Ancient Egyptian Pyramids By: Joseph Sieng

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED ABOUT THE HISTORY OF PYRAMIDS? AN EGYPTOLOGIST FIGURED THAT PYRAMIDS WERE ACTALLY BUILT BY FARMERS OR FREE WORKERS, NOT SLAVES. MANY PYRAMIDS WHERE THE PHARAOHS TOMBS WERE CONTAINED A SECRET PASSAGE WAYS, AND TRAPS TO CATCH TOMB THEIFS. LAST THE STONES USED TO BUILD WERE LIMESTONE, BUT SINCE THEY WERE DRAGGED, THE SAND MIXED WITH IT AND GAVE IT IT ITS COLOR. THEREFORE THIS ESSAY WILL FOCUS ON PYRAMID BUILDERS, EGYPTIAN PYRAMID TOMBS, AND THE WAY PYRAMIDS WERE BUILT.         

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED ABOUT PYRAMID BUILDERS AND THE WAY THEY WORKED? AN EGYPTOLOGIST SAYS THAT PYRAMIDS WEREN’T BUILT BY SLAVES; THEY WERE BUILT BY FREE WORKERS OR FARMERS THAT THOUGHT THAT ONCE THE PHARAOH DIED HE WOULD LOOK AFTER THEM. THIS EGYPTOLOGIST PROBABLY SAID THIS BECAUSE HE/SHE THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE THE PHARAOH HAD SO MANY WORKERS. HE PROBABLY GOT PEOPLE TO WORK FOR HIM FOR FREE. THE BLOCKS THAT PYRAMID BUILDERS USED WERE LIMESTONE, BUT SINCE THEY WERE DRAGGED THROUGH THE SAND IT MADE THE BLOCKS LOOK THE WAY THEY DO.  SINCE THEY WERE DRAGGED THEY GOT VERY SANDY. BUT BEFORE BEING DRAGGED THROUGH THE SAND IT WAS VERY SHINY. THE PYRAMID BUILDERS ONLY BUILT ABOUT THERE KINGS/PHARAOHS DURING THE OLD KINGDOM AND STOPPED THEM IN THAT PARTICULAR WAY BECAUSE THEY WERE EASY TO ROB. THEY BUILT THESE “ROYAL” PYRAMIDS TO PUT THE PHARAOHS IN WHEN THEY DIED BUT THEY DID IT IN MEMORY OF THE PHARAOH. THEY DID THESE PYRAMIDS THIS WAY BECAUSE THE EGYPTIANS HAD SO MUCH RESPECT FOR THE PHARAOH.                                            

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS WERE BUILT? THE ONLY ERA OF TIME THAT PYRAMID BUILDERS BUILT THINGS OR TOMBS IN MEMORY OF THEIR PHARAOHS WAS DURING THE OLD KINGDOM. IN OTHER WORDS WHEN THE PHARAOH DIED THERE WAS A SPECIAL COFFIN BUILT FOR HIM.  BECAUSE WHEN THE PHARAOH DIED IT WAS A VERY BIG DEAL BECAUSE OF THE MANY GREAT THINGS A PHARAOH COULD DO. THE SHAPE LATER PYRAMIDS COULD’VE COME FROM A TYPE OF “MOUND” ,  BUT WERE MODELED  ON A SPECIAL TYPE OF STONE, CALLED “BENBEN”.  WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT WHEN MASTABAS’ PASSED, THEY STARTED TO USE THAT TYPE OF STRUCTURE. THEN THEY STARTED TO BUILD WHAT WE NOW CALL PYRAMIDS. ONCE THE TOMB WAS BUILT OR WHILE IT WAS BEING BUILT THEY SENT HIGHLY SKILLED CARVERS AND PAINETRS TO CARVE AND PAINT THE INSIDE OF THE PYRAMID OR TO DECORATE THE BURIAL CHAMBER. HOWEVER IF ONE OF THOSE TWO OR MORE PEOPLE MESSED UP THE TOMB WILL LOSE SOME POWER. IF THAT HAPPENED THE PHARAOH WON’T HAVE A SAFE TRIP INTO THE AFTERLIFE.

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY PYRAMIDS WERE BUILT? BEFORE BUILDING PYRAMIDS THERE WERE MASTABAS’ THAT HAD A COFFIN FOR THE PHARAOH. THEREFORE WHEN THE PHARAOH DIED THEY WOULD WRAP HIM AND DO THE RITUAL. THEN THEY WOULD PUT HIM IN THE MASTABAS. WHEN THEY STARTED TO BUILD PYRAMIDS THEY FIRST BUILT A MASTABAS AND THEY STARTED TO PLANT PYRAMID BLOCKS OVER IT AND AROUND THE MASTABAS. IN OTHER WORDS WHEN THEY BUILT PYRAMIDS, THE INNER PART WAS THE STONE MASTABAS. IT TOOK 100,000 MEN TO START BUILDING A PYRAMID. FINALLY TO FINISH THIS FACT IT TOOK ABOUT ONE 1 YEAR TO GET THAT MANY MEN. IT TOOK HALF OF THE MEN TO BUILD A MASTABAS.