Travel back in time
Nearly 5,000 years ago, outside the ancient city of Memphis, Egyptians built pyramids as tombs for their kings. These monuments are still standing today in the city of Giza. Zoom in to explore them.
Building a behemoth:
The Great Pyramid
Digging for the truth
Egyptologists and archaeologists have been studying the Pyramids for centuries,
yet
much of their history is still unknown.
What do we know for sure?
HISTORY
HISTORY
We know that construction began on the first Pyramid around 2600 BC, during the Fourth Dynasty, one of the 31 dynasties of Egyptian history. Part of Egypt's Old Kingdom, the Fourth Dynasty ruled Egypt from 2613 to 2494 BC, more than 2,500 years before Queen Cleopatra.
LOCATION
LOCATION
We know the Pyramids were built just outside the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, capital of the Fourth Dynasty and home to the Pharaohs who built them. The city's close proximity to the Nile River was useful in the transport of building materials to the site of the Giza Necropolis.
PURPOSE
PURPOSE
We know the Pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs (or kings) of ancient Egypt to facilitate their journey to the heavens. After death, a pharaoh was mummified and enclosed in a wood coffin and stone sarcophagus. He was buried with important items for the afterlife, ranging from household goods to precious valuables. Pharaohs built pyramids not only to house their bodies, but to leave a legacy of their power.
MATERIALS
MATERIALS
We know the Pyramids were primarily built with limestone, but granite, mortar, basalt and mud were also used in their construction. The average block weighed 2.5 tons, and many came from up to 800 km (500 miles) away by barge. How the stones were lifted into place is still being debated. Approximately 5.5 million tons of limestone were used for the Great Pyramid, which is more than ten times the weight of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.
LABOR
LABOR
We know tens of thousands of people built the Pyramids, although there is no way to know exactly how many. Until recently it was believed they were constructed with slave labor, but we now know that seasonal laborers worked, lived and were buried on site. One work gang inscribed their nickname on the inside of the Pyramid they built: 'The Drunkards of Menkaure.'
Tour the Great Pyramids
Take a self-guided tour through the major attractions of the Giza Necropolis, and explore one of the most famous archaeological sites on Earth.
Discover a world wonder
The Great Pyramid was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in the
2nd century BC, and it is the only one still standing. Learn
more about these marvels of human engineering.
An ancient legacy preserved
The Pyramids of Giza were built to survive eternity. So far, they’ve succeeded: the Great Pyramid is the last standing wonder of the ancient world.
The architecture of these structures is so extraordinary that historians are still unsure exactly how ancient Egyptians built them without the help of modern engineering. After 4,500 years of exposure to the elements, the Pyramids still stand like man-made mountains, reflecting the ingenuity of the people who built them. The legacy of ancient Egypt is preserved through these monuments.
Now, with Street View, the Pyramids are preserved in a whole new way. Whether you’re at home, work or school, simply drag your finger or cursor across the screen and let modern technology take you on a 360-degree tour of ancient technology.
You can also visit other Egyptian sites in Street View, including the necropolis of Saqqara, the Citadel of Qaitbay, the Cairo Citadel, the Hanging Church and the the remains of Abu Mena.
View pyramid panoramas
Slip through the sands of time as you wander through the Pyramids of Giza, now in Street View.
