1. By: Gabby D.
1st Hour
Pyramids at Giza, Google Images
http://www.firsthdwallpapers.com/pyramid-of-giza-wallpapers.html,
28 January 2014
2. Basic Information
King Khufu,
http://egypttourists.blogspot.com/2011/06/khufu.html,
28 January 2014
From about 2650 BC to 1800 BC, a great number of
pharaohs were buried in the pyramids that were
used as great tombs.
Khufu (on the right) Khafre (Middle) Menkaure
(Left), these large triangular structures were
constructed under the order of these kings. The three
smaller pyramids in the front of Menkaure were
built for queens. 1
3. Building the Tombs
The word “Pyramid” (Mer in Ancient Egyptian) originated out of the
word pyramis in Ancient Greek translated as „a wheat cake‟.
Every stone used to build Khufu‟s pyramid weighs about 2 ½ tons. 2
Khufu‟s pyramid when is was freshly constructed was 460 feet tall,
now it is ten feet smaller than it was originally. The cause of this is
because the limestone casing has been left bare. Much of it was worn
down by time and natural reasons, but a lot of it was stolen in the
ninth century CE during the edifice of Cairo. 3
Bronze and wood levers were used to drag the heavy blocks to help
them fit into place. 4
There is extensive archeological proof that ramps were used to help
build these tombs and drag the bricks into their many stacks.
28 January 2014, http://www.technologystudent.com/culture1/egypt2.htm ,
Levers
4. Building the Tombs
Continued…
Khufu chose to build his tomb that falls near the west of
the Nile, directed toward the setting sun. Because in
Egyptian tales the sun died each night and was reborn in
the East at dawn, so he could travel with the sun god (Re)
all night and live again in the morning. 5
The Great Pyramid was built by 100,000 workers in shifts
up to three months for twenty years. A surprising theory
is that the workers might not have been slaves, but
willing workers wanting to serve their king. The theory
that enslaved Hebrews were working on this has been
proven false because the pyramids were built a
millennium before the Hebrews time. 6
5. Khufu‟s Pyramid
Built at about 2560 BCE for the pharaoh Khufu; also
known as, Cheops, “Smasher of Foreheads.” This ruler
had absolute power over his people and was quite harsh.
7
Made of limestone and 480 feet tall, it was the tallest
building on earth until 1311 AD. 8
It is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids on the
Giza Plateau.
It is made up of, an estimated number of 2.3 million
blocks.
29 January 2014, http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/pyramid2.htm,
Khufu‟s Pyramid Diagram
6. Khafre‟s Pyramid
This Pyramid was built for Khufu‟s son, Khafre.
Khafre‟s head is sculpted on the great Sphinx with a lion‟s
body. Carved out of bed rock, it is in front of the Pyramid
guarding it.
471 feet tall, built in 2520 BCE
Even though this pyramid is much smaller than his
fathers it looks the largest because it is thirty-three feet up
on bedrock. 9
The reason limestone is still on its top is because the
plunderers could not reach as far as the top to take it. 10
29 January 2014, http://fineartamerica.com/featured/great-sphinx-of-giza-and-the-pyramid-of-khafre-in-egypt-ignatius-tan.html,
Khafre‟s Pyramid
7. Menkaure‟s Pyramid
213 feet tall
Built in 2490 BCE
This pyramid was much smaller than the other two.
Inferences are: Prices were getting too high to build
another, or there wasn‟t much room left to build on
the Giza Plateau. 11
Menkaure ruled for 26 years and died before his
tomb was complete.
29 January 2014, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/37.6.1,
Statue of Menkaure.
8. The Great Sphinx
It is carved from natural rock and has a human‟s head (Khafre‟s)
and the body of a lion. It was built to protect the great tombs.
There are people that believe secret passages are in the heart of the
Sphinx, nothing has been found yet.12
The term “Sphinx” had come into use 2,000 years after its
construction. Its real name is left a mystery to us; we get the name
from Greek mythology, it was a human headed lion. 13
66 feet high and 240 feet long. It was built close to 10,000 years
ago. 13
29 January 2014, http://powertripberkeley.com/pyramids-of-egypt-sphinx-akashic-record-reading-asheville/, The Sphinx
9. Giza Complex
29 January 2014, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Giza_pyramid_complex_(map).svg,
Giza Complex
10. The Cemeteries at Giza
There were three cemeteries located on the Giza PlateauThe Eastern Cemetery, The Western Cemetery, and a
third smaller one south of Khufu‟s tomb.
In the Western Cemetery all of the men with a high
position in society; like Prince Hemiunu, the Pharaoh's
nephew were buried.
