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Building the Great Pyramid

YOUR MISSION:  As you read, use volume to learn about the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza. It’s the largest ever built! Pyramids are tombs for important people in ancient Egypt—including pharaohs, the rulers. The Great Pyramid at Giza was built for a pharaoh named Khufu (KOO-foo), who ruled Egypt from 2575 to 2465 B.C. Round your answers to the nearest tenth. Use the online answer sheet to record your answers. 

October 2023
By Jennifer Hackett - Illustrated by Joe Flood

FINDING VOLUME

Volume is the amount of space inside a 3-D object. Here are the formulas for finding the volume of a rectangular prism and a square pyramid.

RECTANGULAR PRISM:
V = length × width × height

SQUARE PYRAMID:
V =  × area of base × height

Jim McMahon/Mapman® (map); Shutterstock.com (all Images)

A. The Step Pyramid is the earliest known pyramid. Its bottom step is a rectangular prism 109 meters wide, 121 m long, and 10 m high. What is the volume of the first step of the Step Pyramid?


B. The Step Pyramid has a total of 6 steps. Each step is 10 m high and roughly 10 m shorter in both length and width than the one below it. What is the approximate total volume of the Step Pyramid?


Sneferu’s Bent Pyramid is 104.7 m high. It has a square base with a side length that’s 189.4 m. What is its volume? (Ignore the bend in the faces for this question!)


A. The size of the blocks used varied depending on their location. Blocks on the lower levels were 1.5 m long, 2.5 m wide, and 1.5 m tall. What is the volume of each lower-level block?


B. Blocks used on higher levels were 1 m long, 1 m wide, and 0.5 m tall. What is the volume of each block in the higher levels?


C. What is the difference in volume between lower-level blocks and higher-level blocks?


When it was finally completed, Khufu’s pyramid—later known as the Great Pyramid of Giza—was 146.6 m high. It had a square base that measured 230.3 m on each side. What is the Great Pyramid’s volume?


The pyramid for Khufu’s son Khafre base’s side lengths are 215.3 m, and its original height was 143.5 m. What is its volume?


The third pyramid was for Khufu’s grandson. Its base’s side lengths are 108.5 m, and its height was 61 m. Find its volume.


Order the three main pyramids at Giza from largest to smallest in volume.

What’s Inside a Pyramid?

At least 118 Egyptian pyramids have been discovered. Many were tombs for pharaohs like Khufu. Others were built for nobles. Ancient Egyptians took burial rites very seriously. Deep inside each pyramid are small chambers where the mummified person was buried along with things ancient Egyptians believed they would need in the afterlife. These would include items like food, games, jewelry, and even pets!

However, rumors of these treasures drew grave robbers who looted the Great Pyramid hundreds of years ago. But discoveries from other pyramids give us an idea of what might have been inside the Great Pyramid when it was first sealed. Here are some common items that have been found.

Mummy

DeAgostini/Getty Images

A pharaoh’s body was preserved for the afterlife through mummification. Organs were removed and the body was washed, dried out, and wrapped in linen. The mummy was then placed in a stone structure called a sarcophagus (sahr-KAH-fuh-guhs) inside the pyramid.

Organ Jars

Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Also called canopic (kuh-noh-PIK) jars, they held the mummy’s organs that were removed during mummification. Each jar held a specific organ: the stomach, the lungs, the liver, and the intestines. The heart was the only organ that stayed in the mummy’s body.

Shabtis

Alain Guilleux/Alamy Stock Photo

Pronounced "shahb-TEE," these tiny clay statues were 2 to 12 inches tall. They were meant to perform tasks for the pharaoh in the afterlife and often carried farming tools.

Animals

CM Dixon/Print Collector/Getty Images

Animals were mummified too! Some were included as offerings to gods they were believed to represent. But many wealthy people were buried with beloved mummified pets!

Supplies

MET/BOT/Alamy Stock Photo (shoes); Alain Guilleux/Alamy Stock Photo (jewelry) 

Many different supplies were buried in the pyramid alongside the pharaohs. They included everyday items like shoes (left) and jewelry (right) as well as tools, food, and other things the pharaoh might use in the afterlife.

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