GREAT WALL OF CHINA
Imagine a huge wall stretching for thousands of miles across the land. The wall winds through hills, climbs mountains, and crosses deserts. If you visit China you can see a wall like this. The Great Wall of China , as it is known, is the longest structure ever built. The Great Wall of China zigzags across parts of northern China . It was built section by section over centuries. In fact, there are many gaps between the sections, so the Great Wall isn't a single, solid wall. But if all the sections are measured, the wall is about 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) long!
WHY WAS THE GREAT WALL BUILT?
Since ancient times, Chinese people have built walls to protect their borders. Some walls were built between parts of China that were fighting each other. Other walls protected China from outside invaders. More than 2,000 years ago, the first emperor of China built a long wall to defend the northern border. The emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, thought of connecting older existing walls with sections of a new wall. The wall he built is considered China ’s first Great Wall.
By the late 1400s, much of the old wall had fallen into ruin. The Ming dynasty, a group that ruled China , decided to build a new wall. The Ming rulers wanted to keep China safe from the Mongols, who had a powerful army. They also wanted to move part of the wall farther south. There it could be built to form a long defensive ring around Beijing , the capital city.
HOW WAS THE GREAT WALL BUILT?
At first, builders used the same construction methods that were used to make the old wall. They packed soil between heavy wood frames. But by the 1500s, the Ming rulers had decided to make parts of the wall much stronger. They ordered their builders to make the wall’s foundation from granite blocks. The sides were built from stone or brick. Workers built watchtowers into the wall so that soldiers would see Mongol attackers coming. A soldier who spotted the enemy could use a warning signal, such as a torch, to alert a soldier in the next tower. Such signals could be relayed quickly from one tower to the next.
The wall is biggest and strongest near Beijing . There, the wall is about 25 feet (7.5 meters) high and 30 feet (9 meters) thick. The top of the wall is paved with brick, forming a road. The road is wide enough to hold ten soldiers marching side by side. Construction on the wall continued until the mid-1600s, when the Ming dynasty was overthrown. By that time, it was the longest structure ever built anywhere on Earth.
THE GREAT WALL TODAY
For centuries, the Great Wall slowly fell apart. Local farmers and villagers used the wall as a source of building materials. Some sections of it were even torn down entirely. In the 1980s, the government of China began to repair the wall. A few sections were completely rebuilt. Today, the Great Wall is one of China ’s most popular tourist sites. Historians study the wall to learn about China ’s past.
Statue of Liberty
What monument is a symbol of American freedom known around the world? It is the Statue of Liberty in New York City ’s harbor. The statue became a symbol of freedom in the first half of the 20th century. That’s when millions of European immigrants came to the United States by ship and passed through the harbor. The statue of a tall lady holding a torch was a welcoming beacon.
A GIANT SCULPTURE
The Statue of Liberty is a giant sculpture of a woman dressed in flowing robes and wearing a spiked crown. Her right hand holds a gold torch high above her head. Her left arm holds a book of law with the date July 4, 1776, the date Americans declared their independence from Britain . The statue from base to torch is 305 feet (93 meters) high. The lady herself stands 151 feet (46 meters) tall.
VISITING THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
The Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island . You can reach the island by ferry from New York City . An elevator takes you to an observation deck at the top of the monument’s base. Some visitors climb 354 steps to reach the statue’s crown. From there, they have a spectacular view of New York City and its harbor. Ellis Island, where millions of immigrants entered the United States , is located nearby.
GIFT FROM FRANCE
The people of France gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States in 1884. The gift honors the alliance between the two nations during the American Revolution. Thousands of French citizens donated the money to build the statue. After completion, the statue was exhibited in France . It was then taken apart for shipment to the United States and put back together at its present location. United States president Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty on October 28, 1886. A poem is written on the base of the monument. It includes these words: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.…”
PyramidsGrand tombs and gateways to the afterlife—the pyramids of Egypt are among the world’s most magnificent monuments. Their massive size and simple shape fascinate people. Ancient peoples in the Americas and the Middle East also built pyramids. But the largest and best known were constructed in Egypt more than 3,500 years ago. Around 100 pyramids still stand on the west bank of the Nile River .
ROYAL RESTING PLACES
Pyramids were lavish tombs built only for royalty and other high-ranking people. The ancient Egyptians believed that the spirits of dead people could live on only if their bodies survived. So they preserved dead bodies by making them into mummies. Mummies are dried-out bodies wrapped in linen bandages. The ancient Egyptians buried the mummies securely inside pyramids.
Many treasures were buried with royal mummies. The ancient Egyptians believed that all of the items a person used in life would also be needed after death. They buried thousands of items with pharaohs and other important people. These items were made of the richest materials, such as gold and jewels. Some mummies even had coffins made from solid gold! Pyramids were holy places, where spirits passed into the afterlife. Hieroglyphs (picture writing) were carved inside to guide each spirit on its journey. Priests made offerings at nearby temples to help the spirits.
BUILDING A PYRAMID
Building a pyramid was an enormous project. The largest, the Great Pyramid of King Khufu, measured an astonishing 482 feet (147 meters) high. That’s 50 stories high! Thousands of laborers worked for years to build it. They cut millions of huge stone blocks. These blocks could weigh as much as 33,000 pounds (15,000 kilograms)! The laborers dragged them up earthen ramps using ropes, wooden rollers, and muscle power.
PYRAMID DESIGN
The pyramids’ shape developed from boxlike brick tombs, built one on top of the other. The first true pyramid was designed for the Egyptian king Sneferu, who died in 2551 bc. Workers laid stone blocks on a square foundation, then added layers on top, each smaller than the one below. They covered the resulting stair-step shape with stone slabs to create smooth, sloping sides. Inside, each pyramid had rooms for the dead person and for the treasures to be used in the afterlife. Entrances were hidden by secret passages and doors. Even so, most pyramids were looted by grave robbers. The robbers found most of the hidden rooms and stole the treasures.
