Understanding the Construction of the EgyptianPyramidsDjoser, the second king of the Third Dynasty of Egypt who reigned from about2630 to 2611 B.C. was able to organize Egypt’s people and economy to theextent that he, or his grand vizier, Imhotep, could arrange construction of thegreat step pyramid at Saqqara as his tomb. The actual burial chamber wasbuilt inside the pyramid, whose six levels rose over 60 meters and weresurrounded by large buildings and a stone wall more than 9 meters wide with aperimeter of more than 1.6 kilometers. The pyramid at Saqqara was theworld’s first large-scale stone structure and remains, despite muchdeterioration, one the most beautiful.According to paragraph 1, all of the following are true of the pyramid atSaqqara EXCEPT:A.It was King Djorser’s burial place.B.It was surrounded by other structures.C.It was a symbol of Egyptian unity.D.It was the first large-scale stone structure in the world.Djoser’s successors, particularly those of the Fourth Dynasty (2575 – 2465B.C.) – the beginning of the Old Kingdom period – also built massive pyramidsand experimented with designs and constructions until the perfect pyramidform was achieved by King Khufu, as exemplified by the Pyramids at Giza. It isnot just the massive size of these and other pyramids of this era that is soimpressive but also the complex engineering, the skillful execution of stonesculpture, and the precise planning that such projects would have required. Somuch has been said and imagined about the pyramids, yet we know so little.Not a single ancient Egyptian text of the period when they were built describeshow they were constructed or why. What we do know must be deciphered fromthe evidence we have.What can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the people involved in theconstruction of the pyramids?A.They documented the process of construction.B.They were skillful sculptors and planners.C.They changed the design of pyramids very little after the time ofDjoser.D.They perfected their engineering skills during the first stage ofpyramid building.[ ▇ ]The pyramids were all located on the west bank of the Nile River, anequation no doubt with death and the setting sun. [▇]All are situated near theriver to facilitate the transfer of innumerable blocks of limestone and alabaster,some of which had to be shipped down the Nile and then transported up thebank to the construction area. [ ▇ ]Exactly how the blocks were quarried(excavated for human use) and transported remains unknown, but we havesome clues. [▇]Quarrying probably involved a combination of hammering withhard stones, chopping with copper adzes (axe-like tools), and fracturing byheating the rock with fires and then splashing cold water on it. Researchershave thoroughly analyzed evidence related to the surveying and constructionmethods used to build the pyramids and have evaluated th...
