The Mystery of Pyramids - Essay Example

Introduction This essay exhibits an insightful investigation into the mystery of Egyptian pyramids. It demonstrates the history of these pyramids with a view to the king's ages and the beliefs of his people associated with him. The Egyptian people had a steadfast belief in the eternal life and the same belief was held by the kings. This notion happened to be the driving force for the people n building these massive monuments and kings ensured they were built during their lifetime. The pyramids being a reflection of the king's power and strength for the upcoming generations were built keeping in mind this point. Pyramids are mysterious in all the aspects they reveal; the enormous sizes, the greatness, the artifact, the architecture and the life after death. The most important aspect that inspires awe in the Egyptian pyramids are the existence of mummies that are still extant in the world, after so many years have passed since then. The perfect shape of pyramids also manifests an array of historical expertise and efforts exerted by the laborers. As the people started building pyramids, they got perfect in the art. This paper examines the history of pyramid construction, the perfection of this art as well as the beliefs of people behind the pyramid building. It also probes into the belief of Egyptian people concerning the life after death. The Egyptian Pyramids The Egyptian pyramids reflect the testimony of a whole civilization that existed in the world about 5000 years ago. These pyramids were mostly built during the fourth dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, which happened to be one of the modern dynasties of its time. At that time, the rulers in Egypt were known as "Pharaoh" i.e., the king. Egypt was a civilization where people staunchly believed in eternity, in the concept of life after death. Pyramids, as they continue to withstand the test of time, are evidence to the fact that Egyptians wanted their kings to exist for eternity so that every one in the kingdom could be assured of perpetuation of their life after death (Ancient Egypt, home 1) All the Egyptian pyramids were built in typically the same standard form. These pyramids had the same sort of passages and chambers for the King as well as the people of his family and court. The tombs of these people surrounded the Kings' pyramids in the same manner throughout the Egyptian pyramid era. The passages and ways under the ground were constructed in the standardized vein during the periods of all the Egyptian Kings. However the size varied due to the ability and expertise of Egyptian people in building such huge monuments that marked the history of Egyptian civilization capturing the interest and awe for the world, generation after generation (The Built of Egyptian Pyramids). There exist about hundred pyramids in Cairo the Egyptian capital, however the ones at Giza happen to be the mysterious of all with respect to their size as well as their reflection of early Egyptian life. These pyramids of Giza also referred to as the Great pyramids, are popular even today due to the mysteries they unfold regarding the ancient Egyptian livelihood (The Pyramids Of Egypt). The History Of Egyptian Pyramids Pyramids have a mysterious history signifying the early Egyptian norms and beliefs concerning death and life after death. Before pyramids, the Egyptian people used to build stone graves and monuments with desert soil and stones. The first ever pyramid was the pyramid with steps constructed at Saqqara for King Zoser in 2750 BC (Ancient Egypt, home 1). The step pyramids were built with no experience and expertise of people in the construction work. Hence, the variation in shapes and designs of pyramids continued perpetually in the successive eras reflecting the yearning of Egyptians for something great that could keep their kings alive through the eternity. And that was specifically true of these pyramids; the efforts millions of Egyptian labors are still alive in the form of pyramids that continue to remain extant today, making the age of modernity remember them with a feeling of amazement. The next known pyramid constructed after the reign of King Zoser was bent in structure and thus came to be known as the Bent pyramids. These happened to be somewhat better than the previous pyramids but could not fulfill the restless desire of Egyptian kings and people for greatness and enormousness. The Egyptians continued to justify this desire in the form of pyramids after pyramids built for kings and royal families. The came into existence the Red pyramids and then finally the Great Pyramids of the Egyptian civilization. These pyramids of King Khufu fulfilled the quest of Egyptian people to construct a monument for their King, which was unrivalled and undefeatable resembling the power and strength of the King. A place where he could be laid to rest for eternity with all his power and might. The pyramids have a historical position of their own. They are not only considered a reflection of early Egyptian civilization but also a manifestation of the construction art that dwelled in that era. The modern technology for engineering, architect and construction stands under awe of the magnificent work shown in the pyramid building by the Egyptians. The ideas conceived by the kings and architects of that era seem simply marvelous. How they were able to demonstrate such art and architecture remains to be a mystery today. The last ever pyramid in Egypt was built at Abydos. The pyramid building seems to be started in the 3rd Egyptian dynasty until