Download at Giza. Scholars today, however, think it may have been built by

A. TOMBS
IN ANCIENT EGYPT
The most elaborate tombs in ancient times were those built by the Egyptians
for their kings, the pharaohs. Early on, the Egyptians built mastabas, tombs
made of dried bricks which were then used to shore up shafts and chambers
dug into the earth. In every mastaba there was a large room for ceremonies
honoring the spirit of the deceased and an adjoining smaller room, the
serdab, where a statue of the dead person would be placed so that the spirit
could witness and enjoy the ceremonies. The mastaba continued as a tomb for
the common people but for royalty it was replaced by the structure known as
the pyramid. Commencing with the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, the
royal pyramids would reach their height in splendor in the construction of the
Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza (built 2551-2528 BCE). The royal pyramids
were adorned with paintings depicting the life and accomplishments of the
deceased king and filled with all those necessities the spirit would need in the
afterlife in the Field of Reeds. Pharoahs were interred in the area known as
The Valley of the Kings and their tombs were elaborate eternal homes which
reflected their status as divine rulers.
http://www.ancient.eu/tomb/
THE EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS
The monumental pyramids of Ancient Egypt are perhaps the most famous
tombs in the world. The origins of the pyramids were mastabas, Arabic for
“benches,” which were mud or brick rectangular structures built over graves
during Ancient Egypt’s First Dynasty (c. 2925–c. 2775 B.C.). The Step
Pyramid of Djoser, a pyramid built by this pharaoh in the Third Dynasty (c.
2650-2575 B.C.), was the first mastaba to be made of stone and to take on
the distinctive pyramid shape.
The most famous of the Egyptian pyramids are the three massive tombs of
the Fourth Dynasty (c. 2575–2465 B.C.). These monumental pyramids built
for the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure housed the royal mummies and
their worldly effects thought to protect and be used by the kings in their
afterlife. The Great Pyramid of Giza, built for Khufu, is the largest, soaring
to a height of around 480 feet, and is the last standing of the Seven
Wonders of the World. It is estimated that it took about 20,000 workers to
construct the Great Pyramid over a period of about 20 years. The king and
queen’s burial chambers are situated deep within the massive pyramid. Also
part of the Giza complex are two mortuary temples honoring Khufu. Although
the three pyramids have been looted over the centuries, extensive
hieroglyphs and some surviving artifacts, such as jewelry and furniture
discovered in the Giza pyramid complex, have helped archaeologists to learn
about the Ancient Egyptian’s burial and religious practices, as well as their
daily life.
http://www.history.com/topics/tombs
B. Tombs of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt is known for its magnificent and beautiful tombs. The most
well known are within the pyramids in the Valley of the Kings or the tombs
from the Age of the Pyramids (during the Old Kingdom, 2650 to 2150 B.C.
spanning from 3rd to 6th Dynasty). While these elaborate tombs were quite
ornate, the bodies of people from the lower castes met with humbler ends.
The tombs that were built can be classified by the status one had while
alive. The poorest people were buried in shallow graves scooped out of the
sand with a straw outer covering. These graves were common in
predynasty. Many of these bodies were wrapped in linen and found in a fetal
position. There would be some grave goods beside the body, but what was
left was “a pot or two, a little meat, or perhaps a necklace of
shells.”[9] Sometimes the poorer people would place the deceased “close to the
graves of the rich, so that their relatives could share in the abundant grave
goods left for the upper classes.
The tombs of Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt had two different styles of
construction.
The tombs of Lower Egypt were located at the downstream end of a wadi, (a
dry streambed) “which represented the downstream end of the
the Nile River.”[17]
These tombs were lined with mud bricks that surrounded
the wooden and reed tomb structure. The wood and reed would also be
painted. Then a low reed fence would surround the tomb. The tomb would
sometimes have three to five mummies, so it was hypothesized these were
family members who were buried together. In the case of royal families,
these other members may have been of the royal court.
