Man fears Time, yet Time fears the Pyramids.
Among the seven wonders of the world, the Great Pyramids of Giza are the most mysterious and awe inspiring. Historians and Archaeologists have spent much time and effort finding the answer to the question: How were they built?.
The Great Pyramids of Giza were constructed during the fourth dynasty reigns of kings Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. "Each pyramid complex ( a grouping of pyramids, temples, and tombs) was started when a pharaoh assumed the throne and ended when he died. According to this idea, the Great Pyramids took around eighty years to construct.".
The idea for these great structures came about when a pharaoh named Djoser (Zoser) was displeased with the fact that the mastabas (rectangular tombs made of clay that were used prior to the pyramids) were eroding and falling apart. This certainly would not do for an eternal resting place. He called upon Imhotep, his chief architect so to speak. Imhotep concluded that the material needed for Djoser's tomb must be both sturdy and plentiful in the region. Based on these criteria, Imhotep decided to use stone. He succeeded in building a grand structure--the Step Pyramid of King Zoser. This is exactly what its name states. It is a series of mastabas, one on top of another in a step pattern. This step pyramid gave rise to the Great Pyramids at Giza.
The Egyptian pyramids have been victim to a number of outrageous claims and theories about their construction. These range from curses to the involvement of space aliens. Because the structure of the pyramids is so astounding, people want to know how the Egyptians accomplished this task with access to only primitive tools and very primitive machinery. "Two tools that were used were used for surveying, the merkhet (the instrument of "knowing" which is similar to an astrolabe) and they bay which was a sighting tool believed to have been made from the central rib of a palm leaf.