The Pyramids of Egypt stand as a monument to the skill and determination of the Egyptian pharaohs and their ability to get thousands of people to do hard labor for generations.

The first pyramids were called "Step Pyramids" because they looked like giant steps. The pyramids we most recognize today, the smooth ones, were built later.

Egyptian people believed in another life beyond the one they lived on Earth. They believed that their pharaohs should have all kinds of earthly comforts in their journey to the next life. When a pharaoh died, he or she was embalmed, wrapped in preservative materials, and set in a sarcophagus (coffin) inside the pyramid. Also inside the pyramid were jewels, food, and other things the pharaoh would take with himself or herself into the next life.

How were the Pyramids built? Historians still don't know for sure. The stones used to build the Pyramids were massive, weighing many tons. These large stones were way too heavy for people to carry to the tall heights of the top of the Pyramids. More and more, historians think that the ancient Egyptians used ramps to push or pull the stones to the top.