Download The Egyptian Pyramids

Liam Weber 5B2 The Egyptian Pyramids The Ancient Egyptian pyramids have some amazing tales behind them. The Egyptian pyramids are astounding, mesmerizing structures built between 2580 BCE and 2504 BCE. These pyramids represent the great Pharaohs of history. These structures were built in Egypt in the Country of Africa along the Nile River. The Egyptian Pharaohs built these structures as afterlife monuments to themselves. There are several pyramids in a single location in Giza that were made by a Pharaoh named Kufu. The Egyptian pyramids showed that Egypt was a great and complex civilization by showing technology, government and religion. Technology that was used to make the pyramids, shows that ancient Egypt was one of the world’s most complex civilizations. The Egyptians used technology to move limestone blocks from the stone quarry to the pyramids. They used sleds to haul the limestone blocks from one place to the other, and they used tools like chisels to chip blocks of stone from the quarries. The Egyptians used all sorts of tools to help make the pyramids, which show that they used technology in the pyramids. The Egyptians used wooden mallets to drive chisels in to stones, they used drills to dig holes, which they would then put wooden stakes in to help split the stone. The Egyptians also made ramps out of mud and gravel on the side of the pyramid, so workers and items could get to the top. They would use the ramps to get stones to the top of the pyramid; people also used the ramps to get to the top. Egyptians showed technology in their complex buildings and structures. The pyramids also reflect a good deal of government. The Egyptian government had to sort people into different groups to make the pyramids. The workers had six jobs, so they were in six groups; stone cutters, surveyors, masons, foremen, mortar makers, and carpenters. The pyramids were built as a sacred, afterlife tomb for the pharaoh. The pharaohs had grand temples and structures built for them so they could maintain power and strength in the afterlife. The Government used the labor the pyramid builders were doing, as “paying off taxes.” The men in Egypt had to take hard and tiring shifts to help build the pyramid; these shifts were normally four through six months. The pyramids were assembled by the government, and built for a governmental purpose; so the pyramids show multiple signs of government. The Egyptian pyramids also demonstrated a great deal of religion by the temples that surrounded the pyramid. The pharaoh would greatly believe in religion and religious thoughts. The Egyptians believed in their religious afterlife, so a pharaoh would build himself a pyramid to be his afterlife house, or final resting/living place. The pharaoh also had to hire religious men to help him after he died. They prepared his body, helped him become god in the afterworld, and they performed many holy ceremonies for the deceased pharaoh. The pharaoh also deeply believed in the gods to help him have a good and successful afterlife. The pyramids were built to point towards the sky, to help the pharaoh reach the gods; the pharaoh was also buried with a boat so Ra could take him to the gods. The pyramids clearly demonstrated religion by showing religious designs, and structures. Egyptian pyramids show that Egypt was a complex civilization by showing technology, government, and religion. Ancient Egyptians used technology to build the complex tombs. The government sorted the people to make sure all of the duties were performed. And the pyramids were built for a religious purpose. These three of the seven traits demonstrate that ancient Egypt was a very complex society. Bibliography Doneley, Willer. “Pyramids.” World Book. Vol. 15. CHicago: World Book, Inc, 2012. N. pag. Print. History Alive! The Ancient World. N.p.: Teachers curriculum, 2011. Print. Macaulay, David. Pyramid. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1975. Print. World Book. World Book inc, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. <http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar453060&st=egyptian+pyramids>. World history. World History in Context., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/whic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?failOverType
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