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 has 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.