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'NOVA: Decoding the Great Pyramid'
(DVD / G / 2019 / PBS)

Overview: How did the Egyptians engineer the Great Pyramid of Giza so precisely, and who were the thousands of laborers who raised the stones?

New archaeological evidence - including a logbook of a labor team leader -provides new insights into these age-old questions.

NOVA delves into these construction secrets to trace how mobilizing labor and resources on such a massive scale transformed ancient Egypt.

DVD Verdict: The Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex bordering present-day El Giza, Egypt.

It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact.

Based on a mark in an interior chamber naming the work gang and a reference to the fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu, some Egyptologists believe that the pyramid was thus built as a tomb over a 10- to 20-year period concluding around 2560 BC.

Initially at 146.5 meters (481 feet), the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for more than 3,800 years until Lincoln Cathedral was finished in 1311 AD.

Originally, the Great Pyramid was covered by limestone casing stones that formed a smooth outer surface; what is seen today is the underlying core structure.

Some of the casing stones that once covered the structure can still be seen around the base. There have been varying scientific and alternative theories about the Great Pyramid's construction techniques.

Most accepted construction hypotheses are based on the idea that it was built by moving huge stones from a quarry and dragging and lifting them into place.

There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid. The lowest chamber is cut into the bedrock upon which the pyramid was built and was unfinished.

The so-called Queen's Chamber and King's Chamber are higher up within the pyramid structure.

The main part of the Giza complex is a set of buildings that included two mortuary temples in honor of Khufu (one close to the pyramid and one near the Nile), three smaller pyramids for Khufu's wives, an even smaller "satellite" pyramid, a raised causeway connecting the two temples, and small mastaba tombs surrounding the pyramid for nobles.

The 6 million-ton Great Pyramid of Giza is the last surviving wonder of the ancient world. How did the Egyptians engineer the mighty pharaoh Khufu's tomb so precisely, with none of today's surveying and power tools?

And who were the thousands of laborers who raised the stones? Were they slaves or volunteers, and how were they housed, fed, and organized?

Decoding the Great Pyramid presents the latest evidence from groundbreaking archaeological research that has transformed our understanding of the ancient world's most ambitious engineering project, revealing a "lost city" and intimate details of the lives of the laborers and officials who toiled on the vast construction.

What we learn is that the pyramid was constructed out of stone blocks, each weighing at least 2 tons.

There are theories suggesting that multiple men together maneuvered each block over a ramp that encircled the structure as it rose, or that they moved each stone up long ramps that got higher and longer as the pyramid got taller, or even that scaffolding was used.

Many eschew each of these theories for different reasons, including the idea that wood that could have been used for scaffolding or ramps would have been at a premium, and using mud brick for those purposes would not have held under the enormous weight of each massive block.

And, of course, there are the ideas that aliens built the pyramids!

However the pyramid was constructed, it is a marvelous feat, and should be awed and respected, especially because it is standing today with relatively minor damage.

That said, and together with the recently found logbook of a labor team leader that delivered limestone blocks to build the Great Pyramid, this, and other many fascinating facts are brought to light here on the enthralling 'NOVA: Decoding the Great Pyramid' out April 30th, 2019 via PBS. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

www.PBS.org





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