Art and architecture（Reference for Teaching）
reference for teachingi.異域風(fēng)情
the great pyramid
the kings of ancient egypt were very rich. they planned strong tombs to keep their bodies of the dead. these tombs kept the bodies safe. they also held the treasures of the dead.
over the tombs, the kings built huge stone pyramids. there are about eighty known pyramids in egypt. the great pyramid is the largest of all. it was built by a king called khufu. the great pyramid stands on the west bank of the nile river not far from cairo. in fact, all the pyramids are on the west bank of the nile. there is a reason for this. the sun rises in the east, and sets in the west. the ancient egyptians compared the rising of the sun with the beginning of life and the setting of the sun with the end of life. they compared day to life and night to death. this is why they buried their dead on the west bank of the nile.
it's very hard to realize just how big the great pyramid is. it has over 2 300 000 blocks of solid stone. these huge stone blocks weigh an average of two and a half tons each, as much as a small car. some even weigh fifteen tons. without machinery, the ancient egyptians cut and moved and lifted each of these stones. the blocks came from the east bank of the nile. slaves took them across the nile in boats at flood time. it took more than 100 000 slaves twenty years to build the great pyramid.
the great pyramid is over 450 feet high today, and it was once higher. its base covers thirteen acres. each of the sides of the pyramid is 755 feet long, or about as long as two city blocks. it takes about twenty minutes to walk all the way around the pyramid.
every king wanted his tomb to be the finest. but khufu outdid them all. the surface of his pyramid used to shine with smooth white limestone, and its top came to a sharp point. inside, the body of khufu rested in a great stone coffin. his body was preserved to last forever, and about him lay many treasures.
now after many years, weather has worn away the shining surface, and men have taken some of the huge stones to build other: things. thieves have stolen the treasures, and they have even stolen the body of khufu himself.
today, the sides of the great pyramid are no longer smooth and white. the lime- stone is gone. the huge stones are exposed and you can climb them, like steps, to the top. when you have reached the top, you can see miles around you. you can see the smaller pyramids and the sphinx, the great stone statue of the lion with a human head.to the west.you can see the libyan desert；to the east，you can see the green nile valley and the modern city of cairo.