The Egyptian pyramids remain quite mysterious. We do not know exactly who built them or how they were built. Time, thieves, and earthquakes have damaged many of them. Nearly all of the shining limestone rock that once covered the pyramids has been stolen or destroyed. Most of the treasures that once filled the pyramids are long gone. Even though the pyramids are not as magnificent as they once were, they are still a source of fascination. Millions of tourists from around the world come to visit the pyramids every year. Egyptologists also continue to study them, hoping to find answers to some of history’s greatest—and oldest—mysteries.

What do the Pyramid Texts discuss?*8 pointsHow to get to the underworldRa’s birth and the birth stories of other godsHow to build pyramidsHow to kill an Egyptian god

The Great Pyramid of Giza was constructed around 2550 B.C.E., though how it was built continues to be an archaeological mystery, since the large blocks of stone that make up the building are estimated to weigh as much as 10 tons. Recently, archaeologists have uncovered a ramp at Hatnub, the site of an ancient Egyptian stone quarry. The ramp dates to the time of Pharaoh Khufu, whose rule lasted from 2575-2465 B.C.E. The researchers also discovered two staircases running alongside the ramp, which were likely lined with posts connected with rope. These discoveries have led scholars to suggest that ------- Which choice most logically completes the text?the stones used to construct the Great Pyramid were quarried close to the site to minimize transportation distance.eliminatePharaoh Khufu invented the technology that allowed for the construction of the Great Pyramid.eliminatethe massive stones used to construct the Great Pyramid were at least partially transported using a ramp-and-rope system. eliminatemodern methods for transporting massive stone blocks are less effective than ancient methods were.

What word best describes the function of the pyramids?AReligious templesBBurial placesCRoyal palacesDApartment houses

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, thousands of Egyptian mummies were sold as (0) ………. to museums or as (2) ………. souvenirs to private collectors who wished to have a curious conversation piece in their (3) ………. . One such mummy wound (4) ……… on display in the Niagara Falls Museum for more than 140 years. Probably no one among the hundreds of thousands of tourists who viewed the wizened mummy would ever have expected that it would (5) ………… out to be Pharaoh Ramses I, (6) ………. of the nineteenth dynasty of Egypt, whose members ruled that country for about 110 years.The tomb of the pharaoh was located by an Italian archaeologist in 1817, but upon finding that the tomb had already been (7) ………. of any precious artefacts, he left the unwrapped mummy of Ramses in situ. The (8) ………… remains eventually landed in Niagara Falls, Canada, where they stayed for more than a century under the gawking stares of countless tourists. Only after the mummy was purchased by Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia did scholars (9) ………… that the mummy was Ramses I.

Who were some of the most famous pharaohs of ancient Egypt?*400 pointsGreat Pyramid Monotheism Female pharaoh United EgyptNarmer Khufu Akhenaten Hatshepsut Narmer Khufu Akhenaten Hatshepsut