How the Great Pyramid Was Built Author:Craig B. Smith, Zahi Hawass, Mark Lehner A world-class engineer explains for the first time how the Great Pyramid was actually built. Going beyond even the expertise of archaeologists and historians, world-class engineer Craig Smith takes an in-depth look at the Great Pyramid of Giza as a massive engineering and construction project. How would the ancient Egyptians have develop... more »ed their building plans, devised work schedules, managed laborers, solved specific design and engineering problems, or even improvised on the job? The answers are here, along with dazzling, one-of-a-kind color photographs and beautiful hand-drawn illustrations of tools, materials, and building techniques the ancient masters used. In a walking tour of the construction of the Great Pyramid, Smith explains how the Egyptians looked carefully at earlier pyramids before planning this masterpiece; never again would they replicate its grandeur and perfection. In his foreword to the book, Egypt's undersecretary of state for the Giza Monuments explains the importance of understanding the Great Pyramid as a straightforward construction project. In his afterword, well-known Egyptian archaeologist Mark Lehner places Smith's work in the context of recent archaeological thinking about this magnificent and endlessly fascinating site. 32 color photographs, 50 b/w illustrations.« less