The Pryamids Essay Research Paper The Great

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The Pryamids Essay, Research Paper The Great Pyramids of Ancient Egypt are the most magnificent and amazing man-made structures to have ever been erected. They are the only ones still in existence from the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The pyramids were created some 4000 years ago, and to this day many still exist. These monuments are a remarkable reminder to us of how far advanced the Egyptians were in their technology, engineering and architecture. The pyramids were built to last through time and are a legacy to which no other civilization has anything to compare. They have survived Mother Nature as well as human s destructive nature and are still standing. The Egyptians spent a lot of time and energy creating the pyramids. Why did the Egyptian feel so compelled to

create the pyramids? And how were they created? The pyramids of the Old Kingdom are an extraordinary accomplishment, which command the wonder and admiration of the world. Considering that the Egyptians had very few tools at their disposal and with absolutely no sophisticated equipment with which to make the stones, leaves one with the belief that this civilization was far more advanced than we may believe. The fact that the pyramids were created to near perfection, an accomplishment our society would still find hard to create even with our advanced technology, leave s one in total amazement. To date there has never been a building or monument, made by man without the help of advance machinery, ever erected that can even come close to resembling the sheer genius and brilliant

engineering and construction that had been put into the pyramids. There had been an exceptional amount of resources and labor put into the construction of the pyramids. They are virtually indestructible and have survived, so far anyway, the test of time. There was a time when, in a small strip of the worlds land surface, man achieved an almost total equilibrium with his environment and created a society as near perfect as he so far has been able to even dream about. This was the golden age. Sadly enough for the race of man, it ended all too soon, rather more than 4000 years ago. (Rice, 1) How Egypt was governed portrays an important role in the construction and the function of the pyramids. The sheer size and unbelievable engineering that went into the creation of the pyramids

shows the power of the king and the Egyptian state and the highly centralized administration that controlled Egypt at that time. Egyptians of the Old and Middle kingdoms were ruled by divine kingship, which meant that the king was one of the gods and superior to the people. Only the king himself was allowed to speak to the other gods. The king is considered to be the good god (Trigger, 71). The king therefore is considered to be the son of Re (or Ra), the sun god. The king must, during his lifetime, create a tomb to prepare for his duties in the heavens. After the kings death he is promised a place of honor in the barge of Re, where he may assist the sun gods daily voyages across the sky. Therefore when the king dies, he becomes Re, the sun god. It is the duty of the king and his

people to prepare for his afterlife. The significance of the pyramid is proven by the resources and time used to create these monuments. The Egyptians honored several gods, some good and some bad. The gods of Heaven: Hathor cow goddess of love, music, and women, who was symbolized in the Egyptian pyramids of the women; Horus ruler of the day; Nut Mother of the sun, moon and heavenly bodies; and Re (Ra) the sun god, who was born every morning and died every night. Some of the earth gods were: Osiris the water god, who was god of agriculture and the afterlife; Ptah the creator god, who was the creator of all living things; Ma at the god of order and balance, who was in charge of truth and justice; Seth Egyptian god of chaos, who was the god in charge of thunder, lightning, and