Talking Pyramids: Ancient Egyptian Pyramids

This week’s photo is of the granite sarcophagus inside the burial chamber of Khufu’s pyramid. From the Brooklyn Museum’s Egyptian Lantern collection.

Khufu’s granite sarcophagus

Here’s a practical exercise for you to do at home. A great weekend activity for the kids. I remember when I was about five my Dad helped me make a model pyramid out of paper. I’ve got three different methods of making a paper pyramid for you. Click on each of […]

Here is another article from Assem Deif, professor of mathematics at Cairo University and Misr University for Science and Technology.

The 8-sided pyramid - Al-Ahram
This time Assem looks at the great pyramid from a mathematical perspective.
“What about the Egyptian value for the Golden Ratio Phi? In calculating the hypotenuse of the triangle of base 220c and […]

The pyramids of Giza during a sandstorm.

There has been a lot of buzz in the news recently about the pyramid containing blocks made from cement. First made public by Davidovits, the theory has more recently received support from material scientists such as Michael Barsoum who’s article appeared in the scientific magazine Nature vol. 444 in December 2006. Now Linn […]

Performance in front of the Pyramids. Photo from http://english.donga.com/

Performers in traditional Egyptian garments rehearse for the “Show for Sound and light” on Thursday in front of pyramids in Giza, Egypt, playing drums and bagpipes. The similar shows using light and sound are currently being held at another three sites in Egypt. The performance takes 50 […]

Houdin’s Internal Ramp

French Architect Jean-Pierre Houdin has a revolutionary theory on how the pyramids were built.
He looked at the three main existing theories: the large long straight ramp used to drag the stone up on sleds or rolled on logs, the wooden ‘machines’ mentioned by Herodotus & the spiral ramp theory.
None of […]

Were the pyramids made of concrete?

The question of how the ancient Egyptian pyramids were built is one that has occupied the minds of many for thousands of years. Many interesting theories have been developed over that time and one that has recently made the news is that of the concrete pyramid.
In today’s article we’ll […]

How the Pyramid Built Itself

John Romer is an Egyptologist from Surrey, England and is well known for his humorous style and from his many appearances on a number of TV series on Archaeology.
In 1979, Romer and his wife, Elizabeth Romer, an archaeologist and designer, founded The Theban Foundation, for the purpose of […]

BBC: Building the Great Pyramid

This docudrama features fictional character Nacht, one of workers who was part of building the Great Pyramid.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

The DVD includes an interesting 14 minute long “Making of” feature which explains some of the special […]