The Pyramid of Giza - Research Paper Example

?Running Head: Ancient Giza   Ancient Giza Introduction: The ancient Giza is the home to the largest pyramids in the world. The largest pyramid is known as the Pyramid of Giza. It is also referred to as the Pyramid of Khufu or some other times as the Pyramid of Cheops. Giza is also the name of a place in Egypt. The pyramid of Giza is located at Giza Necropolis. This borders what is now known as the El Giza in Egypt. The pyramid of Giza was so big that it formed one of the wonders of the world. It is also the only wonder of the world that has remained intact for so many years. The pyramid is believed to have been built as a tomb for one Egyptian Pharaoh whose name was Khufu. This explains the name Pyramid of Khufu. The name is translated as Cheops in Greek language and this also explains why the pyramid is also known as Pyramid of Cheops. Khufu was a pharaoh in the fourth dynasty. How pyramids were built. Pyramids were normally built from quarry stones. One of the major challenges faced by the Egyptians during early pyramid building was the mobility of the huge rocks as well as other raw materials. The illustrations from the Djehutihoep of the twelfth dynasty show an alabaster statue being pulled by around one hundred and seventy two people. It is estimated that the statue was about sixty tons heavy. It further estimated that one rock block required about forty five workers to move a block of about sixteen thousand three hundred kilogram (Penn State University 23). The Symbolism of Pyramids The shape of pyramids in early Egypt are said to have been symbolic. They are believed to have been representing primordial mound. The early Egyptians believed that the earth had been created from the primordial mound. The shape itself was believed to be a representation of the sunrays. For this reason most pyramids were from high polished and reflective white limestone. The purpose of this was to give the pyramid a shiny look like the sun. Some pyramids were given names that give them a sunny description. For instance, the pyramid at Senwosret in El-Lalun was formed named as Senwosret is shining. While it is generally accepted that the pyramids were general burial monuments, there have been continued disagreement about the particular theological foundational principles surrounded them. One of the theories is that they had been designed as a form of "resurrection machine.” The mummies in the pyramids were actually thought to continue with their lives (Lehner 84). The Egyptians had believed that the dark area brought by the night sky which the stars appeared around was a heaven gate way. There was a sharp pointed end at the top of the pyramid. This has been believed to suggest that the pyramids were actually a way to send the demised pharaohs to the gods through this opening. Most of the Egyptian pyramids were located on or closer to the banks of river Nile. Most of these pyramids were found on the West of river Nile. This was where the sun normally set. This is said to have a symbol of representation of the demise of the pharaoh to be buried in that pyramid. This can be logically attributed that Nile was an important source of raw materials. The alluvial soil from the river banks as well as the proximity to a large quantity of water. Most of the Egyptian is desert and therefore proximity too water for such heavy construction is very important. The ancient Egypt had an elaborate and complex form of civilization. In fact the civilization from ancient Egypt is said to have influenced civilization in other parts of the world. Although Arabic is the currently widely spoken language the Egyptian language was an indigenous language that was spoken during the ancient. They even had laws (Shupak 103). The language can be evidence from the specific kind of writing that existed in the ancient Egypt. The writings are known as the hieroglyphics. These writings were normally preserved on reeds, papyrus reeds. The Egyptian language kept evolving. The Coptic language was a stage of the Egyptian language. Nowadays, the Coptic language is mostly used as a liturgical language in the Coptic Orthodox church. The evidence of hieroglyphics writing existed on the front door. It was the easiest means of making sure that the pharaoh message reached to everyone whose door was written. During the evolution of the languages, there was also the use of “koine”. This was a Greek dialect which was used widely during in the fields of science as well as philosophy. This was later studied by some Arab scholars. The Arabic language came with the introduction of Islam. This is believed to have been in the 7th Century. The governance. During the pre-civilization period, most people felt that living along the Nile River Valley created a feeling of safe environment. After some the people organized themselves in to two major communities; the upper and the lower kingdoms. During around 3100BC, the ruler of the Upper Egypt, Menez went ahead and conquered the lower part (O’Connor 185). He built his capital at Memphis. The people of the ancient Egypt respected their ruler who later becomes to be known as pharaoh more than a king. Technology in ancient Egypt. The early Egyptians were a bit advanced during the early periods. They had different forms and level of technology in different fields. These fields included mathematics, medicine as well as other fields. One of the most remarkable technologies in ancient Egypt is the construction of the pyramids and other buildings. The pyramids were made for the mummies and some of them such as the pyramid of Giza exist up to date. Further technology also existed in the field of ship making as well as