and let modern technology take you on a 360-degree tour of ancient technology.
You can also visit other Egyptian sites in Street View, including the necropolis of Saqqara, the Citadel of Qaitbay, the Cairo Citadel, the Hanging Church and the the remains of Abu Mena.
View pyramid panoramas
Slip through the sands of time as you wander through the Pyramids of Giza, now in Street View.
