...religion and praise of God and man. Egypt sets it’s self apart from these other places because of the history Egypt agriculture has, the influence the agricultural on many religious followers on many religious fronts today, and the vitality the monuments still have after years of punishment through the elements. The construction of the temples and pyramids in Egypt is a testament to the importance of spirituality to the people of Egypt. Making them an interesting people and the monuments made a remarkable feat to be astonished for many years to come. During the ancient times of Egypt, life began and ended with...
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...“Egypt is a great place for contrasts: splendid things gleam in the dust.” The moment I stepped onto the smooth sand, I remembered this quote by Gustave Flaubert. I could see nothing in front of me other than dust particles dancing in the air. And then, there they were; the Great Pyramids of Egypt lying on the Giza Plateau. At that moment, my adventure began. And today, my fellow classmates, we are going to relive this adventure together and discover the secrets of the Great Pyramid of Khufu. In 2007, I spent a month in Egypt and upon my visit to the Giza Plateau, the guide took us into that Great Pyramid and we toured it together. This is what encouraged me the most to share with you today the marvels of Khufu’s Pyramid. In the next few minutes, we will explore the outside of the pyramid as well as its interior including all its different chambers and pathways. Let us start by contemplating the exterior architecture of the pyramid and find out about its general characteristics. The Great Pyramid stood the tallest for more than 4,000 years, at 146.5 meters high. It could be seen from the mountains in Israel! But today, having lost 9.5 meters from the top, it stands at 137 meters. The base of the pyramid is quite large. Each of its faces measures up to 230 meters; almost 10 football fields can fit in to its base. Regarding its steepness, each of the sides rises at an angle of 51.5̊ sharp. Furthermore, each one of them is aligned with true north, south, east, and west! Later, when...
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...There have been many theories regarding how the pyramids at Giza were constructed. Most experts agree that they were constructed as burial monuments for pharaohs, but “how” these ancient people constructed monuments of such great size without modern machinery is a mystery which is still being debated. There are many unusual theories in regard to the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza. When turning back the pages of history, it is revealed that a number of theories have been developed to clarify the existence of such a significant historical landmark. "Theories vary from a tomb for a king, a beacon for extraterrestrial aircraft's(Aliens), a possible way to contact a Higher Being and a stone announcement of the second coming of Christ. A well-known Greek historian Herodotus traveled to Egypt in the 5th century. While in Egypt Herodotus visited the pyramids and came to the conclusion that the pyramids were built by Hebrew slaves ruled by a pharaoh named Khufu. Today this theory is acknowledged by most people. However, there lies a dilemma with this theory, which is its credibility. First, where there a lot of slaves available to build the pyramids under the labor conditions of that time? Second, there was no proof whatsoever of there being any type of slavery near Giza during the time of the Old Kingdom, which is the time during which the pyramids were thought to, have been built. Third, Egyptian documents were found for everything: giving birth, farming, building of structures...
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...Pharaoh Khufu, also known by his Greek name Cheops, was the second ruler of the 4th Dynasty, which was also during the Old Kingdom Period. Khufu was born in 2620 BC and died in 2566 BC. Khufu’s full name is Khnum-Khufu, which means “The God Khnum protects me”. Khufu was the son of Sneferu and Queen Hetepheres I. It is thought that Khufu ruled for approximately 24 years, however some sources claim he ruled for as many as 46 to 63 years. Khufu’s greatest accomplishment is widely known to be the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Khufu had two wives, the first was Queen Meritites I, and the second was Queen Henutsen. His siblings were Princess Hetepheres, eldest brother Ankhhaf, half-brother Nefermaat, and brother Rahotep. Khufu had very many children. His sons were Kawab, Djedefre, Khafre, Djedefhor, Baufra, Babaef I, Khufukhaf I, Minkhaf I, and Horbaef. His daughters were Nefertiabet, Hetepheres II, Meresankh II, Meretites II, and Khamerernebty. Khufu planned that his son Kawab would be his heir. Kawab was a scribe and wanted to be like his grandfather Sneferu, who was described by the Egyptians as a cultured and wise king. However, Kawab died during Khufu’s reign. Khufu’s immediate successor was his son Djedefre, who curiously built his pyramid at a location other than that of Khufu’s. There are mixed reports on the reputation and personality of Pharaoh Khufu. Many sources claim that Khufu’s reputation depicts him as a harsh, brutal leader...