In the east the Pharaoh‟s sons and daughters were laid in
double stone mastabas (an ancient Egyptian tomb
rectangular in shape with sloping sides and a flat roof,
standing to a height of 17–20 feet (5–6 m), consisting of an
underground burial chamber with rooms above it) 14
29 January 2014, http://egyptsites.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/etombs-2.jpg%3Fw%3D497,
East Cemetery Tomb
11. Spells of Different
Pyramids
The first spells found were on Unas‟ chamber walls; the script tells the
unification of him and his father as he climbs a latter to the skies.
The many inscriptions and hieroglyphs written on the burial chambers
walls had a purpose; the purpose was to ensure that the Pharaoh
resurrected to his afterlife and united with the gods. 15
Texts in the passage directing to Unas‟ burial chamber says: This Unas
comes to you, O Nut,
This Unas comes to you, O Nut,
He has consigned his father to earth,
He has left Horus behind him.
Grown are his falcon wings,
Plumes of the holy hawk;
His ba has brought him
His magic has equipped him. 16
The devine goddess of the sky accepts him with words of her welcoming.
12. Valley Temple of Khafre
The best preserved mortuary temples are Khafre‟s. (2258-2532 BCE)
Auguste Mariette, famous Egyptologist, made his second principal
discovery unearthing the Valley Temple of Khafre. He started excavating
in 1853 and fully finished it in 1858. Though it was found in bad condition.
Another important discovery, the diorite stature of the pharaoh, Khafre. 17
Once standing in its halls 23 statues of the pharaoh stood, but now only the
bases are left, but Mariette salvaged one that is made up of polished
diorite. Wings folded, Horus stands in the form of a falcon and the king
sits in a throne that represented the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt. 18
This was the main entrance to the pyramid and it is connected to the Nile
river by canal.
The temple had two entrances symbolizing upper and lower Egypt.
It is called the Granite Temple because it is made up of red blocks of
polished Aswan granite. 19
29 January 2014, http://brianholihan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/img9631.jpg,
Valley Temple of Khafre
13. Khufu‟s Boats
In the 1950s a boat was found buried next to Khufu‟s pyramid
and was used to carry his body to his final resting place.
This boat had 1,224 parts made up out of Lebanese cedar and
sycamore wood.
It is 143 feet long, joined together by ropes and small wooden
pegs. It had six pairs of oars, but the boat probably would have
been pulled through the water by smaller boats, so the wooden
oars would have been used to steer it in the right direction and
not to propel the boat through the Nile. 20
Many more boats like these were found in pits next to the
Pyramids.
The Boats were buried close to him because Re was often
mentioned as riding in a boat in Egyptian text. The king wanted
to be able to go with Re on his daily travels.
29 January 2014, http://www.sca-egypt.org/eng/images/MUS_Khufu-Boat02.jpg,
Khufu‟s Boats
14. Builder‟s Village
4,500 years ago this little builders quarters housed up to
20,000 people.
There was no texts found there, archeologists have to
interpret their lifestyle from artifacts found on the
ground. 21
Beds have been found in huge half open rooms, workers
there only worked for a certain amount of time and then
left, so this builder‟s quarters could only hold up to 2,000
people at one time. 22
Evidence has shown that they did lots of copper work
and cooking.
15. Interesting Facts
“The Great Pyramid of Giza once had a swivel door at the
entrance. It weighed about 20 tons and could easily be
pushed open from the inside. On the outside it was very
hard to find because it fit perfectly. There are only two
other pyramids known to have had swivel doors. One
was Khufu‟s father‟s pyramid and the other was his
grandfather‟s pyramid.” 23
“The mortar that was used to build the pyramid cannot
be reproduced today. Even though it has been analyzed
they still can‟t make it. It is stronger than the stone that
was used to build the pyramid and is still in place today.”
24
16. End Notes
Gillian Allen, Beth Apple, Jill Bunyan, Joanne Connor, Chris Drew, Lee Gibbons, Sue
Grabham, Jo Haddon, Joanne Little, Dulcie Rowe, Carey Scott, Ancient Egypt
Revealed (New York, New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 2002), 7.
2 Gill Harvey, Struan Reid, The Useborne Internet-linked Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (Tulsa,
OK: EDC Publishing, LTD, 2001), 66.
3 Lucia Gahlin, Lorna Oakes, Ancient Egypt (London: Anness Publishing Limited, 2002) 68.
4 Technology Student, “How were the pyramids built?” Internet; Available from
http://www.technologystudent.com/culture1/egypt2.htm
Accessed 29 January 2014
5Salima Ikram, Janice Kamrin, “X Marks the Spot!” Callope Exploring World History, September
2012, 2.
