How the Great Pyramid Was Built

Going beyond even the expertise of archaeologists and historians, world-class engineer Craig B. Smith explores the planning and engineering behind the incredible Great Pyramid of Giza. How would the ancient Egyptians have developed their building plans, devised work schedules, managed laborers, solved specific design and engineering problems, or even improvised on the job?

The answers are here, along with dazzling, one-of-a-kind color photographs and beautiful hand-drawn illustrations of tools, materials, and building techniques the ancient masters used. In his foreword to the book, Egypt's Undersecretary of State for the Giza Monuments Zahi Hawass explains the importance of understanding the Great Pyramid as a straightforward construction project.

Craig B. Smith is former president of Daniel, Mann, Johnson, Mendenhall, Holmes & Narver, a global engineering, architecture, and construction firm that has been involved in many major public works projects, including the renovating of the Pentagon before and after 9/11. He holds a Ph.D. in engineering from UCLA, where he was an assistant professor of engineering and assistant director of the Nuclear Energy Laboratory. His work on the Great Pyramid was featured on A&E's The Great Builders of Egypt and on PBS's Lost Cities of the Pyramids.