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...Many researchers have done their work to find out who built the Egyptian Pyramids, and how they were built. Did the slaves build the pyramids? Here, we are going to find out. “ The pyramids are remarkable not only for the great technical skill they demonstrate, but also for the concentration of resources they represent” (Craig 11). The pyramids were not all built and designed by the same people. The pyramids were built under the name of pharaoh, meaning the term “great house.” Djoser, a third dynasty king, was the first to build a monumental six-step pyramid of hard stone. Khufu was the son of Djoser was the leader in building the largest pyramid ever constructed, plateau of Giza. It is 481 feet high, 765 feet long on each side, and with the base covering 13.1 acrs. The pyramid is made of 2.3 million stone blocks averaging 2.5 tons each. Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure built the exact same three pyramids at Giza. Beyond that there are over 120 pyramids throughout Egypt. The workers who built the pyramids were Egyptians, not slaves, as many people do believe. Farmers lived in villages made for workers of the pyramids. They built the Pyramids while the nile was flooding. There are three burial chambers in or under the Great Pyramid. The first chamber was built under the Great Pyramid and it was no finish. This was then followed by the Queen's and Kings chambers. These pyramids were built to serve as tombs for kings and queens. After a ruler had passed away, his or her body was...
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...Khufu (a.k.a. Cheops) was the second pharaoh to rule Ancient Egypt during the fourth dynasty, in the first half of the Old Kingdom. With Khufu’s birth name being Khnum-Khufwy, the name Khnum represents the ram-headed god of procreation, water, and fertility. His reign as pharaoh was estimated to last from 2589 BC through 2566 BC, and was also born on 2620 BC and died in 2566 BC. The first pharaoh of the fourth dynasty was Sneferu, Khufu's father, who married Queen Hetepheres I and had Khufu as their only child. Khufu had nine sons and fifteen daughters, with Meritites I being the spouse, including each member to be held in an impressive position at the royal court. Whether you have come across several texts, I’m pretty sure you have...
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...represented the essence of Egypt for thousands of years. Even with all of the pictures that we see of the Sphinx, nothing can really prepare you for the time that you finally see the Sphinx with your own eyes. Here's a look at the Sphinx that will give you a hint of what you can expect to see if you visit Egypt. Abu Roash Located 5 miles north of Giza, Abu Roash was the site that the first son of Khufu, Djedefre, chose to build his pyramid. Typically, as successor, it was Djedefre's responsibility to attend to the completion of his fathers entombment. It was then time for Djedefre to begin the construction of his own tomb. Because of the present state of the site, some experts believe that this pyramid was never finished. Others contend that extensive quarrying has been done at the site and the pyramid has been effectively dismantled over the ages. Whatever the case, the pyramid itself was unique in several ways. Firstly, the subterranean chamber is more like those of step pyramids, and therefore unlike that of the more modern "true" pyramids. The Great Pyramid The first stop on our tour of the Giza plateau is the Great Pyramid of the 4th Dynasty King, Khufu. It was the first pyramid constructed on the plateau and many consider that it represents the pinnacle of the pyramid age. This pyramid contains ascending chambers and passageways not found in any other pyramids. This is how it appears...
