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OUTLINE

-The pyramids and what is beyond their misterious and perfect construction

-The sphinx of giza, the guardian of the pyramids

-The gods/godesses of the ancient egypt: Akhenaton and Nefertiti

-Mummification: The afterlife

-Hieroglyphs:writing and books


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ABSTRACT

Egypt is best known for its wonderful, misterious, and ancient constructions

such as the pyramids, the sphinx of Giza, the temple of RA, and many others

that seems tokeep a secret related even to the human kind.Inside of these oldmonuments there are many ancient writings called hieroglyphs.These signs were

meant to leave us a message but, however not many people know how to

translate them.These signs were connected of course with their culture, religion,

and gods.

Keywords:Pyramids, pharaoeh, gods,sphinx,Giza, mummies.


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The pyramids and what is beyond their misterious and perfect construction

During the Old Kingdom, the egyptians decided to build something

great so they could be the most evolved kingdom in relation to construction.Of

course, back then there were lots of different shelters for the dead pharaoes,

beside the pyramids the ancient egyptians built massives tombs, some of themwere carved in rocks and then they were coveredof the on top with mastabas,

and this would be some sort of roof the building of mastabas was well

established by the beginning of 1-st dynasty.(Humphreys,1999)

The pyramids played a religious role in the history of egypt.The

egyptians believed that the pyramids had something to do with the sun, it is said

that throught these two the pharaoe would reach the heaven.

The way in which the egyptians built the pyramids is not completly

clear, there are various opinious, but the main one is that the egyptians did this

amaizing thing.Some say that the pyramids were built by others but its proved

though that the egyptians built them.The workers may have been people from

local villages, there were even people who worked for the king,and another

aspect is that among the men could have been womens who participate to the

process of buiding them but yet theres no prove of it.

Image 1

The priests and the architects had their own contribution, they helped

the workers to choose the place, the right corners in order to respect the customs,

to be all the time in touch with the stars so that the pharaoh could rest properly

in the after life.(

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html ,)


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Like we all know, in egypt were not found not even a small piece of

what the egyptians used to built the pyramids, more likely all those objects were

destroyed during so many years and the archeologists didnt find any type of

writting documents though they found out from where the rock blocks come

from.Many archeologists say that the workers had some kind ramp when they

were building them, and they used wooden sledges to be able to transport the

stones, not to mention that those blocks weight about 2.5 tones so they needed a

great number of people to carry them.In that period the egyptians werent

familiar with the wheel and neither with the fact that they could easily use

animals to make their work easier.(Rose-Marie.Hagen.2005)

According to many ancient discoveries, the era of the pyramids began

around 2700 B.C.E and ended about 1750.This era was dominated by the

custom of the pharaohs in which they were building great pyramids so that they

could simbolize a great power among other civilisations.I could easily say that

this era meant for them a great achievement and also an apogee and a

model.(1997:1)

The sphinx of giza: The Guardian of the pyramids

The Sphinx is located on the Giza plateau next to the pyramids.His dimensions

are unbelievable, the statue measures 73 m long and 20 m height.It is

represented like a lion with human head.It is a mythilogical creature, some parts

of it are missing such as the ceremonial beard and the uraeus on its brow,but,still, it remained the royal head dress which indicates that the sphinx was a

pharaoh.

It is said that the gods covered the sphinx in sand so no one could

damage it, only the head was on the surface and thats why is more damaged

that the rest of the body.Nowadays, the polluation is putting its amprent on it,

during so many centuries the pharaohs gave to the sphinx different names such

as Father of horror.(Rose- Marie.Hagen.2005)

The sphinx and the Great Pyramid woke up the worlds curiosity andimagination,these ancient wonders made us wish to discover their past and


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maybe all these facts are related to us, too.

image 2

The archeologists discovered some evidences called a monumental

text book, which proves that the Sphinx was built before the Flood and not in

the Old Kingdom.(Rose-Marie and Hagen,2005)

It is almost sure that the sphinx was built by the pharaohs face, all

indicates that this is how it was.After it was builted, the statue imposed power,

the power of the pharaoh Khephren..(http://www.readersdigest.com.au/sphinx-of-giza/) .

In the past, the entire statue was painted:its face and body were red

and the head was yellow with blue stripes.

(http://www.unmuseum.org/sphinx.htm.)

Hieroglyphs:writting and books

The hieroglyphs were used by the egyptians to express themselves, it was rather

used as a picture form.The egyptians had this type of writing for about 300 yearsuntil it was introduced another native language.The egyptians used or lets rather

say discovered this art of writing before the Dynastic period.Although, it is said

that Egypt borrowed this type of writing from Mesopotamia.


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I could say that the hieroglyphs are seen in many forms: Hieroglyphic texts

differ widely in amout of detail they incorporate into the signs,ans this partly

depended on the writing surface and method of execution.(2002:1).

The Gods/Godesses of the ancient Egypt

The ancient Egypt had lots of gods, and when it comes to describe them

its a little bit hard.The Gods of Egypt were capable to take different form, they

tended to take the characteristics of the animals.(Humphreys, Andrew,et al.

