pyramid of giza

It is estimated that the pyramid weighs approximately 6 million tonnes, and consists of 2.3 million blocks
of limestone and granite, some weighing as much as 80 tonnes. Originally, the Great Pyramid was
covered by limestone casing stones that formed a smooth outer surface; what is seen today is the
underlying core structure. Some of the casing stones that once covered the structure can still be seen
around the base. There have been varying scientific and alternative theories about the Great Pyramid's
construction techniques. Most accepted construction hypotheses are based on the idea that it was built
by moving huge stones from a quarry and dragging and lifting them into place..

parthenon

Its massive foundations were made of limestone, and the columns were made of Pentelic marble, a
material that was utilized for the first time. The classicalParthenon was constructed between 447-432
BCE to be the focus of the Acropolis building complex. The architects were Iktinos and Kallikrates
(Vitruvius also names Karpion as an architect) and it was dedicated to the goddess Athena Pallas or
Parthenos (virgin). The temple’s main function was to shelter the monumental statue of Athena that
was made by Pheidias out of gold and ivory. The temple and the chryselephantine statue were
dedicated in 438, although work on the sculptures of its pediment continued until completion in 432
BCE.

Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

The auditorium is divided vertically into two unequal parts, the lower hollow or theatre and the upper
theatre or epitheatre. The two sub-sections are separated by a horizontal corridor for the movement of
spectators (width 1.82 m.), the frieze. The lower part of the auditorium wedge is divided into 12
sections, while the upper part is divided into 22 sections. The lower rows of the upper and lower
auditoriums have a presidency form, namely places reserved for important people. The design of the
auditorium is unique and based on three marking centres. Due to this special design, the architects
achieved both optimal acoustics and an opening for better viewing.

The circular orchestra, with a diameter of 20 m, constitutes the centre of the theatre. In the centre is a
circular stone plate, the base of the altar or thymele. The orchestra is surrounded by a special
underground drainage pipeline of 1.99 m width, called the euripos. The euripos was covered by a
circular stone walkway.
Opposite the auditorium and behind the orchestra develops the stage building of the theatre (skene),
which was constructed in two phases:[7] the first is placed at the end of the 4th century BCE and the
second in the middle of the 2nd century BCE. The format of the scene (which is partly preserved today)
is dated up to the Hellenistic period and consisted of a two-storey stage building and a proscenium in
front of the stage. There was a colonnade in front of the proscenium and on both of its sides, the two
backstages slightly protruded. East and west of the two backstages there were two small rectangular
rooms for the needs of the performers. Two ramps lead to the roof of the proscenium, the logeion,
where the actors later played. Finally, the theatre had two gates, which are now restored.

The Sphinx was not assembled piece by piece but was carved from a single mass of limestone exposed
when workers dug a horseshoe-shaped quarry in the Giza plateau. Approximately 66 feet tall and 240
feet long, it is one of the largest and oldest monolithic statues in the world

The Taj Mahal was constructed using materials from all over India and Asia. It is believed over 1,000
elephants were used to transport building materials. It took the efforts of 22,000 labourers, painters,
embroidery artists and stonecutters to shape the Taj Mahal.[39] The translucent white marble was
brought from Makrana, Rajasthan, the jasper from Punjab, jade and crystal from China. The turquoise
was from Tibet and the Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, while the sapphire came from Sri Lanka and the
carnelian from Arabia. In all, twenty-eight types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into
the white marble.[citation needed]

According to the legend, Shah Jahan decreed that anyone could keep the bricks taken from the scaffold,
and thus it was dismantled by peasants overnight.[40] A 15-kilometre (9.3 mi) tamped-earth ramp was
built to transport marble and materials to the construction site and teams of twenty or thirty oxen
pulled the blocks on specially constructed wagons.[41] An elaborate post-and-beam pulley system was
used to raise the blocks into desired position. Water was drawn from the river by a series of purs, an
animal-powered rope and bucket mechanism, into a large storage tank and raised to a large distribution
tank. It was passed into three subsidiary tanks, from which it was piped to the complex.[citation needed]

The plinth and tomb took roughly 12 years to complete. The remaining parts of the complex took an
additional 10 years and were completed in order of minarets, mosque and jawab, and gateway. Since
the complex was built in stages, discrepancies exist in completion dates due to differing opinions on
"completion". Construction of the mausoleum itself was essentially completed by 1643[8] while work on
the outlying buildings continued for years. Estimates of the cost of construction vary due to difficulties in
estimating costs across time. The total cost at the time has been estimated to be about 32 million Indian
rupees,[8] which is around 52.8 billion Indian rupees ($827 million US) based on 2015 values