The Building of the Pyramids
The oldest stone buildings in the world are the pyramids. 1 There are over eighty of them scattered along
the banks of the Nile, some of which are different in shape from the true
pyramids. The most famous of these are the "Step" pyramid and the "Bent"
pyramid. Some of the pyramids still look much the same as they
must have done when they were built thousands of years ago. Most of the damage
suffered by the others has been at the hands of men who were looking for
treasure or, more often, for stone to use in modern buildings. 2 These are good reasons why they can still be
seen today, but perhaps the most important is that they were planned to last for
ever. 3 However, there
are no writings or pictures to show us how the Egyptians planned or built the
pyramids themselves. 4 Nevertheless, by
examining the actual pyramids and various tools which have been found,
archaeologists have formed a fairly clear picture of them. One
thing is certain: there must have been months of careful planning before they
could begin to build. 5 You may think
this would have been easy with miles and miles of empty desert around, but a
pyramid could not be built just anywhere. Certain rules had to be followed, and
certain problems had to be overcome. A. The dry climate of
Egypt has helped to preserve the pyramids, and their very shape have made them
less likely to fall into ruin. B. It is practically certain
that plans were made for the building of the pyramids because the plans of other
large works have fortunately been preserved. C. The first thing
they had to do was to choose a suitable place. D. Consequently,
we are only able to guess at the methods used. E. Many people
were killed while building the pyramids. F. They have stood for
nearly 5,000 years, and it seems likely that they will continue to stand for
thousands of years yet.