How did the Egyptians build such big, tall pyramids? — James of Bentonville, AR

Dear James,

There are several ideas about how the Egyptians built the pyramids. The most accepted one is that they cut big limestone blocks with copper chisels and saws. Gangs of men dragged them to the pyramid site and pushed the first layer of stones into place. Next, they built long ramps of earth and brick to drag up the next layer of stones. They continued this process until they made it to the top. Finally, they covered the pyramid with an outer coating of white casing stones. They laid them so close together that it looked like the pyramid was cut out of a single white stone.

We may never know exactly how the Egyptians built the pyramids. But, these pyramids show that ancient people were intelligent and had great technical skills.