Pyramids are among the seven wonders of the Ancient World. Pyramids are large structures with square bases and four smooth, triangular-shaped sides that come to a point at the top. The most famous pyramids are those built about 4,500 years ago as tombs for Egyptian king. Many scholars believe that the pyramids shape has a religious meaning to the Egyptians.

Many ancient Egyptian stone monuments still stand in the desert today. Although moisture, wind, sandstorms and tourists have damaged them, the pyramids, tombs, temples and colossal statues tell us much about the ideas, beliefs and technology of the people who built them. These incredibly complicated projects required expert skills and a huge workforce.

Astronomers studied the stars to determine the best sites, mathematicians and architects calculated the measurements, stonemasons shaped the blocks, and overseers organized the teams of several thousand laborers. Craftsmen worked soft stone with bronze and copper chisels. They pounded harder rocks with balls of dolerite, then rubbed the surface smooth with quartz sand. The Great Pyramids at Giza were faced originally with gleaming white Tura limestone and may have been capped with gold.