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Egyptian notes set 5 Amazing monuments Lying at the crossroads of Africa and Asia, Egypt’s location has been an important geographical and political power since the beginning of civilization This civilization was one of the greatest in the world Massive monuments were tributes to great rulers as well as final resting places that were meant to help the soul reach the afterlife The pyramids have a rectangular base and four triangular sides, meeting in a single point at the top By using astronomy and watching the sun, the Egyptians were able to determine precise directions A pyramid faces either due north, south, east, or west Over 80 pyramids have been found in Egypt along the Nile, all on the west bank where the sun sets to pay tribute to Ra Royal tombs According to the Egyptians, life after death was more important than their present lives The Egyptians believe that burial sites especially royal tombs were very important The most “spectacular” was the pyramids-huge stone tombs with four triangle shaped sides that met in a point on top Built the first pyramids in the old kingdom-largest ones built at this time Largest pyramid is the great pyramid of Khufu near town of Giza-covers more than 13 acres at its base and stands 481 feet high, took thousands of workers and more than 2 million limestone blocks to build Great pyramid of Khufu was a great example of Egyptian engineering--- the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes Earliest pyramids did not have smooth sides Egyptians began building the smooth sided pyramids in 2700 BC The steps of these pyramids were filled and covered with limestone The burial chambers were located deep inside the pyramid After the pharaoh’s burial, workers sealed the passages to this room with large blocks Massive projects required a huge labor force The government paid the people working on the pyramids Wages for working on construction projects were paid in goods such as grain instead of money Historians believe that workers used brick ramps and strong wooden sleds to drag he stones up the pyramid once at the building site Significance of the pyramids Burial in a pyramid showed a pharaohs importance Both the size and shape of the pyramid were symbolic Pointing to the sky above, the pyramid symbolized the pharaoh’s journey to the afterlife The Egyptians believed the pharaoh, as their link to the gods, controlled everyone’s afterlife To ensure that the pharaoh remains safe after death, the Egyptians sometimes wrote magical spells and hymns are called pyramid texts The first such text, addressed to Re(Ra) the sun god was carved into the pyramid of king Unashe was a pharaoh of the old kingdom “RE, this Unas comes to you A spirit indestructible… Your son comes to you, this Unas May you cross the sky united in the dark. May you rise in light land [where] you shine?” -from Pyramid text, utterance 217 The builders of Unas’s pyramid wanted the god Re to look after their leader’s spirit Even after death, the Egyptian’s pharaoh was important to tem The sphinx The sphinx has the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh It is believed to be the pharaoh Khafre and his guardian spirit Khafre was the son and successor of Khufu Carved from the soft natural limestone nearby, it had disintegrated over the years Not sure if sphinx tunnels or not Some even claim that the sphinx was built by an advanced civilization that has since disappeared