Pyramids at Giza Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Pyramids at Giza - Essay Example Many theories have been proposed to explain how the huge blocks of stone were maneuvered up the 481-foot tall pyramid. Of the many theories proposed two theories have gained prominence and these are the crane theory and the more recently proposed internal ramp theory. The crane theory as explained by Bob Brier in an article from the Archeology Magazine is based on the theory by Herodotus who had visited the pyramids around 450 B.C. He had proposed that machines like cranes were could have been used to raise the stone blocks up the pyramid. In the article Bob Brier further explained that crane-like devices called the shadouf were used to draw water from the Nile for the purpose of irrigation. These devices have been depicted in tomb paintings which further confirm that these were available to the tomb builders. Herodotus proposed that several hundreds of these cranes could have been placed at various points of the pyramid as and when it was erected to facilitate the lifting of the sto ne blocks. However, manufacturing several hundreds of cranes would have required huge quantities of wood and timber was not available in abundance in ancient Egypt. While large amounts of timber were imported during that time for building ships it would have been an expensive task if timber were to be imported for manufacturing these cranes. Another flaw identified with the theory was the lack of space to accommodate the cranes higher up in the pyramid due to the decrease in its size. Thus the crane theory did not provide any substancial evidence on how the pyramids were built. In addition to the crane theory, several ramp theories have also been proposed to explain the construction of the pyramids. Of these the more recent theory on the use of internal ramps to build the top two-thirds of the pyramid has gained wide acceptance. This theory has been presented by Jean-Pierre Houdin who carried out an extensive study of the Great pyramids over the