Essay/Term paper: The pyramids of egypt

Essay, term paper, research paper:  World History

The Pyramids of Egypt


On the rocky plateau of Giza, rise three great pyramids, each built
during the lifetime of a pharaoh. Together, these pyramids constitute the most
celebrated group of monuments in the world. While the pyramids at Giza were
built in the Fourth Dynasty (2615-2500 BC), the first pyramid was actually built
in Saqqara during the reign of King Zoser of the Third Dynasty. This first
pyramid was a step pyramid meaning that the sides were not filled to make an
even surface.
Egypt, like no other land, has drawn historians, theologists and
scientists to study the pyramids. The historians are still coming up with new
theories about why they were built and who built them. There are many mysteries
about the pyramids that are waiting to be unlocked.
The pyramids were not built in isolation but as part of a larger complex
dedicated to the dead. The Egyptians believed that the physical body has a
vital spiritual force, which they called ka. If the physical body was properly
preserved and the tomb furnished with all the various objects of regular life,
the ka could return and continue its life despite the death of the physical body.

The Egyptians also had other means of burial practices. Many of the
pharaohs were buried in hidden temples. A famous discovery is the one of King
Tutankhamen.
King Cheops of the Fourth Dynasty chose a plateau in Giza for his
pyramid. He followed his father's constructions which was the first real
pyramid.
The pyramid of Cheops was also known as the Great Pyramid. One hundred
thousand Egyptians worked on it for twenty years before it was completed. It
was the largest tomb-pyramid ever built. It was said that if the pyramid was
taken apart, the stones could build a wall ten feet tall and one foot wide all
around the entire county of France. The Great Pyramid was made of granite and
limestone. Two late kings of the Fourth Dynasty, Cephren and Mycerinus,
followed Cheops's example by building their pyramids on the same plateau.
The interior of the pyramid is mostly a series of halls. The halls are
not decorated with any valuable objects. In fact, they are not decorated at all.
The interior is kind of like a maze. The only valuables you may find are in
the tombs. The tombs are furnished with precious jewels and stones. A lot of
these jewels have been put in museums. Unfortunately, some of them had been
stolen by grave robbers.
No land has been so expansively treated with wonders, as Egypt has. It
is filled with treasures waiting to be discovered. There are many questions to
be answered and mysteries to be solved.