Pyramids of Ancient Egypt
Explore the giant triangles of stone the ancient Egyptians built — the shapes, the maths and the history behind them.
Learning objectives
- Name 2D and 3D shapes seen in a pyramid (triangle, square, square-based pyramid).
- Describe the faces, edges and vertices of a square-based pyramid.
- Locate Egypt on a map and place the pyramids in history.
- Explain why a wide base and a point make a stable shape.
Teaching the topic
Build shape vocabulary first, and carefully separate the 2D triangle from the 3D (square-based) pyramid — children often merge them. A net of a square-based pyramid (one square + four triangles) makes the faces concrete. Link the stability of the wide-base-to-point form to what children can feel when they build one.
Background for the teacher
The pyramids at Giza were built about 4,500 years ago as royal tombs; the Great Pyramid of Khufu is the largest. Each is a square-based pyramid: a square base and four triangular faces meeting at a point (apex), built from millions of limestone blocks and aligned remarkably closely to the compass points, with strong bilateral symmetry. The topic tiers by age (the same subject, deeper each time): 4–5 "what shapes can you see?"; 6–8 triangles, squares and 3D shapes; 8–11 symmetry, geometry and architecture; 11–14 proportion, engineering and the historical significance of the pyramids.
How we say it to children
The pyramids in Egypt are made of huge blocks of stone, built more than four thousand years ago. Each one has a square bottom and four triangle sides that meet in a point at the top. What shapes can you see?
Vocabulary
- pyramid
- a 3D shape with a flat base and triangular sides meeting at a point
- face
- a flat surface of a 3D shape
- edge
- where two faces meet
- vertex
- a corner where edges meet
- square-based pyramid
- a pyramid with a square base and four triangular faces
Discussion questions
- How many faces does a square-based pyramid have?
- Why do you think a wide base and a point on top make a strong shape?
- What shapes can you find in buildings near you?
Now make something
Design your own pyramid pattern using triangles. Can you make the triangles fit together with no gaps?
Fill a big triangle with smaller triangles in different colours.
Make a repeating pattern of triangles that fit together with no gaps.
Design a symmetrical tiling of triangles and describe its symmetry.
Extension activities
- Build a pyramid from a paper net or from straws.
- Find pyramids and triangles in buildings near you.
- Draw a pyramid from the top, the side and the front.