Construction of the Great Pyramid began around 2550 B.C. near what is now the city of Cairo. It was created as a burial site for a pharaoh named Khufu (KOO-foo). 

The massive structure stands about 450 feet tall. Tens of thousands of workers spent about two decades building the pyramid. They hauled more than 2 million stone blocks and set them carefully in place. Each block weighs an average of 5,000 pounds—about as much as a minivan! 

How did the workers build such a huge structure without the machines or tools that exist today? And how has the pyramid remained standing for thousands of years? No one knows for sure. 

Construction of the Great Pyramid began around 2550 B.C. It was built near what is now the city of Cairo. The pyramid was created as a burial site for a pharaoh. His name was Khufu (KOO-foo). 

The massive structure stands about 450 feet tall. Tens of thousands of workers built the pyramid. It took them about two decades. The workers hauled more than 2 million stone blocks. They set the blocks carefully in place. One average, the blocks weigh about 5,000 pounds. That’s about as heavy as a minivan!  

The machines or tools that exist today weren’t around at the time. So how did the workers build such a huge structure? And how has the pyramid remained standing for thousands of years? No one knows for sure. 

The ScanPyramids team hopes to solve that mystery. Archaeologists—and tourists—can explore some of the rooms inside the Great Pyramid. But other areas are unreachable. Special scanning technology allows scientists to “see” behind the pyramid’s walls without damaging them. Researchers are using those scans to create a 3-D map of the Great Pyramid. 

The team first discovered the hidden passage a few years ago. But they didn’t know what it was. Could it be a burial chamber? A room filled with treasures? To find out, scientists fed a tiny camera called an endoscope through a crack in the pyramid’s stones. The camera captured images of the space—which was empty.

But experts say the space is actually an important piece of the puzzle. It may have been created to support some of the pyramid’s weight to prevent the entrance below from collapsing.

“They didn’t want that passage to be crushed by the weight of the pyramid,” explains archaeologist Mark Lehner. He’s been studying the pyramids of Giza for more than 40 years.

The ScanPyramids team hopes to solve that mystery. Tourists can visit some rooms in the Great Pyramid. Also, archaeologists can explore other areas. But some areas are unreachable. Special scanning technology allows scientists to “see” behind the pyramid’s walls. Their equipment doesn’t damage the walls. Researchers are using those scans to create a 3-D map of the Great Pyramid. 

The team first discovered the hidden passage a few years ago. But they didn’t know what it was. Could it be a burial chamber? A room filled with treasures? The scientists wanted to find out. So they used a tiny camera called an endoscope. They fed it through a crack in the pyramid’s stones. The camera captured images of the space. It was empty.

But experts say the space is actually an important piece of the puzzle. It may have been created to support some of the pyramid’s weight. It could prevent the entrance below from collapsing. 

“They didn’t want that passage to be crushed by the weight of the pyramid,” explains archaeologist Mark Lehner. He’s been studying the pyramids of Giza for more than 40 years.

Scientists still have a lot of unanswered questions about the Great Pyramid. Lehner says advances in technology will likely lead to more discoveries.

“Who knows what’s coming next,” he says. 

Scientists still have a lot of unanswered questions about the Great Pyramid. Lehner says advances in technology will likely lead to more discoveries.

“Who knows what’s coming next,” he says. 

1. What does the phrase “towered over” mean? Based on the article, why do you think the author writes that the Great Pyramid “has towered over” the Egyptian desert?

2. Summarize the main ideas of the section “Building a Giant.”

3. What is one theory experts have about why the empty passage in the Great Pyramid was created?

1. What does the phrase “towered over” mean? Based on the article, why do you think the author writes that the Great Pyramid “has towered over” the Egyptian desert?

2. Summarize the main ideas of the section “Building a Giant.”

3. What is one theory experts have about why the empty passage in the Great Pyramid was created?