The Pyramids of Giza The pyramids of Giza are one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. *Located in the valley of Giza in Egypt, Africa. *The largest pyramids are tombs for Khufu, Kafhre and of Menkaura, three great kings of the Old Kingdom. *These pyramids were built over 4500 years ago by hundreds of workers over decades of time. They were made of thousands of two ton rocks and covered with limestone. The smaller structures are “queens” pyramids.

There is a maze of pathways and chambers inside the pyramids.

THE GREAT SPHINX *The Great Sphinx is a zoomorphic (animal- like) mythological figure which is depicted as a relaxed lion with a human head. *Sphinx means to strangle. The lioness strangles her prey to kill it.

Hieroglyphics: Egyptian writing , symbols written in rows or columns that can be read from left to right or from right to left depending on the direction of the first figure. These symbols were carefully drawn by priests on temple walls to help guide the dead pharaohs in the after life.

dynasty; in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford “Daughters of Akhenaton,” fragment of a wall painting from a small residential building of Akhetaton, Tell el-Amarna, New Kingdom. Traditional Official Pose The traditional official pose shows the head in profile with the whole figure (two shoulders, two feet) standing in a tall formal stance. The Pharaohs demanded that the artists drew the king figures like this so that the soul had a complete body to travel in during the afterlife. Pharaoh Akhenaton reigned for a short but successful period and changed the artist’s restrictions on the human form. As you can see here, he had his daughters painted in relaxed poses and overlapped limbs.

King Mycerinus and Wife These figures are in the traditional official pose. The King and Queen are carved in-the-round but not free-standing; they are supported by the slate inbetween them. These figures would have been painted with brilliant colours.

King Tutankhamun King Tut’s Tomb was one of the few burial chambers that was found untouched by grave robbers. All of its contents of valuable gold, jewels, and art were found intact. Unfortunately, all of the archeologists died soon after the find. It was the curse of the mummy, or so the story goes. Scientists claim that the air was contaminated and they died as a result. This is King Tut’s Funerary Mask and Sarcophagus. These are solid gold encrusted with gemstones and jewels