EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS

Ancient Egyptian art and architecture is a vast topic. In this lesson, we'll look primarily at architecture, specifically the tombs, pyramids, and temples of the Egyptians. In the next lesson, we'll take a closer look at the decorative arts such as painting and sculpture that were created before, during, and after the age of the great pyramids.

OBJECTIVES

• Identify the different periods of ancient Egypt.

• Discuss the process of mummification.

• Describe the evolution of the pyramid.

• Explain the reasons for the building of the great temples.

VOCABULARY

THE PURPOSE OF THE PYRAMIDS

Mummies, pyramids, pharaohs — they've infiltrated the imagination of people across the globe for thousands of years, inspiring stories, artwork and, in our present culture, movies and Halloween costumes.

Is this what the Egyptians had in mind? Probably not. Today, we can look at the decorated temples and tombs of ancient Egypt and see great works of art and a strange (to us) fascination with death. But these amazing structures had a purpose. They were designed to ensure the continued success of a great people, to enable souls to live on into eternity, and to honor the gods.

EGYPTIAN BELIEF SYSTEM AND THE AFTERLIFE

Ancient Egyptians believed that after a pharaoh died, the pharaoh's ka would re-enter the body and use it in the afterlife to rule the dead. If he could not carry out his duties, there would be terrible consequences for Egypt. So it was very important that his body remain intact and that he have everything he would need with him in his tomb. This required that the pharaoh's body be preserved after he died.

To preserve the body, the Egyptians developed a practice known as mummification. First, the body was embalmed. This entailed removing the internal organs, with the exception of the heart, which they believed was the organ of intelligence and feeling. The organs were either placed in jars decorated with the heads of gods and entombed with the body or dried and replaced inside the body. The brains were then extracted through the nostrils piece by piece, and the nostrils were sealed with wax. The body was filled with natron, a natural salt, which helped it dry.

After seventy days, the body cavity was filled with various materials. Then they covered the body in aromatic oils. Finally, it was ready to be wrapped in strips of linen. After many layers of linen were applied along with protective amulets, the body was deposited into a coffin that was sometimes "nested" inside one or more other coffins. The final outer coffin is called a sarcophagus.

But a body was not the only thing necessary to ensure success in the afterlife. The Egyptians also put furniture, food, ushabti, and gold and clay vessels inside the tomb. The mummy would continue to receive food offerings long after the pharaoh's death.

These artifacts have gone a long way toward helping us understand the culture of the Ancient Egyptians.

PRECURSORS TO THE PYRAMIDS

The first tombs of the pharaohs were carved into bedrock. Mastabas were placed on top of the tomb. To shelter and safeguard the part of a pharaoh's soul that remained with his corpse, Egyptians built massive tombs — but not always pyramids.

The pyramid tombs were most likely influenced by these mounds. The pyramids were modeled after the benben, a stone that is pointed. The benben was symbolic of the sunrays, which was believed to have transported the pharaohs to heaven.

Building the Pyramids

The early dynasties of Egypt displayed complex and highly advanced building capabilities. This was evident in artifacts such as pottery, ivory, and bone carvings.

One of Egypt's greatest architects, Imhotep, designed one of the oldest and most impressive pyramids during the 3rd Dynasty. This pyramid is known as the Step Pyramid and was designed to protect the remains of King Djoser.

Two Sides of the Step Pyramid of Djoser

The use of stone marked an important development in Egyptian building concepts: building for permanence. Prior to the reign of Djoser, virtually all Egyptian buildings, even the most important, were made of sun-dried mud bricks.

ARCHITECTURE OF THE OLD KINGDOM

The architecture that followed Imhotep's innovations used granite and limestone to construct their tombs and temples. Although few of these remain today, some of this period’s greatest achievements remain wonders of our modern world. Included in this category are the pyramids at Giza, those of Khafre and Menkaure.

The Builders

The Egyptians who built the pyramids were not slaves. They were farmers who were hired by the Pharaohs, and they lived in villages overseen by the pharaohs' supervisors. Archaeologists have discovered bakeries, breweries, granaries, houses, cemeteries, and probably even medical facilities. There are even skeletal remains of female laborers who may have worked on the pyramids. Bakeries excavated near the Great Pyramids could have produced thousands of loaves of bread every week.

To learn more about pyramid excavation, read the interview from PBS's Nova with Mark Lehner:

First attempt building inside of a pyramid

Although the historian Herodotus thought that there were 100,000 workers who built the pyramids, evidence suggests that it was more likely about 20,000 to 30,000 workers. Periodic flooding of the River Nile probably helped the work along. Huge limestone blocks could be floated from quarries right to the base of the Pyramids during the flooding.

But none of this would have happened without the drive and ambition of the pharaohs themselves.

Pyramid building was at its peak from the Fourth through the Sixth Dynasties. Egyptian pharaohs continued to build smaller pyramids for more than a thousand years.

But the pyramids could not protect the mummified pharaohs or their treasure from grave robbers; eventually, the pyramid was abandoned in favor of hidden tombs cut into rock cliffs.

EGYPTIAN TEMPLES

As the age of the great pyramids ended, subsequent kings maintained the high standard of architectural design that preceded them. Instead of building monumental pyramids, the kings of the later dynasties built great temples and religious structures. The temple complex at al-Karnak, honoring the god Amon, is one of the greatest ever built.

Since kings were no longer entombed in pyramids, new structures would need to be constructed. The mortuary constructed by Senemut for Queen Hatshepsut would become one of the first erected. Senemut's mortuary was built against the cliffs of the Nile; this would prove merely a onetime occurrence, as later rulers built their mortuaries near cultivated lands.

Ramses II, believed to be one of the premier builders, built his temple inside a mountain. He cut into the mountainside and later moved it to higher ground to avoid the waters.

LET'S REVIEW!

In this lesson, you covered the following topics:

• In the Predynastic period, the Egyptians built tombs out of bedrock. Later, rulers such as Sneferu wanted to protect their bodies and treasures from grave robbers so they created the massive pyramids. The shape of the pyramids may have been inspired by their sun-worshipping religion.

• In order to preserve their bodies, the dead pharaohs were embalmed and then wrapped in linen strips. This process, known as mummification, was quite effective. The dead pharaoh was expected to rule the underworld, and he couldn't do it without his body and heaps of food and treasure.

• The people who built the pyramids were not slaves. They were ordinary Egyptian laborers who were paid for the work and who lived in villages.

• The most massive pyramids were built at Giza. But they did not effectively protect from grave robbers. After the old kingdom, most pharaohs built hidden tombs instead of pyramids. They also built enormous temples, exemplified by those built by Hatshepsut and Ramses.

• 1Donald Redford, quoted in "How Were The Egyptian Pyramids Built?" ScienceDaily, 29 March 2008, accessed 14 August 2008

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