EP8 Who Built the Pyramids?

Who Built the Pyramids? | 短故事＋5个词＋simple past＋小练习

Listening Text
P1: When many people think of ancient Egypt, they think of the pyramids of Giza. These pyramids are often seen as a symbol of ancient Egyptian culture. For a long time, people were not sure who actually built them. Some believed that the pyramids were built by slaves or even by foreigners. But today, archaeologists have new evidence. They have discovered an ancient city near the pyramids. Close to this city, there is a cemetery where the pyramid builders were buried. By studying these places, archaeologists now believe that the pyramids were built by ordinary Egyptians, not slaves.

P2: Building the pyramids was a huge task. It took about eighty years to complete them. Archaeologists believe that around twenty thousand to thirty thousand people worked on the construction. The workers had different jobs. Some carried heavy rocks, some moved materials, and others shaped stones into blocks. People worked in different teams, and each team had its own name. These teams often competed with each other to work faster and better.

P3: Life for these workers was not easy. Their work was hard, and their bodies suffered because of it. Scientists have studied skeletons found in the cemetery. According to their research, many workers had signs of broken bones and arthritis. This was likely caused by heavy work over a long period of time. Archaeologists have also found female skeletons in the cemetery. This suggests that women may have also worked on the pyramids. Most workers lived to be about forty to forty-five years old, while women usually lived slightly shorter lives.

P4: Even though the work was difficult, many workers felt proud of what they were doing. In the Great Pyramid, archaeologists found messages written by the workers. Instead of saying “slaves”, these messages called them “Friends of Khufu”. This shows that the pyramids were not just the tombs of kings. They were a national project. People believed they were building something important for Egypt and for history.

Words
- archaeologist: a scientist who studies people from the past by digging up old places and objects.
- evidence: facts or objects that help us know what really happened.
- ordinary: normal, not special or powerful.
- construction: the work of building something.
- skeleton: all the bones in a human or animal body.

Practice
Q1: It ______ about eighty years to complete the pyramids. (took / take)
Q2: Make one sentence about your own life using the simple past and a time expression in the past.