Egyptian pyramids: what you need to know

The Egyptian pyramids are one of the greatest attractions in the world of ancient Egyptian architecture. They, according to archaeologists, are the tombs of pharaohs, members of their families and court nobles. This version is generally accepted and its confirmation is considered to be the presence of mummies inside. But is it? What secrets do these buildings keep? Who built them and how? For what? What's inside? You will find answers to your questions in this article.

Pyramids in Egypt: why were they built?

During the period of the Old Kingdom (c. 2707 - 2150 BC, III-VI dynasties), structures began to be created for burials, symbolizing the sacred mountain - the desire of humanity to reach heaven.

Pink Pyramid in Dahshur. Author: Hajor, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Scholars suggest that the Egyptians' belief in the ascension of the spirit to the gods was the principal purpose of their construction. In their opinion, even today, these structures represent man's dream of achieving Higher Consciousness. There are other opinions on this matter, which are given below.

Some occult researchers of the secrets of the Egyptian pyramids spent the night in the inner chambers. They wrote books about their mystical experiences. “Secrets of the Pyramids (The Secret of Orion)” by R. Bauval, E. Gilbert offers a version about the stellar orientation of the buildings. The American prophet and medium Edgar Cayce spoke about the significance of the pyramids for the lost civilization of Atlantis. Information is available on the Internet.

Egyptian pyramids: about the secret of construction

Several theories try to explain the technology of their construction, but no one knows exactly how and why these famous architectural monuments were built. There are only versions and assumptions.

One of the greatest mysteries: how did people move such massive stone blocks using primitive tools? The Egyptians left thousands of illustrations depicting daily life in the Old Kingdom. It is curious that none of them show their construction.

Drawing from a fresco of Djehutihotep II depicting the colossus' method of movement. Perhaps they also moved massive blocks for construction. Author: Link Link Link to source Link

But maybe these images are simply not for the eyes of modern man? Maybe, looking at the drawings, we are not able to see their method of creating grandiose structures, because it is fundamentally different from modern ideas? Here's what information you can find about this on the Internet.

The usual explanation is the manual labor of thousands of slaves who cut out pieces of rock, dragged them and installed them.
It is believed that some monuments consist of cast sections, similar to modern concrete buildings.
There is a version of using certain sound vibrations to move multi-ton blocks. The version is even confirmed by experiments and some photographs of frescoes.

But there is an architect who created a project according to which the Cheops pyramid can be built today. Read about this in the article Construction of the Cheops Pyramid on the Architecture channel.

Director Florence Tran's film Unraveling the Mystery of the Cheops Pyramid features this interesting version by Jean-Pierre Houdin (Jean-Pierre). His father, a former civil engineer, came up with the idea of building using an internal ramp.

The evidence presented is quite convincing. See a detailed study conducted by a Frenchman. Maybe he solved the mystery of the construction of the Egyptian pyramids?

"How the pyramids of ancient Egypt were built"

Guys, you did a good job! And now I invite you to take a trip to Ancient Egypt, we will watch a video about the pyramids of Ancient Egypt

(video showing “Pyramids of Ancient Egypt”).

You and I saw one of the 7 wonders of the world, and now let's talk and answer the questions:

Conversation:

What do you know about the Egyptian pyramids?
Do you know how they were built?
Who worked on the construction of the pyramids?

Before moving on to the next task...read the textbook text on page 28. met... what was the text about? (about building pyramids) now let's build a pyramid ourselves, using the text and information from the video...you have pieces of paper with phrases on your tables! you need to determine the sequence of actions of the pyramid builders.

1.Builders went to the quarries in search of light and dark limestone

2.Found smooth stone blocks

3. Stone blocks were delivered along the Nile River

4.We created wooden sleds to lift stone blocks to the top

5. They tied ropes to the sleigh and lifted stone blocks to the top

6. Stone blocks were placed tightly against each other

Well done guys, you completed the task. Let's move on to the next task, read the material in the textbook on pp. 28-29. Now let's move on to the next task.

Task 3. Match (i/r)

1.Mummy

1.
2.Sarcophagus	2.
3.Sphinx	3.
4.Pyramid	4.

Evaluation criteria:

- knows definitions of terms

Descriptors:

— correctly establishes the correspondence of all pictures and terms 4b.

- makes 1 mistake 3b.

- makes 2 mistakes 2b.

- makes 3 mistakes 1b.

Assessment:
self-assessment
You are so good, you did such a good job with the matching table, and now I offer you a physical exercise.

FISMINUTKA for eyes “Sunny day”

Let's continue our work, now let's work individually. To do this, you will need a pen, a textbook (text on page 29), my handouts and your ability to highlight what you need.

