EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS AND TOMBS

CHRONOLOGY OF PYRAMIDS Old Kingdom Egyptians began to

build pyramids to house their dead pharaohs

There are still 35 pyramids standing near the Nile, and 138 pyramid sites have been discovered

CHRONOLOGY OF PYRAMIDS Before pyramids, Egyptians

constructed bench-like structures called mastabas to house the bodies of deceased pharaohs

CHRONOLOGY OF PYRAMIDS The first pyramids to emerge were

step pyramids

This design was conceived by the architect Imhotep

Served as a stairway for the deceased pharaoh to climb to the afterlife

CHRONOLOGY OF PYRAMIDS At the end of the Old

Kingdom, around 2600BCE, smooth pyramids began to appear

The Red Pyramid was the first, and was constructed as a step pyramid then smoothed in

CHRONOLOGY OF PYRAMIDS The Great Pyramid of Giza is another

great example, but was constructed to be smooth under orders of Khufu

CHRONOLOGY OF PYRAMIDS The Great Pyramid and others at Giza

symbolized the absolute authority of the pharaohs because they required a massive labour force and lots of natural resources to be constructed

CHRONOLOGY OF PYRAMIDS At Giza, smaller pyramids housed the

pharaoh’s queen The Great Sphinx is also at Giza and

could have possibly protected the pyramids

WHAT’S WITH THE SHAPE? The pyramid shape could represent the

mound that Amon-Re rose up from in the creation myth

It might also represent the descending rays of the sun

HOW DID THEY BUILD THE PYRAMIDS? Four stages of construction over about

a 20 year period; Planning stage Mining stage Transportation stage Construction stage

WHY DID EGYPTIANS STOP BUILDING PYRAMIDS?

As time went on, power became more decentralized and pyramids lost their grandeur

WHY DID EGYPTIANS STOP BUILDING PYRAMIDS?

Ancient Egyptians started burying their pharaohs in tombs during the New Kingdom

The Valley of the Kings at Thebes includes 60 burial sites including the tomb of Tutankhamun

WHAT WAS INSIDE A PYRAMID? Several chambers, a burial tomb,

and shafts leading from the tomb to the sky

Chambers housed figures called shabti which were intended to help the deceased in the afterlife

WHAT WAS INSIDE A PYRAMID? The tomb itself was littered with spells

written on papyrus, hieroglyphics to provide instructions to the deceased, statues, and copies of The Book of the Dead specific to the deceased

The Book of the Dead contained magic spells which served to guide the deceased in the afterlife

“The lost gods of the Egyptians”