History · Level 3 · 157 words
The Pyramids of Egypt
Original passage © Studio AM, written for Fluency.
Thousands of years ago, the rulers of ancient Egypt, called pharaohs, ordered giant stone tombs to be built for themselves. The most famous of these tombs are the pyramids, which still stand near the Nile River today.
Each great pyramid was made of millions of heavy stone blocks. Workers cut the blocks from quarries, moved them to the building site, and stacked them into a shape that narrowed toward the top. Historians still study exactly how such heavy stones were lifted so high without modern machines. Many believe ramps and large teams of skilled workers were used.
The Egyptians believed that a pharaoh would continue to live in some way after death. Because of this belief, they filled the tombs with treasures, food, and objects the ruler might need. They also worked hard to protect the tombs from robbers, sometimes hiding the entrance or building false passages, though many tombs were still broken into over the centuries.
Source: Written for Fluency. Original passage © Studio AM, written for Fluency.