Sedimentary rocks have also been used by ancient people to create
statues, tombs, and homes. The Great Pyramids of Egypt are composed of
limestones with many fossils in them. The fossils are a large, one
celled protozoa called foraminifera. Legend has it that the Egyptian
workers would find some of these 1-2 cm "grains" and thought
they were the remains of a snack that their gods had eaten overnight.
When building material was scare, early people
used sandstone to carve their home into the sides of mountains. Artists
also used the easily eroded sandstones to create statues for all to
marvel at their civilization.
Statutes of King Ramses II tomb
in Egypt, carved in sandstone.
