The Great PyramidOf all the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only one still exists today: the Great Pyramid of Cheops at Giza in Egypt. Surprisingly, it is by far the oldest of the Seven Wonders. It was already more than 2,000 years old during the time of the Ancient Greeks. For more than 4,000 years, the 481-foot-tall pyramid was the tallest structure ever built by man. It is about as tall as a fifty story building. No other building reached this height until the creation of the Eiffel Tower in 1887 (Putnam 20). The square base of the pyramid, 756 feet long on each side, spans 13 acres, the size of seven city blocks. The five largest cathedrals in Europe could all be integrated into the pyramid at the same time (The Pyramids). How was this impressive structure born? Why was it built, how and who built it? Some authors have called the pyramids mysterious, but recent archaeologists have found many answers to these questions. When we know how and why the pyramids were built, the Egyptian achievement seems even more impressive. The pyramids were the tombs of ancient Egyptian kings, or pharaohs. The pharaohs wanted to ensure that after they died, they would ascend to heaven and be worshiped as gods. According to Dr. Zahi Hawass, director of archeology at Giza, building a pyramid was a way to "help the king become a god." The shape of the pyramid could come from prehistoric Egyptian burial mounds, made of piled up earth. . This shape had religious significance, as the ancient Egyptians believed that the Earth was formed as a mound rising above a vast sea. "The pyramid was essentially this mound of creation," explains the official Egyptian website at about the pyramids. The pyramid was a “cocoon” (The Pyr...... middle of paper ....... WGBH Educational Foundation. 1997. Web. April 5, 2004. .Mann, Elizabeth. The Great Pyramid. New York: Miyaka, 1996. Print. Morell, Virginia. "The Pyramid Builders." National Geographic, November 2001: 78-99. Print. Putnam, James Pyramid: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994. Print. . Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service, 2004. Web. April 1, 2004. The Pyramids. State Information Service of Egypt. April 5, 2004. .Scarre, Chris, ed. Ancient: The Great Monuments and How They Were Built. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1999. Print.Stocks, Denys A. “Immutable Laws of Friction: Preparation and Adjustment of Stone Blocks in the Great Pyramid of Giza,” September. 2003. Web April 2... 2004.