The secrets and mysteries of Egypt's Pyramids of Giza
Luke Rix-Standing
28 December 2023
Wonder of the world
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The pyramids are very, very, very old
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They've witnessed most of human history
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The Great Pyramid was the tallest structure in the world for 3,800 years
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It's also the only wonder of the ancient world left standing
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There's the Khufu Pyramid...
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...the Khafre Pyramid...
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...and the Menkaure Pyramid
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We're still not totally sure how they were built
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They're architecturally extremely advanced
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There are many, many other tombs around the pyramids
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They weren't built by slaves
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The pyramids' interiors are eerie but unspectacular
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The pyramids once looked very different
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Why were they built?
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Pyramid-building had fallen out of favour by the New Kingdom
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Herodotus visited in the 450s BC
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The Muslim caliphs were equally impressed
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Though one tried to destroy them
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Looting and grave-robbing stripped them bare
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Napoleon won the so-called 'Battle of the Pyramids'
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Egypt gained international attention
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Egyptology became a fashionable pursuit
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Egyptology has attracted criticism
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The pyramids were an allied barracks during the First World War
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Upper-class tourism started in the 19th century
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The pyramids have become a magnet for conspiracy
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Air travel and mass tourism changed the game
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The pyramids are now used for art and culture...
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...and sometimes for politics
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New discoveries are still being made
Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities
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