Building a Modern Pyramid

by Hana Kwon

Pyramids stand tall and proud as the most popular moments in Egypt. But these massive pyramids were not built overnight. As many as 100,000 laborers were carrying limestones weighing more than a ton, while tortured by the heat and dust of the desert. Ropes and wooden ramps were used to move each massive stone in place to build a perfect tomb for the Kings of Egypt. Despite the torturous process, laborers slaved away for decades to build the Great Pyramid at Giza.

These days, construction is not so exhausting. Construction men rely on technology to haul bricks and concrete. Workers have the leisure to take a cigarette break when work gets too tiring and some have the easy task of keeping pedestrians away from the construction site. What would happen if building a pyramid was put in the hands of these construction workers? Will building a pyramid in the modern day be less arduous?

Professor of Art History in New York University Carol Krinsky claims that building a pyramid today will take less time and effort. “It would take far less time to build one [a pyramid] today because we have machines to cut and lift stones,” says Krinksy, “today, we might use stone but for something as massive as a pyramid, and for something that used a great deal of solid material, we would probably use concrete and reinforced concrete.”

However, the building of the monument is not the only factor. According to Krinsky, the cost of the overall project is unpredictable, and calculating the cost is impossible. “I cannot calculate the cost, and no one can, because the cost depends upon such things as the cost of labor, the cost of materials, the cost of transportation for these materials, and the cost of planning.”

While to some building a modern pyramid may be intriguing, others believe that building a pyramid is a waste of time and money. BCI Construction company claims that building a pyramid has never crossed their mind because it is not needed in the present day as it was needed in Ancient Egypt.

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