Ancient Egypt: Who Built The Pyramids

The creation of the pyramids was one of the Egyptians greatest accomplishments. The pyramid of Khufu in particular was their biggest achievement. Construction of the great pyramid started in 2540BCE and finished 20 years later in 2520BCE, it stood 481ft tall and continued to be the tallest man-made structure for over 4,000 years. It was built up of over 2.3 million limestone bricks weighing anywhere between 2 and 15 tons.

Pyramids were a huge achievement for the Egyptians. These humongous square based structures took 20-30 years to build and was the final resting place for the pharaohs. They contained treasures meant for the pharaoh to take to the afterlife. Since, there were valuable treasures inside the pyramids, many tomb raiders came to steal, so the pyramids needed booby traps and false

These magnificent structures called pyramids, have had many purposes and importance to many. Not only did they serve as tombs for important pharaohs, but they were a place for religious practice, ceremony, and rituals. These structures hold great significance because they give us an insight as to what the egyptians viewed as important in their lifetime. It gives us some history on ancient egyptians and their abilities. The time and effort put into these structures show how significant they

Each block would to have been quarried or cut, and then hauled to the work site, and eventually placed in the correct position. The Egyptians had an amazing understanding of math, which helped them plan the erection of the pyramid, but the only driving force behind them was manpower. The actual people who built the pyramids were all voluntary workers; they were not slaves contrary to popular belief.

The pyramids explain an abundance of information on about how the people of ancient egypt saw their pharaohs and queens. Inducing years and years of back-breaking labor to build structures that have people today still in awe. Historians still argue about who actually built the pyramids; due to the fact that they are so gigantic, some believe that the ancient egyptians could not have possibly built the pyramids by themselves based on the size of the pyramids and the lack of technology they were using. However, Mark Lehner, archeologist at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago and Harvard Semitic Museum, thinks that the people of ancient egypt built the pyramids to show their respect to the pharaohs and queens who ruled over them. “Every time I go back to Giza my respect increases for those people and that society, that they could do it. You see, to me it 's even more fascinating that they did this. And that by doing this they contributed something to the human career and its overall development.” Mark Lehner 's statement shows that the ancient Egyptian culture admired their leaders more than any other culture did at the time. (pbs.org)

Explain the distribution of power in Old Kingdom Egypt and the first intermediate period, the social, political, and economic reasons for the constructors of pyramids, and Egyptian belief concerning the afterlife.

What makes up a pyramid? 12 lines, 5 faces, 4 triangles, 1 base, and 5 vertexes and in the case of the Great Pyramids of Giza about 2.3 million stone blocks that weigh an average of 2.5 to 15 tons. That according to the time it took to build them they would have had to place and set a stone every 2 to 2 and a half minutes. To put that in perspective some weigh as much or more than an armed military cargo truck. So, imagine dragging a cargo truck with nothing but some strong rope and some other people. Now if you're like most people you can lift maybe 100 pounds. However, the average powerlifter can lift 350 to 400 pounds and that's just lift not pack around or drag across acres of land. Now how did the Egyptians build the Great Pyramid of Giza with blocks that weigh up to 15 tons with the technology they had then? It’s clearly very obtuse to think the pyramids were built by the Egyptians and the Egyptians alone. The question is, who helped them?

Egypt is also known for its statues depicting various gods and tombs for its numerous pharaohs. Their architectural prowess is a feat marveled at even today. The ability to design and build such grand monuments such as the iconic pyramids of Giza, rivalling even the Mayan and Aztec temples of South and Central America, reveals the true nature of innovation in Egypt. In fact, even without modern tools of measurement, the Great Pyramid, the largest tomb in Egypt, is almost geometrically perfect. For such a large structure, the length of all four sides at its base differ by less than a foot (McKenty 1).

My picture artwork will focus on the great pyramids of Giza which were designed by a fourth dynasty king, Sneferu between 2686-2667 BC. The pyramids were constructed for the fourth dynasty pharaoh Khufu and were completed around 2560 BC. These pyramids took approximately 20 years to construct.

Although much research stays to be done in these zones, legend, prehistoric studies, arithmetic, and earth sciences appear to show that the Great Pyramid was a fantastic gadget for get-together, enhancing, and centering a baffling vitality field for the profound advantage of individuals. We don 't know precisely how the pyramid and its principle chamber were utilized, and the geometric structure of the pyramid has been quietly adjusted by the evacuation of the packaging stones and the top stone (Ruggles, 2015). None-the-less, the Great Pyramid of the Giza level still radiates incredible power as a transformational force place. It has done as such for uncounted a huge number of years and appears to be bound to proceed for a long time to come.

Built between 2584 and 2461, these monuments are the only one of the seven still around today. Sneferu created this design and made the first pyramid located in Giza. There were three pyramids in a row designed for Sneferu, two of them for other members of his close family. These three pyramids were a part of large temple grounds that mainly served as tombs for pharaohs. The main purpose of the pyramids was to serve as a safe and comfortable place for pharaohs to cross into the afterlife. People came to worship their gods here. These monuments have greatly influenced the ancient world and will continue to for thousands of years to come.

After doing a lot of research I finally came across a theory which is the most plausible. I believe that the Egyptians hired skilled workers to build these structures, and not slaves. I think that they might have used the skilled workers because around the pyramids are other burial sites that they were probably buried in, that slaves would have not been buried in. There would have been at least 10,000 to 25,000 thousands of these workers working on the pyramids for 20 to 30 years until it was done. They would only have basic copper tools and would not have wheels to move the heavy stone to the build site. They were very well fed because they had enough animals to produce 4000 pounds of food a day. This might have been a reason why they worked on the pyramids.

The pyramids were built as a tomb for the pharaoh. Their belief was that the top point of the pyramid was the gate for the soul to travel to the afterlife and return to earth if chosen. These tombs were built which line up with certain stars and planets.

In the deserts of Egypt lie the colossal remains of an ancient civilization. These enormous works of human endeavor are the only member of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World that time has passed down to us. These are, of course, the great pyramids of ancient Egypt. But these imposing structures were not built to impress civilization millennia down the road. The pyramids in fact had a purpose to the ancient Egyptians. While they seem very simple in nature, as they are simply four-sided pyramids with square bases, they had a meaning for those that had them built. Even by today’s standards, the pyramids of ancient Egypt were an impressive feat of engineering, due to their enormous size, both in building materials and finished product.

Some of the earliest history of the Pyramid comes from a Greek traveler named Herodotus of Halicanassus. He visited Egypt around 450 BC and included a description of the Great Pyramid in a history book he wrote. Herodotus was told by his Egyptian guides that it took twenty-years for a force of 100,000 oppressed slaves to build the pyramid. Stones were lifted into position by the use of immense machines. The purpose of the structure, according to Herodotus's sources, was as a tomb for the Pharaoh Khufu (whom the Greeks referred to as Cheops).