[17]
The Upper Egypt styled tombs were located at the upstream end of the
wadi.
These were tombs cut into subsoil bedrock. An example found in the
necropolis, was a tomb that was excavated which “had a long narrow trench
with an L-shaped hole cut into the middle of the floor. There was not any
superstructure associated with it. Surrounding this stone tomb were animal
burials, including hippopotamuses, elephants, crocodiles, baboons, cattle,
goats, sheep, and dogs. Some of the animals were mummified and probably
had civic-ceremonial significance.”[17] The stone cut tombs, even though they
may not have been elaborate and not decorated, are indicative of a higher
class status in the Egyptian society.
http://myweb.usf.edu/~liottan/tombsofancientegypt.html
C. The Royal Tombs
The mastaba was the earliest and simplest tomb structure. It consisted of a
single elevated platform and was built of mud-brick. These structures were
not particularly elaborate and were not decorated.
In the 3rd dynasty (Old Kingdom) Imhotep built the step pyramid (Fig. 1) for
Zoser. This structure was the first all stone monument and was, of course,
the inspiration for the true pyramids that followed, culminating into the
pyramids of Giza, and in particular the great pyramid of Khufu.
The pyramids were the major achievements of the 4th dynasty approximately 2500 BC (Old Kingdom) - and were built for Khufu, Khafre and
Menkaure (Fig. 2). These structures are truly awesome. The pyramid of
Khufu, for example:
1. contains over 2,300,000 stones
2. the base is 13 square acres, 568,500 sq. ft, or 7 city blocks
3. the side of each base is 754 feet, or more than 2 football fields
4. the pyramid weights 6.5 million tons
5. -each stone weighs approximately 2.5 tons
6. and is 481 feet tall
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/egypt.html
D. In Tombs
Writing was a very important part of tomb decoration. The writing on the walls in
a pharaoh's tomb helped him get to the afterlife.
Scribes wrote the spells on the walls of tombs before they were carved. Then,
the craftsmen decorating the tomb carved the hieroglyphs or painted them.
Finally, the head scribe checked over the work that had been done to make sure it
was correct.
Remember, the craftsmen could not always read what they were carving on the
walls, and a missed line or sign could mean that the spells would not work.
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/writing/explore/tomb.html
E. Pyramid Construction
The Greek historian Herodotus was told that it took 100,000 men 20 years
to build the Great Pyramid at Giza. Scholars today, however, think it may
have been built by only 20,000 men over 20 years.
A pyramid's large square base creates a very stable structure. A number of
astronomical observations were used to precisely align its corners with the
four cardinal points. Approximately 80% of the building materials are found in
the lower half. This means that relatively few stone blocks were hauled to
the upper levels. Since pyramids are solid, no walls or pillars were required to
support the structure. Despite its simple design, a pyramid is an incredible
engineering feat. Several theories attempt to explain how pyramids were
constructed, but for now, the mystery has yet to be solved.
One theory suggests that causeways were used to haul the stone blocks on
wooden sleds up the side of the pyramids. The ramps were lubricated with
water to reduce friction when hauling the blocks. As few as 10 men were
needed to drag a stone block up a ramp. There may have been several ramps
on each side of the pyramid at different levels, and a ramp may have been
coiled around the pyramid as it grew in height. Once a stone block reached
its desired level, wooden rockers may have been used to move it into position.
Another theory suggests that a wooden crane with a counterweight on one
end may have been used to lift the blocks from one level to the next. This
theory has been disputed, since the Egyptians did not have access to trees
that were strong enough for this type of work. The average weight of the
stone blocks used to build the Great Pyramid at Giza has been estimated at
2.5 tons. Such an enormous weight would undoubtedly break a wooden crane
before the block could be lifted.
Another possibility involves the use of pulleys to hoist the blocks up the
ramps and fulcrums to manipulate the blocks into place. Pulleys were used on
ships at the time.
http://www.museedelhistoire.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egca12e.shtml