The Pyramids

The Royal Tombs from the Age of the Pyramids

For the Ancient Egyptians perservation of the entire body was of primary importance. and essential for the fundamental continuation of life after death. The Egyptian believed in a life after death very similar to the pleasant life that they lead beside the banks of the Nile. There has been found the remains of approximately 80 pyramids in Egypt. It is the three pyramids of Giza that are the most famous. The Kings and nobles of early Egypt were buried in modest tombs of sun dried brick. At the begining of the Third Dynasty, Imhotep, prime minister to King Djoser, a gifted architect and physician, designed a new type of stone for his Pharaoh. This first new type of tomb was what we now call the Step Pyramid. This pyramid rose in six unequal steps to an eventual height of 204 feet. The begining building only was 26 feet high. This was then extended about 14 feet on all four sides and a second facing of limestone was added. A step mastaba had now been formed, and another enlargement of 28 feet was added to the eastern side. It was at this point that a new design was undertaken and another 9.5 feet on the East side, making it the lowest step ofthe four step pyramid. Finally the pyramid was extended on the north and west, and the four steps now extended to being six steps. A little was added at a time and in the final stages, it was dressed and encased in limestone. Other pyramids that have been built make it possible for us to trace the gradual transition from step pyramid to a true pyramid.

References Used:                                    David, A. Rosalie "The Egyptian Kingdoms" Hart, George "Ancient Egypt" Steedman, Scott "Pocket Ancient Egypt" Westendorf, W."Painting, Sculpture & Architecture in Ancient Egypt"

Pyramid and Reflecting Pool

The pyramids that have made Egypt so famous are truly one of the world's greatest architectural achievements. The ancient Greeks considered the pyramids of Egypt one of the seven greatest wonders of the world, and today they are the only one that are still standing.

One of the oldest mysteries about the pyramids is just how did ancient man move such massive blocks of stone using only Stone Age tools? The Ancient Egyptians left a profuse number of illustrations depicting daily life during the Old Kingdom, however, none of these show us how the pyramids were actually built.

The first pharaoh to build a pyramid was Zoser (Netjerkhet) in the 3rd Dynasty, and the first "true pyramid" was built by King Sneferu of the 4th Dynasty . The largest pyramid was built by the son of Sneferu, King Khufu, who was also known as Cheops. The Great Pyramid or Cheops/Khufu's Pyramid stands about 147 metres high on the Giza Plateau located near Cairo. Two million separate blocks of limestone were used construct this monument and it took laborers approximately 20 years to complete it.

Pyramids were constructed by large work gangs over this 20 year period. This labor was not done by slaves, but in fact was performed by hired labor during the season when agricultural work was not being done. Herodotus believed that it took over 100,000 men to achieve that in this peiod of time, whereas modern day Egyptologists believe that this number was closer to 20,000 men.

Types of Pyramids