Pyramids of Giza

The Pyramids of Giza — the Great Pyramid (Khufu/Cheops), the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure — were built between 2560 and 2510 BCE on the west bank of the Nile. The Great Pyramid contains 2.3 million stone blocks averaging 2.5 tonnes each, reaches 146.5 meters (originally), and is aligned to within 1/15th of a degree of true north. The Great Sphinx (limestone, 73m long, 20m tall) guards the complex. How the pyramids were built has been partially resolved by archaeology — a large, organized workforce (not slaves but paid skilled workers, as confirmed by workers' villages and papyrus records) using copper tools, sledges, water lubrication, ramps, and extraordinary organizational logistics. But mysteries remain: how were the stones lifted with such precision, how was the internal geometry planned, and how was the workforce of 20,000-30,000 fed and managed?