The Pyramids
The pyramids of Egypt are the last remaining Wonder of the World. Even in the days of Ancient Egypt when powerful pharaohs ruled over Egypt, the pyramids were considered a wonder. Today, the ruins of 35 pyramids still stand near the Nile River in Egypt. These pyramids were built to protect the bodies of Egyptian kings and other royalty, but before the pyramids became the standard for burials, tombs were used for Egypt's early rulers, nobles, and other high ranking officials. This group of hierarchy were laid to rest in rectangular, flat-topped mastabas of mud and brick. These mastabas were about 12 feet high and were easy targets for tomb robbers. The first pyramid built was the Step Pyramid of Saqqara. It stands in the open desert south of Cairo. The Step Pyramid was built for King Djoser. The people of Egypt willingly labored to build these monuments for their rulers, believing that, as gods, the pharaohs had to be properly provided for in their afterlife. The Step Pyramid was built around 2630 B.C. It exhibited a radical new shape never before used, and it was so new the Egyptians used its silhouettes as the hieroglyphic for "primeval mound", the first piece of earth to emerge from the soup of creation (Geoc
http://www.tulane.edu/lester/text/Ancient.World/Egypt/Egypt.html King Djoser's chief architect for his pyramid was Imhotep. It is thought that King Djoser's stone tomb started out having the standard shape of a mastaba. Then, as construction progressed, a concept evolved. Imhotep began to place one flat-topped stone structure atop another until he had created six steps by which the king could ascent to the heavens after death. The Egyptians had a firm belief in an afterlife and viewed their pharaohs as gods. These beliefs were a strong force that led to the piling up of stones to such a monumental scale. The Step Pyramid rose to a height of 204 feet. Later pyramids increased in height as their designs changed. It was not sufficient that a pyramid be immense, but it had to be built so solidly that it would stand forever. It is estimated that it took about 2,300,000 separate blocks, each weighing an average of two and a half tons, to build King Cheop's Great Pyramid. Some blocks weighed up to fifteen tons. The base of the Great Pyramid covered thirteen acres and reached a height of 481 feet. To accomplish the feat of building the Great Pyramid it took 23 years and a work force of tens of thousands peasant laborers (Harvard). The enormous size of the Great Pyramid can better be visualized with the fact that Saint Paul's Cathedral and the House of Parliament could be housed within the Great Pyramid. If the Great Pyramid was sawed into cubes, measuring a foot in each dimension and placed in a row, they would extend over a distance almost equal to the circumference of the earth (Harvard). It is no wonder the Great Pyramid is still a Wonder of the World. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/2451/pyramid/index.htm All pyramids, no matter their size, design, or age, share a common curse. Tomb robbers have plundered the pyramids for centuries stealing gold, gems, beautif
Some common words found in the essay are:
King Mycerinos, Wonder World, King Djoser's, Step Pyramid, River Egypt, Lord Carnarvon, Cheop's Pyramid, Vegas Nevada, King Cheop, Las Vegas, step pyramid, burial chamber, pyramids built, pyramid built, pyramid pyramid, tomb robbers, built king, king cheop, lord carnarvon, step pyramid built, building pyramid, coating white casing, pyramid built king, pyramid pyramid pyramid, outer coating white,
Approximate Word count = 1273
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
