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| This Old Pyramid |
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Ever since they were built, four and a half thousand years ago, on the desert beside present day Cairo, the pyramids of Giza have stirred the emotions. And the spectacle continues to amaze the thousands of tourists herded to the site each day.
The most impressive pyramid and the largest was built by the pharaoh Khufu in 2600 BC. Known as the Great Pyramid it covers an area of seven city blocks—and weighing six and a half million tons. The construction of Khufu's Pyramid was one of the most extraordinary feats ever of engineering, craftsmanship, and cooperative effort. In less than 30 years, the workers had to raise over two million blocks to a height of 40 stories at the rate of one block every three minutes—an amazing achievement, given that the ancient Egyptians possessed only the simplest technology. NOVA asked University of Chicago archaeologist Mark Lehner to come to Egypt and take a fresh look at the evidence.
("Earth Stories", CCTV-2, Oct. 15)
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| Editor: Zhao Xuan CCTV.com |
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