The Pyramids of Egypt, History, the New and Old Pyramids - Essay Example

Running head: Pyramids Pyramids of Egypt Egyptian pyramids are one of the surprises of the world. More than hundred pyramids have been discovered so far in Egypt. Most of these pyramids were built as tombs for the famous Pharaohs (Ancient Egyptian Kings). Egyptian pyramids still attract many people from all around the world because of its beauty and, artistic design and architecture expertise. The mystery behind the tradition of making pyramids as tomb of Pharaohs is still not clear to many historians and research people. This paper briefly explains the pyramids of Egypt, history, the new and old pyramids, the kings of this kingdom, why and how did they build pyramids etc. (Ancient Egypt Pyramids, 2007) History of Pyramids Pyramids were built during the periods of famous ancient Egyptian kings, The Pharaohs. They ruled Egypt during the old (3rd millennium BC) and Middle Kingdom (between 2080 BC and 1640 BC) periods. The shape of the pyramid is normally like a triangle because of two reasons. First, ancient Egyptians believed that the earth is created from a pyramid shaped Egyptian mythological entity called “primordial mound”. Second, sun also has given more importance in Egyptian mythology and the shape of the pyramid has been given triangular shape in order to represent the descending rays of sun. Most of the pyramids were polished well with highly reflective limestone like materials in order to give them excellent appearance for the viewers. “The pyramid shape of later tombs could have come from these mounds. More likely, Egyptian pyramids were modeled on a sacred, pointed stone called the benben. The benben symbolized the rays of the sun; ancient texts claimed that pharaohs reached the heavens via sunbeams” (National Geographic, 2009) “An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 workers built the Pyramids at Giza over 80 years. Much of the work probably happened while the River Nile was flooded. Some of the builders were permanent employees of the pharaoh. Others were conscripted for a limited time from local villages. Some may have been women: Although no depictions of women builders have been found, some female skeletons show wear that suggests they labored with heavy stone for long periods of time. The ramps were built on inclined planes of mud brick and rubble. They then dragged the blocks on sledges to the needed height. As the pyramid grew taller, the ramp had to be extended in length, and its base was widened, else it would collapse. It is likely that for the construction of each pyramid, several ramps were probably used.”(National Geographic, 2009) Most of the pyramids were built with large stone blocks and it is unbelievable to see such big stones have been used even at the top of the pyramid especially when we realize that during the time of making these pyramids, no technology developments were there. Even at present, it is difficult to place such heavy stones at the top of the pyramid. It has been assumed that thousands of people were died during the pyramid making process because of the high risk factor involved in the making. Pyramids were made using different forms of construction. Some of the pyramids were step pyramids while the others were made with solid walls of stone ran from the center. An outer casing was usually added, and although quite effective in the short term, it did not even come close to the earlier construction methods. Pyramids which were built with this structural design are quite dilapidated and worn (Winston, 2009) New and Old Pyramids The earliest pyramid was the Step Pyramid of king Djoser of the Old Kingdoms 3rd Dynasty over 4,600 years ago. The pyramid (at right) was the largest structure ever erected at Saqqara, the necropolis that overlooked the ancient capital of Memphis. Its construction was initially in the form of a low mastaba tomb upon which extra levels were gradually added to give it a step-like appearance” The largest pyramid ever built was the Great Pyramid at Giza southwest of modern Cairo (see Giza and the Pyramids). Built for king Khufu, this pyramid was completed around 2550 BC. It is estimated that the pyramid contains approximately 2,300,000 blocks of stone with an average weight of 2.5 tonnes each and some up to 15 tonnes. Its sides measure 230 metres in length. The structure would have towered about 146.6 metres high, but it is now a little shorter owing to the outer casing having been removed to build many of Cairos buildings during the Middle Ages. The interior design was changed during the pyramids construction and the burial chamber was relocated (Rigby, 2006) The exact age of the pyramids is still highly controversial. Anyway it has been assumed that most of the pyramids were built around BC 3000. The oldest pyramids were step pyramids as shown in the picture given above. Step pyramids