1999)

Back in the ancient egypt there existed a pharaoh named Akenaton, he

was the 10-th souveran from the 18-th dynasty.He ruled over his people about

17 years, and in all this time he tried to change the religion.he wanted to

eliminate the politeism and replaced it with monoteism.(2003)

However, in same ancient times a beautiful queen ruled the egypt and it is

believed that she was the most beautiful woman in the world,and her name is

Nefertiti. Also suzanne Mubarak described her: the portrait of Nefertiti is

thought by many to represent the most beautiful women the world has ever

known.She managed though to rule Egypt with the strenght of a

pharaoh.(Mubarak,2008)

Furthermore, she ruled Egypt with Akhenaton on her side, they were

married and together did great things for the egyptians.She enjoyed of her

position about 10 years, until she dissapeared without no trace, nobody knows

what happened with her but there are a few divided opinious, and one of them

might be the fact that she didnt give birth to a son, and because of this

Akhenaton left her.(

http://www.studentie.ro/campus/REGINA_NEFERTITI_DEZVALUITA__I_/c-47-a-

22895)

Mummification: the afterlife

When a pharaoh die, his body was mummified so that he could still be

considered as a god.First, his body was embalm with many nice smelling

ingredients, then they had to pull the brain out, the next step was to remove the


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internal organs because these were the first which could decompose.(

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies/story/main.html. ).

But i also have to mention that in some causes some of the organs were

lefted inside of the body.then the body was covered with salt and many others

substances to preserve the body in the afterlife.After the mummification process

was done, the ones who mummified him would left various inscriptions on the

mummified body.(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MQ5dL9cQX0. )

The egyptians believed in magic too.The magic was necesarry because it

was positive for the mummy so, it is connected to religion in a way or

another:(Davy,1999 ).he gave them the magic like weapons to face the fate.As

well as the dreams of the night and day.(Invatatura pentru Merikare,1.136-

137,translated mine)

I like to believed that egyptians were the most evoluated civilisation, they

were the only ancient kingdom who developed the art of building, they

progressed in religion and writings not to mention that they also made a big

progress in cultural traditions.This civilisation will always remain the most

mediatized because it is covered with lots of misteries hard to understand and

interpretate.(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6inbtpf-Elo&feature=related )


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REFFERENCE LIST

Andreu,Guillemette.Egypt in the age of the pyramids.p.1.1997.Cornell

University Press

Davy, Marie-Madeleine.(1999).Enciclopedia Doctrinelor

Mistice.ed.Amacord.vol.III,Timisoara,50-51.

Embalming the body.No author.online.Available at:

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies/story/main.html >[8 January 2012]

Explore the pyramids.Online.Available at:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html > [8 January

2012]

Getty Paul j.(Prod).(2009).Mummification Process.Dinamic

Diagrams.2:44

Humphreys,Andrew,et al.(1999).Egypt.50-62.Pharaonic Egypt-Tomb and

Temple Architecture,Gods and Godesses.

Image 1:online.available at:http://www.nilebliss.com/itin-full.html> [5

January 2012]

Image 2:online.available at:

http://www.google.ro/imgres?q=the+sphinx+giza&um=1&hl=ro&biw=1366&bi

h=528&tbm=isch&tbnid=RKw5S4ppyDY-

uM:&imgrefurl=http://www.robinwyatt.org/photography/photo-essays/egypt-

pyramids-of-

giza/&docid=So95dqUSic8eJM&imgurl=http://www.robinwyatt.org/photograph

y/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/egypt-giza-pyramids-travel-tourism-archaelogy-

sphinx-carrying-pyramid-blue-sky.jpg&w=885&h=590&ei=SNwMT--

eOMPAtAaYjIWPBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=367&vpy=226&dur=3495&ho

vh=183&hovw=275&tx=111&ty=169&sig=116919758566152779338&page=2

0&tbnh=138&tbnw=183&start=229&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:229> taken:16

april 2011.[10 January 2012]


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Laurant,Sophie.The Sphinx of Giza.2300 B.C.- A colossus constructed in

the image of the pharaoh Khephren.Online.Available at:

.(http://www.readersdigest.com.au/sphinx-of-giza/ >[8 January 2012]

Moazzam, Max,et al. (dir).(2007).The Ancient Egyptians.6:49

No author.(2003).Poeme Mistice Ale

Antichitatii.Akhenaton.Bucuresti:Albatros,p.58

Regina Nefertiti Dezvaluita.Online.Available at:

http://www.studentie.ro/campus/REGINA_NEFERTITI_DEZVALUITA__I_/c-47-a-

22895.> [8 January 2012]

Rose-Marie.Hagen, Rainer.(2005).Egypt.No place.Taschen.p.26,29-

30,34-36

The Riddle of the Sphinx.No author.Online.Available at:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html > [9 January

2012]

Turner, Jane (ed).(2002).Dictonary of Art.Writing and books.vol.10.Hong

kong:Groove,p.1-5


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UNIVERSITATEA DE NORD

FACULTATEA DE LITERE

THE ANCIENT EGYPT-a misterious civilisation

LIHET ILEANA

I LRE

January2012


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