Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza were built to endure an eternity, but how remains one of the ancient world’s greatest mysteries. Here’s what archaeologists know.

Imagine How the pyramids of Giza has been built

The ancient engineering feats at Giza were so impressive that even today scientists and engineers can’t be sure exactly how the pyramids were built. Yet they have learned much about the people who built them and the political power necessary to make it happen.

Archaeological sites across Egypt and records written on ancient papyri show that boatmen used the Nile River and a network of artificial waterways to bring materials to the Giza Plateau, including granite from Aswan quarries, copper cutting tools from the Sinai Peninsula, and timber from Lebanon. To sustain the workers, they also delivered cattle from farms near the Nile Delta.