The Similarities Of Angkor Wat And The Pyramids Of Giza

Architecture: During the Old Kingdom, the existing peaceful period provided an opportunity for the construction of the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx of Giza. The Pyramids were originally created as a step design but were later converted to smooth sides by the 4th dynasty. By the 5th dynasty, the pyramids grew smaller, but the carvings inside the temples were of greater quality. This period was characterized by advanced architecture and was referred to as the Age of the Pyramids. Archeologists indicate that the pyramids discovered in the Middle Kingdom were not as well constructed as those of the Old Kingdom. This explains why only a few of them are still in existence. During the New Kingdom, there were two types of temples constructed: cult temples referred to as the Mansion of the gods and mortuary temples referred to as Mansions of Millions of Years. During this period, pyramids were not built, and the Pharaohs were buried in rock tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

The Great Pyramids of Giza are considered to be three of the world’s most fascinating and astonishing archaeological marvels. On the edge of modern-day Cairo stands the plateau of Giza, on which these extraordinary pyramids were constructed approximately 4,500 years ago, yet to this day, they are regarded as three of the world’s largest human-made structures, standing, collectively, at 1116 feet tall. However, the Pyramid of Khufu, is by far the most captivating. As the biggest pyramid of the three (despite Khafre’s Pyramid being mistaken as the larger one as it was built on higher ground), Khufu’s Pyramid (more commonly referred to as the Great Pyramid) once stood at a towering 481 feet tall, however, over the centuries it has been affected by erosion, and combined with the absence of its pyramidion, its present height reaches 455 feet, with it’s base covering an area of 230.4 metres. The Great Pyramid was built around 2580-2650 BC, during the Fourth Dynasty, and is believed to have been constructed as a tomb for the Fourth Dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu. Furthermore, many egyptologists argue the time period in which Khufu’s Pyramid was formed, with John Romer proposing a 14-year time span, and Mark Lehner

     Paralleling the pyramids in Egypt were the ziggurats of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia (meaning between two rivers, the Tigress and Euphrates) began making these structures around roughly 2000 BC. They were made of bricks that they produced on the building’s work site. There were sun-dried bricks to make up the solid inside of the ziggurat, and there were kiln fired bricks that made up the structures façade. These bricks were much smaller than the stones used in Egypt and also did not have to be brought from far away. Some of the ziggurats were built on top of older ones. Like Egyptian pyramids, the ziggurat was believed to be a kind of gateway between heaven and earth, but unlike the pyramids, the ziggurats where not tombs for kings. Rather they were believed to be the earthly homes of gods. Egyptians built their massive structures outside of major populated areas. But the ziggurats were in prominent areas. Cities had their own patron god or goddess (some places even had two ziggurats, one for a god of both sexes) and priests were the only ones allowed into these temples. They had the honor of catering to the needs of the gods and were powerful figures in their respective communities. Mesopotamians also built the Tower of Babel, which was supposed to have been built as bridge from earth to heaven. It was most likely located in Neo-Babylonia (home of the Hanging Gardens) and was also one of

Why the Great Pyramid of Giza was built is a question that has been challenging archeologists, philosophers, and historians

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?

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.

This quote shows how much progress has really been made in such a short amount of time and the accomplishments of the architects/builders are much showcased through this

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).

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.

the tremendous structures, monumental artwork and over all architecture of the ancient civilizations are an extremely important part of their individual cultures. These monumental works are some of the last remnants of this civilization, proving evidence of their existence. The architecture in each ancient civilization is vastly different, helping to give archaeologists and historians some insight on these people and their history, culture, religious beliefs, wealth, economic capabilities, etc. Two monumental structures that show the unique characteristics of the civilization that created them are the Ancient Egyptian pyramids and the Mesopotamia ziggurats. Both of these ancient civilizations were large and prominent cultures that had many similar features that each great civilization had. But one of the most noteworthy features these two civilizations shared was their astounding architecture. The culture and the

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.

“Human houses should not be like boxes, blazing in the sun, nor should we outrage the Machine by trying to make dwelling places too complementary to Machinery. Any building for humane purposes should be an elemental, sympathetic feature of the ground, complementary to its nature-environment, belonging by kinship to the terrain.”

The limestone’s that were used to build the pyramids were taken from quarries along the Nile River. When the building was completed the Great Pyramid was surfaced using white casing stones that slanted and were flat at the top (Krystek, 2010). The smooth blocks were beautiful, extremely well polished and white. This came to be known as the Casing Stones (Krystek, 2010). These have since then been cut off by Arabs who use them to build mosques in Cairo. However, a few of them still remain. Before the Arabs begun to strip off the casing stones they were very beautiful to look at. The original pyramid with its white casing would operate like humongous mirrors that powerfully reflected light on the moon and be seen like a star on earth (gizapyramid.com, 2011).

The architecture of ancient Egypt is one of the most significant civilizations throughout history, which developed of different structures and great architectural monuments along the River Nile.

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.