navigation. The knowledge of sail that governed the ship building was based on the science of aerodynamics. This knowledge is evidenced by drawings that were found in the remains of what was of early Egypt. Apart from that there was literal development in the early Egypt. There were writings of different forms of literature. These writings were made on papyrus reeds. Most writings have been damaged and destroyed due to the delicate nature of the reeds. However, evidence of literature in ancient Egypt exists by the fact that there were very early and old literal artists. The General Life in Ancient Egypt The general life in the ancient Egypt is said to have been centred on three main spheres. These were the polytheistic religious life, the pharaoh as the overall authority as well as the recognizing the importance of the family as a social unit. Marriages occurred at a young age and the sanctity of the institution of marriage was jealously protected. The type of marriages that occurred were normally polygamous. This was quite common in very many African communities. The religious life was based on polytheism where there existed different gods and goddesses who actually protected the people of Egypt. The people of Egypt’s daily life were to a greater extent ruled and guided by the mythology of gods and goddesses. Worshiping more than one deity was not a new thing and was acceptable. However, there were god patrons in every city. The religious practises included elaborate rites and rituals which the Egyptians felt obliged to perform to their gods and goddesses. There existed temples that were places of worship. Children were an important part of the family unit as they were recognized to be the future society. They were also considered to be blessing from the gods. There is evidence of painting of King Akhenaten and his queen Neferti showing that they had a very loving and close relationship with their six daughters. The Egyptians also believed that in their next life the previous one had to be provided for in each and every detail. For this reason the tombs were normally decorated with a lot of depictions about the deceased during his funerary meal, the other activities of the estate as well as countryside, and also the abundant offerings that were necessary to sustain the spirit of the person laid in the tomb. Apart from that, it is believed that the wall paintings had deeper meaning. For instance, the pictures are said to be depiction of the happy times that had been shared in the course of occupation of life. Some other images were connected to magical and supernatural protection while some other pictures were used to depict the aspect of rebirth which the Egyptians believed in. Existing at the lower social rank were the peasants. These people lived quite a miserable life as they were the lowest workers in the social hierarchy. Most of the peasant who lived in Egypt made their lives out of agriculture. To further add a burden to the peasants, there were taxes levied upon agricultural crops. This made it even harder for the peasants to have a better life. As a result they ended up toiling in other people’s farms in order to at least be able to cater for their needs. Some others theorize that slaves in Egypt were mere servants; these views are highly debatable (Redford 34). This is because slaves in Egypt played a greater role in the building of the pyramids. This means slaves actually did very hard labour. Women played an important role in the early Egypt society. They could own property and had the duty and responsibility to raise children as well as look over all the matters in the house. The home was mainly a woman’s territory and she was mostly in charge of the affairs of the house. The position of women in the Ancient Egypt is clearly amplified by the fact that at some point there were women rulers in Egypt. This makes Egypt stand out from very many African communities at the ancient times. While in most of the other communities women had been reduced to second class citizens in Egypt they were powerful and could even afford to rule. Cooking was normally done in ovens made of clay and over the open fires. The common fuel used was wood. The early Egyptians used different methods of cooking such as baking, roasting among others. The evidence of how the kitchen was has been found in the tombs as well as the drawings and paintings. The utensils of the commoners were normally made out of clay while the utensils of the noble and the royals were made of silver, gold and other precious metal. Amongst drinks beer which was made from barley and wine were the most popular. The staple food was bread. The wine was normally made from fermented bread. The wine was normally a drink common to the wealthy and the upper class. The low class normally drank beer. Social class disparity was quite common in the ancient Egypt. The wealthy and the noble enjoyed better things (Redford 56). Works cited Penn State University. How Were The Egyptian Pyramids Built? Science Daily. 2008, March. Web.28 Retrieved February 28, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328104302.htm Redford, Donald. From Slave to Pharaoh: The Black Experience of Ancient Egypt. The Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004 O’Connor, David. “New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Period, 1552-664 BC” in B.G. Trigger et al., ed. Ancient Egypt: A Social History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983. Pp183-278. Lehner, Mark. The Complete Pyramids. New York: Thames and Hudson. 1997 p. 84 Shupak, Nili A new source for the study of judiciary and the law of ancient Egypt: the tale of the eloquent peasant. JNES 51 1992: pg 1-18 . Read More