Building the Great Pyramid - Softcover

Jackson, Kevin; Stamp, Jonathan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1552977196 ISBN 13: 9781552977194

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2003

Synopsis

The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest and sole-surviving member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and has inspired more speculation than any other building on Earth. Using state-of-the-art computer graphics, Building the Great Pyramid brings the world of Fourth Dynasty Egypt to life and shows how and why this most extraordinary of all human monuments was built.

Equipped only with the most basic tools, how were ancient Egyptians able to achieve such an extraordinary degree of accuracy in its construction? How were stones, some weighing as much as 40 tons, hauled into position so precisely? What was life like for the conscripted laborers who built it, and how long did it take them to complete their task? Only now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, is it possible to provide answers.

The authors trace the history of the exploration of the Giza site, from the earliest Greek and Roman travelers, through to Jean-François Champollion's cracking of the hieroglyphic code; and the work of scholars such as Auguste Mariette and Sir William Flinders Petrie in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The final chapter covers less orthodox theories and looks at how the Great Pyramid has become a magnet for all manner of charlatans, heretics, and cranks.

About this title

About the Author

Kevin Jackson is a freelance journalist and film-maker. He has written, directed and narrated documentaries on Anthony Burgess, Dennis Potter and William Morris for BBC television. His books include The Language of Cinema and A Ruskin Alphabet.

Jonathan Stamp is the producer of the BBC television program Pyramid.

Reviews

It is 481 feet tall, 756 feet long at its base, and consists of 2.3 million blocks of stone weighing two and a half tons each. One of the mysteries of the Great Pyramid of Giza is: How did the ancient Egyptians, with their primitive technology, build it? Writer Jackson (The Oxford Book of Money) and Stamp, producer of the TV program Pyramid, assert that the builders were young peasants conscripted into the pharaoh's service-and that, though Herodotus said 100,000 men were needed-in fact, probably no more than 4,000 men completed the job. Realistic computer images show workers cutting stone in the quarry, hauling the huge stones up a ramp and setting them in place. Other color and duotone archival images reveal the inside of the pyramid, including the king's burial chamber and the low-ceilinged main entranceway. The authors put the pyramid in context, discussing ancient Egyptian beliefs about death and the afterlife in general, and the funeral rites for the pharaoh in particular. Among the more striking images here is a photo of the mummy of Ramses II, so hardened it appears to be made of stone. This is an excellent beginning for anyone interested in the culture of ancient Egypt and the pyramids.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1552977196
• ISBN 13: 9781552977194
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192