The Great Pyramid
4 May 2024
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Edina Szigeti
Edina Szigeti, ACT's Document Control Manager since September 2022, celebrates the Great Pyramid and the engineering ingenuity of the ancient Egyptians.
Here, she explains why this towering structure captivates her imagination and takes us on a tour of the last remaining Wonder of the Ancient World.
The Great Pyramid of Giza (The Great Pyramid) is the largest Egyptian pyramid. Originally measuring approximately 147 meters (or 481 feet) from base to peak, it stood as the world’s tallest human-made structure for nearly 4,000 years, eclipsing Big Ben and the Statue of Liberty.
Pyramids are thought to have served as royal tombs and aids for pharaohs to reach the afterlife, with their shape possibly representing a stairway to heaven or the sun’s rays coming down to Earth. They had a worldly purpose too as a status symbol for kings. The Great Pyramid is the final resting place of King Khufu. Edina recalls the moment when her interest was first ignited:
“My fascination with the Great Pyramid began in history lessons and through captivating documentaries. The sheer scale and historical importance of this iconic structure drew me in, prompting further exploration.”
She continues:
“The ancient Egyptians exhibited extraordinary organisational and engineering skills, mobilising a workforce of skilled labourers, architects, and engineers.
Their methods of moving stones across the desert sand and into place remains a topic of scholarly debate, since no solid evidence of the rollers, levers and ramps that they may have used remains today. One of the most confounding issues is how the structures are so perfectly aligned along the cardinal points north-south-east-west in a way you wouldn’t expect to see from an era without drones, blueprints, and computers.”
“Researchers think they cut blocks of stone, transported them to the construction site and gradually erected the pyramid. Around 2.3 million stone blocks were crafted to create this structure each weighing around 3 tons. An incredible amount of resourcefulness and focus made it all possible!”
Edina explains its enduring appeal:
“I celebrate the Great Pyramid for its exceptional architectural and engineering achievements. It stands as a symbol of human ingenuity and demonstrates the ability of ancient civilisations to conceptualise and execute grand projects. The Egyptians left us no engineering documents or architectural plans that provide technical explanations, so there is a lot of mystique surrounding the Great Pyramid’s construction.
The level of precision shown in cutting, assembling and aligning these massive stones without modern tools showcases the incredible craftsmanship of the ancient Egyptians.”
She concludes by reflecting:
“Beyond technical ability, construction of the Great Pyramid also took project management skills to coordinate all the workers, awareness of health and safety to minimise accidents, plus sustained teamwork. The legacy of this incredible human effort stands the test of time, in my view making the Great Pyramid a true Class Act.”
(Photo credits: Thanks to Simon Berger, Jamie Evawin and Ricardo Gomez Angel via Unsplash.)
