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	The Great Pyramid

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	ピラミッドの存在自体は有名ですが、誰も真実は分からない・・・とても夢がありますね。自分は宇宙人の類は元々興味無いですが、人知を遥かに超えていて、信じたくもなります。遺跡の保護だけでなく、これから謎が少しでも解明される事を期待しています. Yasunobu Murata Aoyamagakuin Univ.


	Pre-reading Questions: What country is Giza in?

	Memphis and its Necropolis ? the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur,Egypt Inscribed :1979 Criteria: C (ⅰ)(ⅲ)(ⅵ) Brief description: The capital of the Old Kingdom of Egypt has some extraordinary funerary monuments, including rock tombs, ornate mastabas, temples and pyramids. In ancient times, the site was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Memphis and its Necropolis ? the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur - UNESCO World Heritage Centre Reading Passage: The longest river on earth, the Nile, runs through the African continent. Ancient Egypt’s civilization first developed along its banks about 5000 years ago. Sixty or so pyramids have been discovered to date, half of them concentrated in the suburbs of Cairo. The largest is the Great Pyramid of Khufu, around The Great Pyramid there are two other pyramids. The second biggest one in the Giza Pyramid complex is made by King Khafra. The third biggest one is a pyramid for Menkaura. In front of the terrific trio sits the famous Sphinx, which is a very big half lion half human statue.

	In the fourth dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom, that King Khufu commissioned the building of the largest pyramid of all, the Great Pyramid, which is the last remaining wonder of the Seven Wonders of the World.

	(1)The generally accepted opinion is that the monument was built around the year 2560 BC to serve as a tomb when he dies. The Egyptian people believed that if they built a good, strong pyramid, the dead pharaoh could help and protect Egypt as a god.

	What you should be surprised at is size and accuracy. It was covered with a casing of stones to smooth its surface (some of the casing can still be seen near the top of Khefre's pyramid). The sloping angle of its sides is 51 degrees and 51 minutes. Each side is carefully oriented with one of the cardinal points of the compass, that is, north, south, east, and west. This numerical value is more accurate from a building of Royal Greenwich Observatory. The horizontal cross section of the pyramid is square at any level, with each side measuring 229 m (751 ft) in length. The maximum error between side lengths is astonishingly less than 0.1%. The structure consists of approximately 2 million blocks of stone, each weighing more than two tons. It is 147 meters high, equivalent to a 40-storey building. (2)The stones are laid so precisely that not even a razor can be slipped between the joints. Inside the pyramid, the Great Gallery leads to the King’s Chamber. The five horizontal layers of space above the King’s Chamber are said to disperse the stones’ enormous weight. A stone coffin without a lid was discovered here but not the mummy of the King. It is thought that in 816 AD Caliph al-Mamun first ordered workers to blast through the blocked stone entrance in order to explore within Khufu's pyramid. But looters, probably from dynastic Egyptian times, had already absconded with King Khufu's burial treasures and his body. Khufu or any of his successors who were buried at Giza.

	Who built the monument? In the past, the work was thought to have been carried out by slaves, but evidence discovered in 1990 indicates that this was not the case. Burial grounds of laborers have been discovered. An attendance book was found which provided hints to the lives of ancient Egyptian workers. This person was absent due to a hangover. (3)The workers were free to take leave, an indication they were not forced labour. It's believed to have taken 100,000 laborers about 20 years to build the mammoth Khufu pyramid. Although it is not known how the blocks were put in place, several theories have been proposed. But,It is not easy for even a construction machine of the present age to carry a stone that is 70 tons at the maximum. The construction of these gigantic monuments gradually declined 500 years after the first pyramid was built. The decline has been linked to various factors: change in environment, lack of materials and political instability. But, it still remains a mystery. Many scholars think the pyramid shape was an important religious statement for the Egyptians, perhaps symbolizing the slanting rays of the sun. Some speculate the sloping sides were intended to help the soul of the king climb to the sky and join the gods. Throughout their history, the pyramids of Giza have stimulated human imagination.


	Web Sites: NOVA Online The great Pyramid of Giza NHK World Heritage 100 Series 世界の不思議科学技術振興機構古代文明の世界へようこそ

	http://www.shejapan.com/ > World Heritages > The Great Pyramid

	by yasunobu Murata Aoyama Gakuin College of Economics

	c 2006 SHEJapan.com


	Notes mastaba ピラミッド以前の古代エジプトの墓 African continent アフリカ大陸 concentrate 集中する Khufu クフ王 Khafra カフラー王 Menkaura メンカウラー王 dynasty 王朝 tomb 墓 pharaoh ファラオ：古代エジプト王の称号 cardinal points 基本方位 Royal Greenwich Observatory 王立グリニッジ天文台 Great Gallery 大回廊 Caliph al-Mamun 宗教指導者アル・マムーン盗掘したとされる人物 Burial grounds 埋葬地 hangover 二日酔い gigantic 巨大な


	ピラミッドの謎・TRIVIA ・３大ピラミッドのうち一番大きいピラミッドがクフ王、二番目がカフラー王、3番目がメンカウラー王(３基の衛星ピラミッドがくっついている)。・大ピラミッドは4500年前に作られた。・大ピラミッドは一つの石が平均2.5トンもあり、230万個・最大の石の重さは70トンにもなる。どうやって運んだのか・以前は表面が階段状では無く、つるつるな石灰岩の板で覆われていた。それも恐ろしいほどぴったりくっついている。が剥がされカイロ市内の建設物に使われてしまった。・何故か初期に作られたピラミッドほど精巧で大きいのに対し、後半に作られたピラミッドは小さく損傷も激しい・内部は壁画は無く装飾品も全く見つかっていない。・現在の観光用の入り口は9世紀にアル・マムーンが盗掘で空けた穴である・内部は王の墓にしては不自然なほどに無機質である・王の棺は固い花崗岩で出来ていて、内側の体積がちょうど外側の1/2になっている。・王の間の上にある空間は重力軽減の間と呼ばれていて、石の重みを分散しているらしい。・大ピラミッドの底辺は２３０mだが、最大誤差は１０cm 、現代建築より精巧である。・完璧に東西南北を向いていて、子午線に対し誤差はわずか1/60度である。４つの角は限りなく直角に近い。・およそ北緯30度に位置している。・スフィンクスは大地を削って作られている。水による侵食の跡から、ピラミッドより遥か昔に出来ていたという説もある。