Raising a pyramid
Egypt's largest pyramid, the great Pyramid at Giza, was built in the 26 th century BC to house the tomb of a king, or pharaoh, called Khufu. It stands 146 m ( 480 ft) high, and is made from 2.3 million massive stone blocks, each weighing, on average, 2.5 tonnes.

Ramps
Teams of workers hauled the stone blocks on sledges up mud-brick ramps, using ropes made from twisted papyrus, a reed that grows beside the Nile. The ramps were dismantled after the pyramid was completed.

Workshops
Stones blocks were cut to shape ready for kauling into place.

Finished pyramid
When all the stone blocks had been laid, the whole pyramid was covered with polished limestone slabs.

Workforce
Modern scholars believe that it took 4000 - 5000 labourers several years to build the Great Pyramid. The workforce was probably made up of farmers, who worked on the pyramid when they could not farm due to the annual flood.