were made in order to reduce the risk involved in the making of the pyramid. But later the step pyramids given way for the triangular plane pyramids which are more difficult to construct. Pyramids were usually not made as an isolated figure, but with associate buildings such as temples, chapels, massive walls and other tombs. Even though the exact technology used for pyramid building is still unknown, lot of speculations was made by archaeologists. “Egyptians had copper tools such as chisels, drills, and saws that may have been used to cut the relatively soft stone. The hard granite, used for burial chamber walls and some of the exterior casing, would have posed a more difficult problem. Workmen may have used an abrasive powder, such as sand, with the drills and saws. Knowledge of astronomy was necessary to orient the pyramids to the cardinal points, and water-filled trenches probably were used to level the perimeter”(Smithsonian, 2005) The Kings and their motivation for making Pyramids Ancient Egyptians believed that when the pharaoh died, he became Osiris, king of the dead. The new pharaoh became Horus, god of the heavens and protector of the sun god. This cycle was symbolized by the rising and setting of the sun. Some part of a dead pharaohs spirit, called his ka, was believed to remain with his body. And it was thought that if the corpse did not have proper care, the former pharaoh would not be able to carry out his new duties as king of the dead. If this happened, the cycle would be broken and disaster would befall Egypt (National Geographic, 2009) Ancient Egyptians considered their king Pharaohs not only as their king but even as their Gods. They believed that these Pharaohs would never die and their death is only a temporary change of their life state. So they preserved the bodies of the Pharaohs with utmost care and kept all everything the king would need in his afterlife while doing the funeral of the king. Moreover they used lot of medicines and perfumes in order to keep the body intact and to avoid possible attack of any bacteria or other germs. “Vessels made of clay, stone, and gold, furniture, food, even doll-like representations of servants, known as ushabti were provided to the king while they were enclosing the body of the king inside the pyramid. His body would continue to receive food offerings long after his death” (National Geographic, 2009) The massive pyramids were made with the intention of preserving the soul of the pharaoh. Egyptians believed that soul is a big entity which needs enough space to accommodate and for that purpose they thought small monuments or pyramids may not be enough. Egyptians have given more emphasized to funeral of a dead body because of their belief in life after death. They thought only properly buried body would be able to regain the life even after death. So, only rich people were able to make expensive pyramid like shapes to accommodate the soul of the dead body. On the other hand ordinary people who don’t have enough money buried their relatives mostly in the desert using ordinary means. But they also kept everyday objects and foods near the body buried. “Nobles and very wealthy people were often buried in tombs that we call mastabas. This kind of tomb has an underground burial chamber and an above ground offering chapel. These tombs would contain the persons mummified body, as well as food, jewellery and special objects” (How were other ancient Egyptians buried?, n. d) Conclusions Egyptian pyramids were made to bury the king Pharaohs. Ancient Egyptians believed in life after death and they thought both the soul and the body need to be preserved in order to attain life after death. The dead bodies were mummified using ancient medicines and perfumes. They kept all the equipments like furniture, food etc around the mummy as they believed that all such things are necessary to preserve the soul and the dead body intact. They made the pyramid in big size in order to accommodate the soul of the dead body. Since pyramid building was an expensive thing, only rich people or the kings usually made the big pyramids for their funeral. Normal people used deserts and normal means for burying their relative’s body. References 1. Ancient Egypt Pyramids, (2007), Retrieved on 21 November 2009 from http://cybertraveltips.com/africa/index.html 2. How were other ancient Egyptians buried?, (n. d), Retrieved on 21 November 2009 from http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/pyramids/home.html 3. Rigby Mark T, (2006), Egyptian Pyramid, Retrieved on 21 November 2009 from http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~ancient/pyra1.htm 4. Smithsonian, (2005), The Egyptian Pyramid, Retrieved on 21 November 2009 from http://www.si.edu/encyclopedia_si/nmnh/pyramid.htm 5. Winston Alan, (2009), Tour Egypt, Retrieved on 21 November 2009 from http://www.touregypt.net/construction/ Read More