Khufu: The Great Pyramid

The pyramids were built for a king, for his afterlife. All of his prized possessions were in the pyramid with him. The great egyptians believed after you died you came back to life. That's why they wrapped their kings like mummies, they did this to preserve the body.

These large stone structures were built as tombs for kings that died. The Egyptians who built the pyramids needed to learn the specialized skills of mathematics, geometry, engineering, and architecture, as stated in document three.

Choosing the location site is the most important part of construction the pyramids. They were typically placed on the Imentet, the west bank of the Nile which is the realm of the dead. It would also have to near a quarry so they can reach the stone for building (Ayad 14). After a location was pick, it had to be leveled out. The way they achieved it by cutting trenches into the ground and letting water flood through them.

Much of the pyramids history is on the inside. One of the many things inside of the pyramids are (sometimes also known as mummies) are the bodies of the pharaohs. When pharaohs died in Ancient Egypt, they were believed to become gods. In order to properly put them at rest, they had to do a proper burial. To do this, people has to take out every organ of the body except for the heart. The heart is told to hold the soul, so they couldn’t remove it. After this, they stuff the body with cloth and sew the skin up. They put chemicals on the body to dry it out, and set for 40 days. The body was then covered in oils, precious stones, and amulets and bound with longs strips of cloth over and over again. A highly decorated mask was set on the face and wrapped again in cloth. This whole process took about 70

There were also tunnels leading to hundreds of rooms. This was not merely a tomb but also a place where King Djoser could live in the afterlife. The pyramid was built in the middle of a necropolis, which literally means, “city of the dead” in Greek. Surrounding the necropolis is a limestone wall to keep out everyone except a very select few. There were many other structures in the necropolis such as: Temples, courtyards, and pavilions. However, most of the buildings were filled with rubble or sand and were just for show. The building of pyramids kept all of the people in the surrounding cities busy and working. These kinds of structures were great for Egyptian economy.

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).

It was a custom for new pharaohs to start building their eternal life houses. However, king Khufu probably wanted a more special house. The architectures of king Khufu made the design for his tomb as a very large pyramid with complex system of rooms inside. The reason for the complex system was to deceive thieves and it won’t be easy for them to loot the tomb like the tombs of his ancestors. Khufu’s pyramid was massive in size probably to show how powerful he was, even if he wasn’t. Other pharaohs follow the lead of Khufu and build their tombs as pyramids as well.

Furthermore, it was much more difficult to construct the Wall in terms of the environment and the manpower. Before building the Great Pyramid, the pharaoh Khufu selected the site prudently in order to choose the most suitable location, and there were five basic requirements for the location. First, the site should be constructed in the sunset region and higher than the Nile's flood plain to be safe; considering the convenience of transporting materials, the site should also be located on the bank of Nile close to Memphis which was the Egyptian capital. Finally, the site should be located on the solid bedrock and in a plain in order to build suitable levels of foundations of the construction (Jackson and Stamp 23). Khufu chose Giza as the site of construction, because it occupied a plateau overlooking the Nile River, and there were plenty of raw materials, such as limestone was accessible (Smith 108). According to Craig B. Smith, the exact nature of the workforce it took to build the pyramid is unknown.

New archaeological evidence shows that those who dragged and laid these two and a half ton granite slabs were condemned to an early grave, and they died with deformed bones and broken limbs. An Egyptian excavation recently uncovered the burial ground of hundreds of workers who helped to build the great pyramid for king Cheops 4500 years ago. Originally over one hundred and forty six meters high, it is the tallest of the three famous pyramids at Giza near the Nile delta.

Finding a spot first, Egyptians identified a site for the pyramids. They built their pyramids west of the Nile because there region was through to be the realm of the dead and builder wanted the pyramids to be close to the stone quarries form which they can extracted blocks that’s weighed as much as 70 tons.

According to archaeologist, “pyramids were originated from rectangular mastaba tombs over 5,000 years ago in Egypt” (). Major improvements occurred during pharaoh Djoser period where rectangular tomb was developed into a six-layered step pyramid with underground tunnels and chambers. Later during the reign of the pharaoh Snefru, three more pyramids were built with improved methods. However, research points out that, “architects did ran into problems during Snefru (from 2575 B.C.) period where one pyramid was bent due to incorrect angle and calculations” (). Later, evidence shows the architects corrected the flaw by building a second pyramid located at Dahshur.

The development of Egyptian funerary architecture began as a low, solid, rectangular mastaba. It contained an external niche where worshippers can provide offerings, an internal serdab where ka statues are placed, and a chapel that contains graphics and designs. Over time, construction workers started building upon their original mastaba to expand the structure's ground area and stack new layers of smaller floors or chambers on top, forming a pyramid shape. This process of constructing a pyramid required so much time, effort, and labor that a large workers' burial ground had to be built near the pyramid site to accommodate the deaths of the enormous number of builders that needed to be assembled, housed, and fed.

This research is on the Ancient Egyptian Culture. Ancient Egypt was located in Northeastern Africa along the Nile River. Egypt was divided into Upper and Lower Egypt from 5000 to 2950 BC; the unification of Egypt was around 3000 BC. Ancient Egypt was around until about 50 BC. The Egyptians are known for many accomplishments; they include: their complex irrigation system, hieroglyphics, and the practice of medicine, the calendar, their art, and the construction of the pyramids. The pyramids were built as monuments to honor the dead. There are many mysteries concerning the construction of the pyramids. This research will be directed towards the Great Pyramids at Giza. The pyramids are a very interesting subject matter because they are gigantic structures that were constructed by only the minds of early architects and the hands of many workers. This research will cover the ideas of how these Great Pyramids were constructed.

Giza, an area located southwest of what is now known as Cairo, is home to one of the most astonishing and mysterious feats of architecture ever assembled, The Great Pyramid. Located approximately 5 miles west of the Nile River near the city of Cairo, Egypt, The Great Pyramid is part of a larger complex called the Giza Necropolis, which also houses the Great Sphinx, and two smaller pyramids. It is said to have been built by the enslaved citizens of Khufu, second ruler of the 4th dynasty, and son of Snefru. Although archaeologists have since disproved that theory. The pyramids are said to have been built to house the deceased bodies of the pharaohs after they have transitioned into the after-life. However, there is no evidence of this being the case. There are many questions surrounding the Pyramids of Giza, some of which, might not ever be answered. Subsequently, archaeologists, engineers, scientists and Egyptologists have been able to provide some very logical theories to try and answer these questions.

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.