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...civilization that Egypt lived under the pharaohs with 30 different families. The pharaohs began ruling Egypt in 3000 B.C., they considered themselves to be living gods who ruled with absolute power ("Pharaohs," 2010). The ancient Egyptian excelled in building. They built pyramids as testimony of their greatness. Also, they left a significant cultural momentum in science, art of embalming and symbols for gods and goddesses they believed in. The Egyptian Pyramids The pharaohs believed that death on the earth was just the start of a journey to the next world, and all the evidence referred to that the pharaohs worked in their life preparing for the afterlife. As so, they built the pyramids to be their tombs, to keep their jewelries and their bodies to take it with them to the other life. Booth (2010) stated that "it was believed that if the discarded body were preserved, it would remain a focus for the spirit that had left it, exerting an attraction that pulled it down to earth" (para.1). Pyramids of El-Giza There are many pyramids have found in Egypt, but the most famous three are those which found in El-Giza, couple hundred meters south from Cairo. The three pyramids are Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. Khufu pyramid also known as the Great Pyramid is considered as the tallest pyramids and the oldest wonder of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Great Pyramid needs more than 10.000 laborers working in three-month shifts took around 30 years to build the pyramid (Egyption Antiquities...
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...The Ancient Egyptians built the pyramids as tombs for the pharaohs. The pharaohs were buried in pyramids of different shapes and sizes from the beginning of the old kingdom to end of the middle kingdom. There are about eighty pyramids known today from Ancient Egypt. (ancientegypt.com) The oldest known pyramids, known as step pyramids, were built in the 3rd Dynasty under a king called Djoser during 2630 and 2611 B.C., throughout this time the history of royal tomb building had fallen into two main stages. In the first two dynasties, kings and nobles were buried in simple brick structures. Then, in the 3rd dynasty during 2630 and 2611 B.C. Pharaoh Djoser and Imhotep, who was Djoser’s chancellor and High Priest, designed and built the first...
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...I April 29, 2012 Strayer University Professor Steven Klein The Great Pyramids at Giza, one of 110 pyramids built in Egypt; it is the only famous "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World" (Krystek, 2011) that still stands. There have been many theories regarding how the pyramids at Giza were constructed. Most experts agree that they were constructed as burial monuments for pharaohs, but “how” these ancient people constructed monuments of such great size without modern machinery is a mystery which is still being debated. It is no mystery who built the Great Pyramids, the pharaoh Khufu, but how he accomplished this has been debated over and over. There are several theories to how they were constructed. They range from cranes, ramps, to today’s theory of space aliens, held by some. However, of the many theories offered, the most logical of them are the use of cranes or ramps. One earliest recorded theory put forward by Herodotus, the Greek historian, mentioned the use of "machines" used to raise the blocks, which has been taken to mean cranes. Supporters of this theory believe that cranes were used in the construction. “Egyptians farmers have long used wooden crane-like devices called a shadoufs to raise water from the Nile for irrigation” (Brier, 2007). It is believed that hundreds of these cranes at different levels on the pyramid were used to lift the blocks. The problem with this theory is that Egypt did not have forests to provide the large amount of timber need to accomplish...
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...The Giza pyramids were the burial places for the Forth Dynasty kings Khufu, Khafre and Menkoure. These pyramids were erected on a rocky plateau west of the Nile River in North Egypt. King Khufu’s complex was the largest of the three and it consisted of five boat pits, Queens’ pyramid and numerous mastabas for Khufu’s relatives and men. The most northern pyramid belongs to Khufu, this complex is known as the Great Pyramid. The Great Pyramid is the largest piece of evidence to still stand; in addition many people have visited this sight and recorded information on the structure. Further more there is ancient archaeological and written evidence still available King Khufu’s choice in location was the Giza Plateau, he decided on this site because it had many advantages. The benefits were that it is above the river valley and he ground was nearly flat. Lastly there was a lot of local limestone, which they used to construct the pyramids. The structure was originally built 140m tall and 140m wide, unfortunately due to the caliphs stealing he stones to build Cairo in the ninth century Ad the blocks were stolen. Sources speculate that each block weighed between 2.3 tons and 2.6 tons and the whole complex was said to have been built out of 2 300 00 blocks. “Cheops (Khufu) brought the country into all sorts of misery. He closed all the temples, then, not content with excluding his subjects from the practice of their religion, compelled them without exception to labour as slaves for...
