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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBuilding Great Pyramid Today Would Cost $5 Billion
Building Great Pyramid Today Would Cost $5 Billion
Even with the advantage of modern technology, replicating the building of Egypts great pyramids would prove costly and time-consuming. Back in the days of the pharaohs, it took about 20 years and thousands of slaves to construct the Great Pyramid of Giza (a.k.a. the Pyramid of Khufu). The ancient marvel stands 756 feet long on each side, 481 feet high, and is composed of 2.3 million stones weighing nearly 3 tons each. To reconstruct the pyramid today, using trucks, cranes and helicopters, the project would still require 1,500 to 2,000 workers and cost about $5 billion, according to Jean-Pierre Houdin, a French architect who has helped create a virtual model of the ancient construction system. And it would take five years to complete.
To give some perspective, the worlds most expensive building currently is use is thought to be the Wynn Las Vegas resort, which cost $2.7 billion to construct.
http://www.allgov.com/Unusual_News/ViewNews/Building_Great_Pyramid_Today_Would_Cost_5_Billion_Dollars_120226
Johnny Rico
(1,438 posts)At least that's what I've heard, since the Egyptians of 5,000 years ago couldn't possibly have been smart enough to build the things themselves. Hey, it was on the "History" channel, so it must be true!
The Straight Story
(48,121 posts)TheWraith
(24,331 posts)CAPHAVOC
(1,138 posts)Think of all the jobs.
saras
(6,670 posts)You have to analyze what will happen to the environment 2000 years in the future because of your construction.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)11 Bravo
(23,926 posts)thucythucy
(8,086 posts)runs between $4.5 to $5 billion. I wonder if they'll be major tourist attractions, three to four thousand years from now.
And contrary to what this article states, it is now thought that the workers who built the pyramids were NOT slaves.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html
In fact, there is some speculation that at least part of the purpose of building the pyramids was to provide work and income for unemployed workers, especially during the times when the Nile flooded and it was impossible to find work on the farms.