A NEAR vmw OF THi: GRI^AT PYRAMID 



No building, ancient or modern, has ever commanded so much interest and attention as 

 this vast tomb of Khufu. Today it measures about 755 feet at the base and its height is 451 

 feet. Before its outer limestone casing was removed the sides were 20 feet longer and the 

 top 30 feet higher. It has been calculated that the weight of its stones amounts to some 

 6 million tons and that it contains enough material to build a town large enough to house 

 120,000 people. The Greek historian, Herodotus, states that 100,000 men were employed for 

 over 20 years in its erection, working in relays of three months at a time. Near the Second 

 Pyramid the remains of barracks, affording accommodation for 4,000 skilled masons, can still 

 be traced. The stone was cut from quarries on the opposite side of the Nile and floated 

 across at the time of the annual inundation. 



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