So, in front of you is a table with questions, your task is to find answers to the questions and write them down. For each answer you get points

Mummy is...	Why did the Egyptians try to preserve the body of the deceased?	What did the Egyptians put with the body of a dead person?	Describe the actions of the embalmers
1b.	2b.	2b.	4b.

Type of assessment - peer assessment

You have done such a good job and at the end of the lesson you need to complete one last task.

Task 5. Technique “The Fourth Wheel”

(written) (p/r)

Cards are dealt out in pairs on which four concepts are written, three of which are related to each other in some way, and the fourth is superfluous. You need to cross out the unnecessary concept and write why

Pyramids, tombs, pharaohs, canals (canals)
Sphinx, sculpture, silt, sarcophagus (silt)
Papyrus, mummies, soul, balm (papyrus)
Sarcophagus, body, dam, drawing (dam)
Sphinx, sand, pyramid, Nile (Nile)
Stone blocks, "black earth", wooden sleds, stone sculpture ("black earth")

Evaluation criteria: find the odd one out of four concepts related to each other according to some characteristic and explain why

Descriptor:

- underlined 3 correct inappropriate concepts - 2b.

- managed to explain why such a decision -4b.

Who was the architect of the first pyramid?

The earliest known pyramidal structures are found at Saqqara, northwest of Memphis. The oldest of them is the Pyramid of Djoser, built approximately in the period 2630 - 2611. BC. during the third dynasty, the first adviser to the king, architect and builder, high priest of Ra in Heliopolis, poet and thinker Imhotep. He is considered the founder of this architectural form, proposing to build three more smaller mastabas above the main one. His tomb has not yet been identified. Therefore, there is no mummy of Imhotep.

The oldest pyramid of Djoser, arch. Imhotep. Author: Berthold Werner - Own work, CC BY 3.0, Link

Construction and evolution of tomb form

Official science classifies the Egyptian pyramids as multi-level tombs for the burial of pharaohs. In total, there are about 120 pyramids in different areas of the Nile, but all of them are built the same way - a regular pyramid with a square at the base. Part of the pyramid is on the surface of the earth, part is hidden under the sand. Inside there is a burial chamber, to which passages lead on both sides. The walls of the passages were painted with hieroglyphs containing religious texts.

How were pyramids built in Ancient Egypt? The first pyramids were built from bricks made by mixing clay with river silt - adobe. With the development of construction knowledge, large limestone megaliths began to be used. The facts of how pyramidal complexes were built without the presence of sophisticated construction equipment still remain a mystery.

Pyramids are divided into two types. Step pyramids are of more ancient origin and did not have impressive overall dimensions. Over time, they were replaced by pyramids with a smooth surface, which were built from large monolithic stones mined in the upper reaches of the Nile. The pyramids of Ancient Egypt represent more than just one building. Near them there should have been two temples: one directly next to them, and the second should have been washed by the waters of the Nile and connected to the first temple by an alley.

Rice. 1. Step pyramid in Egypt.

Contrary to the widespread belief that slaves built the pyramids, excavations have shown that the builders lived in good conditions with decent food.

Where are the most famous Egyptian pyramids located?

One of the Seven Classic Wonders of the World are the three pyramids of Giza, surrounded by mastabas and guarded by a temple containing the Great Sphinx. Their location on the map:

This is the only surviving miracle, unlike the other six:

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (in Bodrum, Türkiye),
statues of Zeus in Olympia (Greece),
Colossus of Rhodes,
Temple of Artemis in Ephesus (Türkiye),
Hanging Gardens of Babylon and
Lighthouse in Alexandria.

Pyramids at Giza. View from above. Posted by Theklan - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Presentation “Pyramids of Egypt” presentation for a history lesson (grade 5) on the topic

Slide 1

The Egyptian pyramids are the greatest architectural monuments of Ancient Egypt, including one of the “seven wonders of the world” - the Pyramid of Cheops and an honorary candidate for the “new seven wonders of the world” - the Pyramids of Giza. The word "pyramid" is Greek and means polyhedron. A total of 118 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt (as of November 2008). Pyramids of Egypt

Slide 2

The broken pyramid is an Egyptian pyramid in Dahshur, the construction of which is attributed to Pharaoh Snorf (XXVI century BC). To explain the non-standard shape of the pyramid, the German Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt (1863-1938) proposed his “accretion theory”. According to it, the king died unexpectedly and the angle of inclination of the pyramid's faces was sharply changed from 54°31′ to 43°21′ in order to quickly complete the work.

Slide 3

The Pink Pyramid - at the time of its construction in the 26th century. BC e. which was the tallest structure on Earth. Second in size only to the two Egyptian pyramids at Giza. The name is due to the fact that the limestone blocks that make up the pyramid take on a pink color in the rays of the setting sun. Entrance through a sloping passage on the north side descends into three adjacent chambers accessible to the public. This pyramid is attributed to Snefru because his name is inscribed in red paint on several blocks of the casing.

