The Pyramids

The Obsession From early on, Egyptians were very much concerned with the afterlife They have some of the oldest known burial rituals It began with simple holes dug in the ground Then material items were buried with the dead

The Progression Soon these crude burials became obsolete Mastaba Burial tomb that was reserved for high ranking people of society Had underground chambers Made of stone

Grand Mastaba As dynastic rulers became the norm in Egypt so did the idea that the King needed an even grander burial place This is due to the development of the Egyptian religion and to the strength of the civilization Djoser 3rd Dynasty Stacked mastabas on each other to create the first “pyramid” in Egypt

Step Pyramid 204 Ft tall 6 layers (mastabas) Stones chiseled so that they looked like wood and other plants (grain and texture)

Who was behind this idea? Imhotep Was the architect behind the design of the pyramid Was also a physician, priest and cult leader 1,400 years after he died, he was deified Was buried in a mastaba next to the step pyramid

Snefru 4th Dynasty Built 3 pyramids Maidum Pyramid Bent Pyramid Step pyramid w/8 steps Was abandoned Bent Pyramid 344 Ft tall The angles of the pyramid were not correct Red Pyramid 341 Ft tall First true smooth sided pyramid

Snefru

Khufu 4th Dynasty Son of Snefru Had the Great Pyramid Constructed in Giza 481 Ft tall 2,300,000 stones with and average weight of 7 tons Was cased with a bright white limestone and had a top that was gold Largest pyramid on the planet Construction was said to take 20 years This means a stone would have had to been placed every 20 minutes

Khufu

Khufu

Khufu

Khafre Khufu’s son 471 Ft. tall Also has the sphinx in front of it Built his pyramid in Giza like his father Last truly grand pyramid

Sphinx Some artifact dating techniques have suggested that the Sphinx is older than the pyramids???????? There is speculation that the Sphinx has a hidden chamber under one of the paws There are some preliminary tests that support this idea Why is the head so tiny???????????

Sphinx

Menkaure Son of Khafre His pyramid was 1/10 of his fathers 213 Ft. tall Last pyramid built in Giza

Three at Giza

How?