Written by: Aarnov Adhikari - 23003, Grade XI
Posted on: 24 November, 2021
The pyramids, particularly the Great Pyramids of Giza, were built during a time when Egypt was one of the world's richest and most powerful civilizations. These are among the most beautiful man-made structures ever built. The Pharaoh, or ruler holds an unique position in ancient Egyptian culture, as evidenced by their immense magnitude. Though pyramids were constructed from the beginning of the Old Kingdom until the end of the fourth century A.D., the pinnacle of pyramid construction occurred during the late third dynasty which ruled till the 6th century. The Egyptian pyramids maintain much of their magnificence more than 4,000 years later, giving an insight into the country's rich and glorious history.
Royal graves were cut into rock and covered with flat-roofed rectangular constructions called "mastabas," . The oldest known pyramid in Egypt was erected for King Djoser of the third dynasty in Saqqara approximately 2630 B.C. It began as a typical mastaba but developed into something far more grandiose, known as the Step Pyramid. Imhotep, a priest and healer who would be deified as the patron saint of scribes and physicians 1,400 years later, is said to have designed the pyramid.
Pyramid builders built six stepped levels of stone (as opposed to mud-brick, like most earlier tombs) that finally reached a height of 204 feet (62 meters) during Djoser's almost 20-year rule, making it the highest edifice of its period. Djoser could spend his eternity in a network of courtyards, temples, and shrines surrounding the Step Pyramid.The stepped pyramid became the standard for royal graves after Djoser, though none of his dynastic successors were able to finish them (probably due to their relatively short reigns). The Red Pyramid at Dahshur, one of three burial constructions erected for the first king of the fourth dynasty, Sneferu, was the first "true" (smooth-sided, not stepped) pyramid.The hue of the limestone blocks used to build the pyramid's core gave it its moniker.
Despite common perception that the pyramids were built by slaves or foreigners forced into labor, remains recovered in the vicinity indicate that the workers were most likely native Egyptian farm laborers who worked on the pyramids while the Nile River inundated most of the surrounding land.To construct Khufu's Great Pyramid, around 2.3 million pieces of stone (averaging roughly 2.5 tons a piece) had to be cut, transported, and erected. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus said that it took 20 years to construct and that 100,000 men were needed, while archaeological evidence shows that the workforce was closer to 20,000.