Slide 4

The Step Pyramid at Saqqara is the oldest surviving large stone building in the world. Built by the architect Imhotep in Saqqara for the burial of the Egyptian pharaoh Djoser ca. 2650 BC e. The core of the tomb is made of limestone blocks. The size of the pyramid is 125 meters × 115 meters and its height is 61 meters.

Slide 5

The Great Pyramids are the pyramids of the pharaohs Cheops, Khafre and Mikerin located in Giza. Unlike the Pyramid of Djoser, these pyramids do not have a stepped, but a strictly geometric, pyramidal shape. The walls of the pyramids rise at an angle from 51° (pyramid of Menkaure) to 53° (pyramid of Khafre) to the horizon. The edges are precisely oriented to the cardinal points. The Pyramid of Cheops was built on a massive natural rock elevation, which was located in the very middle of the base of the pyramid. Its height is about 9 m.

Slide 6

The largest is the Pyramid of Cheops. Initially, its height was 146.6 m, but due to the fact that the cladding of the pyramid is now missing, its height has now decreased to 138.8 m. The length of the side of the pyramid is 230 m. The construction of the pyramid dates back to the 26th century BC. e. Presumably, construction lasted more than 20 years. The pyramid is made of 2.5 million stone blocks; no cement or other binders were used. On average, the blocks weighed 2.5 tons. The pyramid is an almost monolithic structure - with the exception of several chambers and corridors leading to them.

Slide 9

https:// go.mail.ru/search_images?q https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki / https:// 1chudo.ru/usypalnitsy/44- Internet resources

The Pyramid of Cheops

Dimensions

Initially, its height was 146.6 m (approximately a 50-story skyscraper), and the side of the base was 230.3 m. Until 1880, until the Cologne Cathedral was built, this structure was considered the tallest. Today's mark is 138 meters. Click on the arrows on the panoramic photo below and explore the surrounding area. The Great Pyramid of Cheops, the largest of the three, is estimated to contain 2.5 million stone blocks with an average weight of 6 million 250 thousand tons (6,250,000 t). In the royal chamber there are granite blocks weighing up to 80 tons. Its entire surface was lined with white polished limestone brought from the hills in Tours, on the opposite side of the Nile. This highly valuable material was removed in the 16th century and used to decorate mosques in Cairo.

How many years did it take to build the Cheops pyramid?

Since the time of Herodotus (5th century BC), it is believed that the construction of one pyramid lasted twenty years. In his writings, he mentioned that the Egyptian guides spoke of using 100,000 slaves over ten years to build the monumental structure. Another 10 years were spent constructing an underground passage connecting the tomb with the temple. The total result is that one pyramid took 20 years to build.

Reconstruction of the 18th century. construction of the Egyptian pyramids according to Herodotus. Author: Antoine-Yves Goguet - "L'origine des lois, des arts et des sciences", 1820, Public domain, Link

By the way, in the video “The Secret of the Egyptian Pyramids”, which is posted above, the author confirms the possibility of a 20-year construction period.

What's at the top of the Cheops pyramid?

Usually, when construction was completed, the last part was made, the so-called top stone. It was considered the most important and was often made of valuable stone or even gold. Pyramid of Cheops - without a pointed top. Whether it was always like this or whether the top stone was stolen, no one knows. But there is information where visitors from the time of Christ report the absence of a tip.

At the top there is a large flat area measuring 9X9 m (in other sources 2X2). Another fact: on the back of the dollar bill you can see an image of a pyramid with a flat top. This is an image of the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. Are these facts related? If you know, please write in the comments.

Many explorers and tourists have climbed to the top. The last “pyramid climber” of 2021, 18-year-old German tourist Andrei Ciesielski, managed to see Egypt from the top of the Great Pyramid of Giza. He committed an illegal lift and was arrested by the police. Please note: after several accidents, climbing to the peaks is only possible with special permission.

How is the pyramid structured inside?

The entrance to the Great Pyramid of Cheops is on the north side at an altitude of about 15 m above the ground. After a short descending entrance tunnel, there is an upward passage leading to a large gallery and finally to the above-ground burial vaults, which makes it unique.

The structure of the Cheops pyramid inside Author: Yucatan - own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Other pyramid interiors only have a tunnel system leading to underground chambers. Treasures from the buildings have been removed and are available for viewing in world-famous museums such as the British Museum (britishmuseum.org), the Egyptian Museum of Berlin (egyptian-museum-berlin.com) and the Italian Museum of Turin (museoegizio.it).

However, nearby there is the Solar Boat Museum, which displays a boat that was recovered from the ground at the foot of the pyramid structure. To learn more about the oldest ship in the world, listen to the video.

Great Pyramids at Giza (Egypt). Secrets of the Great Pyramids