A southern California entrepreneur, Randy Blum directs Blum Virtual Travel as an enterprise offering those unable to travel physically the opportunity to explore the globe virtually. Randy Blum’s online service encompasses diverse travel destinations, including the pyramids of Egypt.
The first pyramid, known as the Step Pyramid, was built around 2630 B.C. at Saqqara. The largest pyramid, the Great Pyramid, was erected during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu a century later and was designed to last for “eternity.” Until the early 20th century, this massive structure, built with some 6.5 million tons of stone, was the world’s largest building.
One of the greatest mysteries of the Egyptian pyramids is how they could have been engineered thousands of years ago, before the advent of modern construction technologies. A widespread misconception, popularized in Hollywood by such fare as Cecil B. De Mille's silent movie The Ten Commandments, is that thousands of slaves did the work under a merciless tyrant.
As reported in Harvard magazine, however, ancient graffiti found inside the Great Pyramid points to a very different story. Many archeologists now believe that a permanent settlement of respected stonecutters and builders accomplished these seemingly Herculean tasks. They were aided by rotating teams of laborers who lived in immense barracks and completed masterpieces of ancient engineering such as the Sphinx. These “cities” had all the markings of early urban planning, including bakeries to feed a workforce of tens of thousands over a period of decades.
The first pyramid, known as the Step Pyramid, was built around 2630 B.C. at Saqqara. The largest pyramid, the Great Pyramid, was erected during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu a century later and was designed to last for “eternity.” Until the early 20th century, this massive structure, built with some 6.5 million tons of stone, was the world’s largest building.
One of the greatest mysteries of the Egyptian pyramids is how they could have been engineered thousands of years ago, before the advent of modern construction technologies. A widespread misconception, popularized in Hollywood by such fare as Cecil B. De Mille's silent movie The Ten Commandments, is that thousands of slaves did the work under a merciless tyrant.
As reported in Harvard magazine, however, ancient graffiti found inside the Great Pyramid points to a very different story. Many archeologists now believe that a permanent settlement of respected stonecutters and builders accomplished these seemingly Herculean tasks. They were aided by rotating teams of laborers who lived in immense barracks and completed masterpieces of ancient engineering such as the Sphinx. These “cities” had all the markings of early urban planning, including bakeries to feed a workforce of tens of thousands over a period of decades.
