Egypt from Iconographic encyclopaedia of science, literature, and art.

Iconographic encyclopaedia of science, literature, and art. Egypt. At first glance, you'll notice a variety of animals, but if you look in the background, you'll quickly figure out the setting of this image- Egypt! The Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt were built as tombs for pharaohs about 4,500 years ago, and scientists and historians have since been trying to figure out exactly how the ancient Egyptians built these architectural wonders! This pyramid stands 448 feet tall and is made of limestone blocks that each weigh more than 4,000 pounds, which is much more than a person or group of people can easily carry! One simple machine used to move blocks during construction was the pulley, which uses a grooved wheel fixed to an axle and a cord like a rope that’s pulled through the wheel’s groove. One end of the rope would be tied around the block and a group of people would pull down on the opposite end. This changes the direction of the force, or the push or pull on an object, from being pushed downward by gravity to being pulled up. The force needed to move the block is decreased because the distance that the force has to move is longer. If many pulleys were used together, the force would decrease even more, making it much easier to lift and move blocks!