6Lucia Gahlin, Lorna Oakes, Ancient Egypt (London: Anness Publishing Limited, 2002), 50-51.
7 Helen Howe, Robert T. Howe, Ancient and Medieval worlds, (White Plains, New York:
Longman, 1992), 55.
8 Lucia Gahlin, Lorna Oakes, Ancient Egypt (London: Anness Publishing Limited, 2002), 66.
9Lucia Gahlin, Lorna Oakes, Ancient Egypt (London: Anness Publishing Limited, 2002), 68.
10 Lucia Gahlin, Lorna Oakes, Ancient Egypt (London: Anness Publishing Limited, 2002), 68.
11 National Geographic “Pyramid of Menkaure,” Internet;
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/menkaure.html
29 January 2014
12 Ancient Egypt, “What is the Great Sphinx?” Internet; Available from
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/pyramids/about/sphinx.html
29 January 2014
1
17. 13 Tour
End Notes
Egypt, “The Cemeteries at Giza,” Internet. Available from
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/gizac emeteries.htm Accessed 29 January 2014
14 Mastaba Definition, “Mastaba,” Internet.
https://www.google.com/search?q=definition+of+mastaba&oq=definition+of+masta&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.11132j
0j1&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8 Accessed 28 January 2014
15 Lucia Gahlin, Lorna Oakes, Ancient Egypt (London: Anness Publishing Limited, 2002), 52.
16 Lucia Gahlin, Lorna Oakes, Ancient Egypt (London: Anness Publishing Limited, 2002), 52
17
Lucia Gahlin, Lorna Oakes, Ancient Egypt (London: Anness Publishing Limited, 2002), 36-37.
18 Lucia Gahlin, Lorna Oakes, Ancient Egypt (London: Anness Publishing Limited, 2002), 68-69
19 Lucia Gahlin, Lorna Oakes, Ancient Egypt (London: Anness Publishing Limited, 2002),
68-69
20
Jane Bingham, Fiona Chandler, Jane Chisholm, Gill Harvey, Lisa Miles, Struan Reid, Sam Taplin, The Usborne Internet-Linked
Encyclopedia of the Ancient World (London: Usborne Publishing Ltd, 2002) ,110
21
National Geographic “Pyramid Builders‟ village found in Egypt,” Internet. Available from
22
23
24
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/08/0805_020805_giza.html Accessed
28 January 2014
National Geo graphic “Pyramid Builder‟ village found in Egypt,” Internet. Available from
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/08/0805_020805_giza.html
Accessed 28 January 2014
Soft Schools “Great Pyramid of Giza Facts,” Internet; available from
http://www.softschools.com/facts/wonders_of_the_world/great_pyramid_of_giza_facts/66/
Accessed 29 January 2014
Soft Schools “Great Pyramid of Giza Facts,” Internet; available from
http://www.softschools.com/facts/wonders_of_the_world/great_pyramid_of_giza_facts/66/
Accessed 29 January 2014
18. Bibliography
Allen, Gilliah, Apple, Beth, Bunyan, Jill, Connor, Joanne, Drew, Chris,
York, New York: DK Publishing Inc., 2002.
Gibbons, Lee, Grabham, Sue, and Haddon, Jo. Ancient Egypt Revealed. New
Bingham, Jane, Chandler, Fiona, Chisholm, Jane, Harvey, Gill, Miles, Lisa, Reid, Struah, and Taplin, Sam. The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of
the Ancient World. London: Usborne Publishing, Ltd., 2002.
Gahlin, Lucia, Oakes, Lorna. Ancient Egypt. London: Anness Publishing Limited, 2002.
Harvey, Gill, Reid Straun. The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Tulsa, OK: EDC publishing, LDT., 2001.
Howe, Helen, Howe, Robert, T. Ancient and Medieval World.
White Plains, New York: Longman, 1992.
Ikram, Salima, Kamrin, Janice. “X Marks the Spot!”
Callope Exploring World History, September 2012.
No Author. “What is the Great Sphinx?”
www.ancientegyptpf.co.uk/pyramids/about/sphinx.html
No Author. “The Cemeteries at Giza,”
www.touregypt.net/featurestories/gizameteries.htm
No Author. “Pyramid of Menekaure,”
www.nationalgeographic. Com/pyramids/menkaure.html
No Author. “Pyramid Builders‟ Village Found In Egypt,”
news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/08/0805_020805_giza.html
No Author. “Giza Facts,”
www.softschools.com/facts/wonders_of_the_world/great_pyramid_of_giza_facts/66
No Author. “How Were The Pyramids Built?”
www.technologystudent.com/culture1/egypt2.htm