Egypt and the Nile: floods, farming, pharaohs, pyramids and hieroglyphs
Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me
NameDate
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Building the Great Pyramid of Giza
Topic What we know How we know Height about 146.6 m when built; about 138.5 m today, after most of the smooth outer casing was removed measurements of the pyramid Base each side about 230.3 m measurements of the pyramid Stone mostly local limestone; white limestone from Tura for the casing; granite blocks of up to 80 tonnes from Aswan, brought by boat on the Nile study of the stone and quarries Tools hardened copper chisels, wooden mallets, ropes and stone tools tools found beside an unfinished block in a quarry Records a supervisor's log of limestone deliveries from Tura to Giza the Diary of Merer, papyrus rolls found in 2013 How much lower is the Great Pyramid today than when it was built, Kira asks?
- About 8.1 m lower
- It is taller today
- About 92 m lower
- About 285.1 m lower
How did the granite from Aswan reach the building site, Luz asks?
- Carried by hand across the desert
- On paved Roman roads
- Dug from the site itself
- By boat on the Nile
The cell marked ? is blank. Milo's chart has a blank: how do we know about the limestone deliveries?
- The Diary of Merer, found in 2013
- Tools found beside a block
- Measurements of the pyramid
- Herodotus saw the building
Building the Great Pyramid of Giza
Topic What we know How we know Height about 146.6 m when built; about 138.5 m today, after most of the smooth outer casing was removed measurements of the pyramid Base each side about 230.3 m measurements of the pyramid Stone mostly local limestone; white limestone from Tura for the casing; granite blocks of up to 80 tonnes from Aswan, brought by boat on the Nile study of the stone and quarries Tools hardened copper chisels, wooden mallets, ropes and stone tools tools found beside an unfinished block in a quarry Records a supervisor's log of limestone deliveries from Tura to Giza the Diary of Merer, papyrus rolls found in 2013 Why bring heavy granite by boat rather than overland, Noah asks?
- Roads ran straight from Aswan
- Granite floats on water
- Boats were faster than rivers
- The river could carry huge, heavy loads
Why is the pyramid lower today than when it was built, Pia asks?
- It was built shorter on purpose
- The pyramid sank into the Nile
- Most of its outer casing was removed
- Its base grew much wider over the years
Historians still debate how the blocks were raised into place. Which claim is careful, Ren asks?
- We know the exact method for certain
- No one moved the blocks
- Ramps are one idea, but it is debated
- The blocks were lifted by large steel machines
Herodotus on the Egyptian calendar
Who wrote it When Excerpt Herodotus, a Greek writer who visited Egypt (English translation by A. D. Godley, 1920, p. 279) about 430 BCE “…their reckoning is, to my mind, a juster [fairer] one than that of the Greeks; for the Greeks add an intercalary [extra] month every other year, so that the seasons may agree; but the Egyptians, reckoning [counting] thirty days to each of the twelve months, add five days in every year over and above the number, and so the completed circle of seasons is made to agree with the calendar.” A real year is about 365¼ days, and the Egyptian year had 365. Was Herodotus right that the seasons stayed matched, Ari asks?
- Yes: Greeks added extra days too
- No: it drifted a month each year
- Not quite: it drifted about a day every four years
- Yes: 365 days matches the seasons exactly
Building the Great Pyramid of Giza
Topic What we know How we know Height about 146.6 m when built; about 138.5 m today, after most of the smooth outer casing was removed measurements of the pyramid Base each side about 230.3 m measurements of the pyramid Stone mostly local limestone; white limestone from Tura for the casing; granite blocks of up to 80 tonnes from Aswan, brought by boat on the Nile study of the stone and quarries Tools hardened copper chisels, wooden mallets, ropes and stone tools tools found beside an unfinished block in a quarry Records a supervisor's log of limestone deliveries from Tura to Giza the Diary of Merer, papyrus rolls found in 2013 Bo's note says, "The Great Pyramid is 146.6 m tall today." Which fix is right?
- Leave it: 146.6 m is in the chart, so it is fine
- Change "m" to "km"
- Change "today" to "when it was built"
- Change "146.6" to "230.3"
Esme's note says, "We know for certain that ramps lifted every block." Which fix is right?
- Leave it: ramps are the answer
- Change it: ramps are one debated idea
- Change "ramps" to "cranes"
- Change "block" to "boat"
Jun's note says, "The granite came from Giza." Which fix is right?
- Change "Giza" to "Rome"
- Change "granite" to "papyrus"
- Change "Giza" to "Aswan"
- Leave it: the pyramid is at Giza