← All documentaries

The Great Pyramid of Giza

A ten‑minute journey through the planning, labor, and engineering that raised Khufu’s monument.

Chapters

• 0:07 Khufu's Vision
• 1:34 Design and Materials
• 3:19 The Workforce
• 4:46 Building the Pyramid

On-screen text

• 0:07 Khufu's Vision
• 0:14 Khufu's Vision
• 0:31 Khufu's name on the burial boat Historical record · Khufu boat, Egyptian Museum, Cairo (inscribed serekh)
• 0:49 Hemiunu's official titles Historical record · Mastaba of Hemiunu, Giza (G 7430) inscriptions
• 1:07 Merer's limestone transport log Historical record · Wadi al‑Jarf Papyrus (Papyrus 100), Merer's diary, ca. 2600 BCE
• 1:25 Quarry inscription for Khufu Historical record · Inscription at the Tura limestone quarry, ca. 2600 BCE
• 1:34 Design and Materials
• 1:41 Design and Materials
• 1:58 Casing stone tool marks Historical record · Polished limestone casing stones, base of the Great Pyramid, now MFA Boston (Object 1975.123)
• 2:16 Copper tools on stone The Institute's interpretation · John Baines, “Stoneworking in Ancient Egypt”, 1995
• 2:34 Precise north alignment Historical record · Egypt Exploration Society survey, 1905
• 2:52 Straight ramp hypothesis The Institute's interpretation · Mark Lehner, “The Great Pyramid: Ancient Egypt Revisited”, 1997
• 3:10 Internal spiral ramp idea The Institute's interpretation · Zahi Hawass, “The Secret of the Great Pyramid”, 2000
• 3:19 The Workforce
• 3:26 The Workforce
• 3:43 Giza workers' town remains Historical record · Excavation report, Zahi Hawass et al., “The Giza Workers’ Village”, 2005
• 4:01 Workers' diet from remains Historical record · Animal bones and grain remains from the workers’ village, Giza, 2005
• 4:19 Estimated workforce size The Institute's interpretation · Rainer Stadelmann, “The Construction of the Great Pyramid”, 1991
• 4:37 Herodotus' slave story Tradition / scripture · Herodotus, Histories, Book II
• 4:46 Building the Pyramid
• 5:01 Copper chisels shaped limestone casing (MFA Boston) Historical record · Polished limestone casing stones, base of the Great Pyramid, now MFA Boston (Object 1975.123)
• 5:17 Lehner: straight mudbrick ramp on south side The Institute's interpretation · Mark Lehner, “The Great Pyramid: Ancient Egypt Revisited”, 1997
• 5:33 Hawass: internal spiral ramp inside pyramid The Institute's interpretation · Zahi Hawass, “The Secret of the Great Pyramid”, 2000
• 6:45 Pyramid Texts: king ascends to heavens Historical record · Pyramid Texts, Chamber 1 of the Great Pyramid, 24th Dynasty copy

Sources

Historical record: Khufu boat, Egyptian Museum, Cairo (inscribed serekh) · Mastaba of Hemiunu, Giza (G 7430) inscriptions · Wadi al‑Jarf Papyrus (Papyrus 100), Merer's diary, ca. 2600 BCE · Inscription at the Tura limestone quarry, ca. 2600 BCE · Polished limestone casing stones, base of the Great Pyramid, now MFA Boston (Object 1975.123) · Egypt Exploration Society survey, 1905 · Excavation report, Zahi Hawass et al., “The Giza Workers’ Village”, 2005 · Animal bones and grain remains from the workers’ village, Giza, 2005 · Pyramid Texts, Chamber 1 of the Great Pyramid, 24th Dynasty copy

Tradition / scripture: Herodotus, Histories, Book II

The Institute's interpretation: John Baines, “Stoneworking in Ancient Egypt”, 1995 · Mark Lehner, “The Great Pyramid: Ancient Egypt Revisited”, 1997 · Zahi Hawass, “The Secret of the Great Pyramid”, 2000 · Rainer Stadelmann, “The Construction of the Great Pyramid”, 1991

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 290 s of CPU.