How have pyramids lasted so long?

That cycle of the joints being opened and closed effectively makes buildings fall apart, and we have that problem today. The Egyptians had realised that – they knew that if they could construct joints so tight that water couldn't get in, then the building would not destroy itself and it would last a long time.



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Many people have said that the pyramids would last 1 million years or even until the world ended, but I'd say around 10,000 to 100,000 years based on current observations.

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To build such a pyramid today (using modern technology and equipment such as cranes and helicopters), it would take 1,500 to 2,000 workers around five years, and cost around $5 billion.

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While the pyramid was originally built by 4,000 workers over the course of 20 years using strength, sleds and ropes, building the pyramid today using stone-carrying vehicles, cranes and helicopters would probably take 1,500 to 2,000 workers around five years, and it would cost on the order of $5 billion, Houdin said, ...

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First and foremost was the sheer resources it took to build one. Like just about anything manufactured in the world, they were being built with less quality than in the past, and often fell apart soon after they were finished.

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Inside the pyramid, Egyptians included treasured items such as gold, jewelry and pottery, and statues of the Pharaoh, which they believed he would take with him on his journey to the afterlife. Let's take a closer look at some of the most celebrated Egyptian pyramids and the almighty leaders who were buried inside.

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If you want to go inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu, you have to pay EGP 440(about US$14.00). If you need to go inside the Pyramids of Khafre or Menkaure, you have to pay EGP 100 (about US$3.3). (Note: From 12 July 2023 to 10 September 2023, there will be a 60-day maintenance period at the Pyramid of Khafre.

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They don't sink because they're built on solid limestone. If the ancient Egyptians were just amateurs building their huge monuments on sand, time would have erased all traces of them during the past 5000 years.

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Alabaster came from Luxor and basalt from the Fayoum depression. Iron tools were not available, so workers used copper and stone-cutting tools to carve out the blocks in the quarries. They then used levers to move the stone blocks away from the quarry site.

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While pyramids are associated with Egypt, the nation of Sudan has 220 extant pyramids, the most numerous in the world. Nubian pyramids were constructed (roughly 240 of them) at three sites in Sudan to serve as tombs for the kings and queens of Napata and Meroë.

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Pharaoh Khufu began the first Giza pyramid project, circa 2550 B.C. His Great Pyramid is the largest in Giza and towers some 481 feet (147 meters) above the plateau. Its estimated 2.3 million stone blocks each weigh an average of 2.5 to 15 tons.

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NOVA: The Greek historian Herodotus claimed in 500 B.C. that 100,000 people built the pyramids, and yet modern Egyptologists believe the figure to be more like 20,000 to 30,000.

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Response: Mark Lehner, Egyptologist: Well, this is the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The top-most part was lost because, over time, the pyramid outer casing was stripped for stone to use it in building elsewhere.

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