The Pyramids: Making a Point
By Joseph, John, Miguel, and Victoria of Class 601
OK, let's get to the point...
The Great Pyramids of Giza are amazing! They have lots of interesting facts that add mystery and awe which set them apart from other ancient monuments of the world.
The Exterior of a Pyramid
The first ever three-dimensional triangle shaped pyramid was designed in Dahshur, Egypt by King Sneferu, a fourth dynasty pharaoh after two failed attempts. His son, King Khufu, followed in his footsteps and continued pyramid construction with the largest pyramid, or "The Great Pyramid" using heavy blocks of limestone as his father once did.
The Interior of a Pyramid
A pyramid is made up of many shafts and chambers. At the heart of the pyramid is the King's chamber, where the mummified corpse of the pharaoh rests in his tomb. Leading from the King's chamber are multiple airshafts. Below the pyramid is a mysterious room known only as the "underground chamber," since its purpose is unknown.
Are all pyramids the same?
All pyramids are built with the same shape but different heights. For example, the Great Pyramid is taller than the other two pyramids. Additionally, the Egyptians used the same limestone blocks to build all of the pyramids. Most blocks weighs around 15 Tons. Some weigh more than an elephant! The pyramids all had to be made with the same amount of precision and craftsmanship, because if any block was out of place the whole pyramid would be ruined.
Tourists travel along the sides of the Great Pyramid. After centuries of weathering that has caused damage to the Pyramids, the blocks have now worn down.
What's the big deal?
You may be asking yourself this: why were the Great Pyramids of Giza so spectacular? Well, as a pharaoh of ancient Egypt, you were considered a god and treated to the best. The Egyptians believed that whatever you are buried with will be taken with you over to the "next life," and so it was a big deal for pharaohs to be correctly mummified and put in an easily-seen monument to be properly remembered, filled with riches and worldly possessions of the king.
Egyptian Society
What the Pyramids tell us about Egyptian society is that all of the inhabitants of Egypt praise and worship their pharaoh, since gathering resources in the blazing sun of a desert to construct a huge monument is no easy task. Especially considering the amount of detail and hard work that goes into it so that the pyramids are perfectly lined up to face the North and not even a piece of paper can slip through the blocks.