Задание

Read the text. Write True, False or Not stated. Correct the false statements.

E.g.: The Pyramid of Giza was built 2000 years ago. - False, 4500

Or

Pyramids always remained a mystery to people. - True

Pyramids always remained a mystery to people. Even in 2018, we are discovering more about these ancient man-made marvels. Much to surprise, with every discovery we are realizing that there is more to uncover than ever before!

The Pyramid of Giza was built 4500 years ago in Egypt and remained the tallest man-made building until the 19th century.

On the subject of pyramids, which number crosses your mind if we were to ask you: how many pyramids are still standing on the earth? 5 or 10? No, the number is well more than 5000!

Imagine a time with no advanced machinery, when there were no cranes or forklifts. It was during this time when the Egyptians erected these pyramids with stones that weigh about 5-10 tons per piece! All of these stones were hoisted and laid one by one on top of each other. We can only imagine how the processes were carried on. Researchers are still working on figuring out how they achieved such a feat.

Despite the harsh fluctuating temperatures of day and night, the great pyramids maintain a constant inside temperature of 20 degrees Celsius.

There is an old Arabic proverb which translates to “Man fears time, time fears the pyramids”. Pyramids are one of the oldest standing wonders. The reason is the super adhesive mortar made to fix the stones in place. The mortar used in the construction of these pyramids has been analyzed over and over again. But the exact combination of the ingredients is still a mystery. Almost 500,000 tons of mortar was used, and the strength is more than the stones itself.

There exists a total of 3 swivel doors in the pyramid of Giza. One of the enormous doors is a 20-ton swivel door in the great pyramid. It is so well balanced that it can be opened from the inside with just one hand! When it is closed, the fit is so perfect that it blends in with the wall, making an impression that it is not even there!

At the time of construction, these ancient Egyptian pyramids were covered with a well-polished casing of limestone. The limestone, when laid on the pyramids sparkled literally like diamonds when the sun would shine. This shine made the structures visible from miles away. In fact, the first pyramid constructed by the Egyptians at the site of Saqqara around 4700 years ago, did not have triangular sides. It was the tomb of the Egyptian king, Djoser and had a flat roof, which led archaeologist to believe that the first-ever pyramids were indeed flat.

Mastabas were tombs for the people who did not have high ranks and their tombs were built in special chambers inside pyramids. Historians believe that the only reason for the Mastaba tombs being around would be that the souls inside them may continue to serve the king in their afterlife. The huge statue of Sphinx was built near the great pyramid around 4500 years ago. It has the body structure of a lion and the head of a pharaoh.The sole purpose of the Sphinx was to guard the pyramid of Khafre at Giza.

When the Egyptian pharaohs took over their thrones, they immediately ordered a new pyramid to be built. There is a long-held belief that the construction authorities forced the pharaohs’ servants to build the pyramids but this is not true. Workers willingly volunteered to build the pyramids and were paid on a daily basis. They were also given complimentary food to keep them healthy and strong in order to keep building the pyramids as the stones were heavy and they had little technology to help them. It is almost impossible to believe that humans did all the work manually, and research is still being carried out into what tools the Egyptians of that era used to attain such precision in measurement and alignment.

There are more than two swivel doors in the pyramid of Giza.