In ancient Egypt, it was believed that when a pharaoh died, he became the God Osiris, king of the dead. Ancient Egyptians also believed that the spirit of the pharaoh, or his "Ka", remained in his body and continued to live there.

Due to this belief, the corpse of the dead Pharaoh was thought to need special preparation and preservation. Otherwise the dead pharaoh would be unable to perform his duties as the God Osiris.

However, there are many fascinating facts about the pyramids themselves that have been found to be very intriguing.

According to Time Life books and the National Geographic society, here are some very interesting things most people would find hard to believe about the great pyramids (ALL THESE FACTS WERE TAKEN FROM THESE TWO SOURCES):

The pyramids of Egypt are the oldest stone structures in the world.

The great pyramid is the only remaining structure in existence that was a part of the "Seven Wonders Of The World".

Pyramids were designed to look like a sacred pointed stone called a "benben". In their religion, the benben symbolized the rays of the sun. According to ancient text, the pharaohs were thought to have reached the heavens on these sunbeams.

It is a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit inside the pyramid even though temperatures outside can reach as high as 130 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

The great pyramid is a calendar that can calculate each year to within 3 decimal points.

The great pyramid is a sundial used to tell time by its shadow falling on marks made in the stone pavement that surrounds it.

The great pyramid often served as the beginning point for the construction of many ancient maps, much the same way as the Greenwich Meridian does today.

The Great Pyramid was built on the latitude and longitude that, at the time, contained the largest amount of land mass compared to all other positions.

The Sphinx, which sits at the forefront of the great pyramids, still continues to be the largest single stone statue in the world.

The pyramids contained everything that would be needed by their occupants in the afterlife, including a TOILET!

There are very unusual energy fields inside the pyramids. Visitors have been known to faint or go into shock when they are in the center of their interiors.

Numerically speaking, the great pyramid is equivalent to being an ancient stone computer. It's dimensions and angles could be used to calculate many things...including the circumference of a circle.

The Great Pyramid was originally encased in mantel stones, making its surface very smooth and polished. It is said that the sun reflecting off this surface could be seen hundreds of miles away and even from other countries.

Even though the builders of the Great Pyramid did not have accurate measuring devices, it is within 1 centimeter of being perfectly level.

It has been discovered that ancient Egyptians could use the dimensions of the great pyramid to calculate the distance the Earth travels around the sun and even the speed of light.

Check out this National Geographic Page about pyramids for even more about these ancient wonders!