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...Name; Subject; Date; Instructor; The great pyramid of Giza The pyramids of Ancient Egypt are as entrancing and interesting, as they are amazing. Egyptologists and history specialists have since quite a while ago faced off regarding the topic of who manufactured the pyramids, and for what reason. There are a wide range of and regularly clashing hypotheses as to the development of the Great Pyramid of Giza. At the point when turning back the pages of history, it is found that various speculations have been produced to clarify the nearness of such a critical authentic milestone. Speculations differ from a tomb for a lord, to an uncommon synthetic plant, a reference point for extraterrestrial aircraft's, a stone type of the Bible, a conceivable approach to contact a Higher Being and a stone declaration of the second happening to Christ. Such case of shifting questionable hypotheses has started various theories to the riddle of the Great Pyramid of Giza. As indicated by customary Egyptology, the Great Pyramid of Giza was worked by Egyptian pharaoh Khufu amid the Fourth Dynasty around .the year 2560 BCE Schillings, M. : 1999 : Sheet . It has been proposed that the Egyptian civilization succeeded in setting up an unpredictable and sorted out work power of individuals to make and manufacture an astounding entombment tomb for the pharaoh in help of his voyage to the great beyond. Be that as it may, in opposition to this recommendation, one must inquire as to why the present day...
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...The Great Pyramid of Giza is the most long lasting structure in the world. And the most mysterious. How much do you really know about the Great Pyramid of Giza? Did you know that it watermarks have proved it was once halfway submerged in saltwater? Or that it’s weight is estimated at 5,955,000 tons? The Great Pyramid is one of the wonders of the world. It's gotten this label because even today, we have no idea how it was built. It is located in the Giza Necropolis, or modern day Cairo, Egypt. We thought it was built for the burial of the fourth dynasty pharaoh Khufu, ( who is also known as Cheops) and was completed around 2560 B.C. The Great Pyramid is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that is still standing. Nobody knows...
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...1 The mystery behind how the pyramids were built The Pyramids at Giza remain one of the most amazing architectural works in history and the Great Pyramid stands as one of the last surviving wonders of the ancient world. There are many theories revolving around the construction of Egypt’s pyramids: one of which is that the Hebrews slaves under the control of the pharaoh Khufu built the pyramids. Another theory suggests that human beings were not involved in the building of the pyramids but instead these structures were built by extra-terrestrial or alien forces. The first of the theories involves a famous Greek historian called Herodotus who traveled to Egypt around 430 B.C. Based upon his observation and findings, Herodotus came to the conclusion that the pyramids were built by demoralized Hebrew slaves working under the command of the immoral pharaoh named Khufu. Throughout the years and until today, this is the theory that is accepted by most people. However, researchers and archeologists have yet to provide hard evidence proving the theory. The theory suggests a vast number of slaves were available to build the pyramids under the labor conditions of that time. According to mainstream archeology, there is no proof whatsoever of slavery existing near Giza during the time when the pyramids were thought to, have been built. Even ancient arts or architecture of the Egyptians do not show any records of slavery ever being used to build the pyramids. Also, recently, villages were...
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...Building the Pyramids It has been a mystery that man has been trying to unravel for many centuries now. How were the pyramids created? Some are spectacle in saying that the great pyramids of Giza were made by extraterrestrials. A few may claim that Egyptians gathered slaves to build for them. Others believe that they could have been made with the technology that the Egyptians had but lost through the ages. As for the aspects of slaves building the pyramids seemed to be false. A professor of Classics and ancient Mediterranean studies at Penn State claims, "The concept of slavery is a very complicated problem in ancient Egypt, because the legal aspects of indentured servitude and slavery were very complicated."(Redford) He also explained that the lower class citizens that worked on the pyramids were given food, shelter and other great benefits. There also had to have been over 20,000 laborers working to build this colossal monument. The great pyramids of Giza were designed for Pharaoh Khufu. In fact many pyramids were built as tombs for the great pharaohs. They were “to shelter and safeguard the part of pharaoh’s soul that remained with his corpse.”(Willard). They choose this particular shape based on a pointed sacred stone known as benben which symbolized the rays of the sun. They believed that the pharaohs reached the heavens via sunbeams. Today, the great pyramids have become a great tours attraction. What once was a sacerat resting place for the pharoh’s courps, is now...
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