the end of Middle kingdom. The Kings continued to build more than one pyramids during their lifetime during this era, however this tradition came to end after the Middle Kingdom, soon with the beginning of New Kingdom. The last pyramid was built for the first Pharaoh of New Egyptian Kingdom, who was called Ahmose. After his reign, the successive kings preferred their burials to be smaller and less visible. These smaller pyramids were (The Pyramids Of Egypt). The Construction And Constructors Of Pyramids The pyramids are magnificent and greatly built having successfully survived the test of time. They have continued to exist after thousands of years adding to the mystery associated with Egyptian civilization and the construction of pyramids. Pyramids are considered mysterious particularly due their sky touching gigantic size. Fakhry said that, "many persons feel that no mere description can do the Great Pyramid justice or even convey an idea of its enormous size"(117). This giant size of pyramids particularly signifies the intensity and strength of the King for whom one was built. The first ever pyramid built at Saqqara evidently signifies the technological adeptness of ancient Egypt in construction work. Imhotep, who was the supervisor of construction work at the first pyramid, was an expert architect as clearly manifested by the design and structure of architect. This pyramid was built particularly of small limestone and also with the help of desert soil. The inner portions in the pyramid were also made of stones. The idea behind this sort of construction was to make the burial of king resembling with his palace with as much accuracy as possible, which was the main purpose of building these pyramids. The fake doors inside the pyramids were also made of stones onto which symbols and pictures were carved. The doors were made fake mainly with an intention to let the king move freely inside his burial in his eternal life (Ancient Egypt, home 2). This use of stones was significantly rare in the construction works of early time, but Egyptians have utilized them with sheer expertise. Fakhry said, "One important innovation was the use of stone, which had been used sparingly in previous times" (5). The step pyramids were a reflection of mastabas, the original graves for the bodies of kings. These pyramids constructed during the period of King Djoser were constructed in a structure resembling overlapping boxes with the largest box at the bottom and smallest at the top. The burial of the successive King Snerfu was advancement from step pyramids to the Bent pyramids. The name was given to these pyramids due to their bent-like appearance given to them by the constructors. The King was seemingly not satisfied with the glory and magnificence of the bent pyramid that led to the building of another form of pyramid in the era of the same King Snerfu. This time the Egyptians built Red pyramid purely in the shape of a real pyramid the King was looking for. This shape of pyramid was apparently admired by the extant as well as the successive kings, as all the pyramids that were built after the Red Pyramid had the same pyramid shape (The Built of Egyptian Pyramids). The first pyramids were built successfully and the days passed, then the time came for a burial to be constructed for the King Khufu. The King charged the Egyptian people with the task of building the largest pyramid of Egyptian civilization at Giza, also known as the Great pyramid. This pyramid happens to be the last remnant of the Seven Wonders of the World. People, some thousand years ago, tried to get into the Great pyramid to despoil the wealth and riches of King Khufu buried with his dead body but plausibly the people of the successive Egyptian civilization had looted those old treasures even before that (Ancient Egypt, home 2). Khufu, the successor of King Snerfu and his son constructed the Great Pyramids, also one of the Seven Wonders of the Worlds with an inspiration from the Red pyramids built by his father. These Great Pyramids have the same shape as the Red one with much gigantic size than the previous pyramids built by any King. Like any other pyramid, there remain several other tombs beside the Khufu's pyramid where rest the other members of royal family including the King's wives and mother (The Built of Egyptian Pyramids). The pyramids built after the very first ones were constructed with amazingly standard structure and design. The uniform structure of those pyramids included a pyramid, a courtyard, a smaller tomb to keep the soul of King, a temple and also specific places to bury the dead bodies of King's family members and attendants. The smaller pyramids after the great ones were constructed by the private individuals. None of the pyramids can compete with the Great pyramids of Giza in terms of their size and magnificence, before or later than them (The Pyramids Of Egypt). The Great pyramids at Giza stand with an astounding height of 146 meters. Although several pyramids were built year after year after the great pyramids, but none of them could be able to contend with the greatness of the pyramids at Giza (The Built of Egyptian Pyramids) Pyramids and Egyptian World Pyramids are also a reflection of life in Egyptian world. The pictures and symbols inscribed on the walls of King's graves are a source of information about king and his kin. These symbols also show the names of people who built the pyramids for their king and buried with them the essentialities of his life such as wealth, riches and furniture etc. Apart from that, the members of king's family and his servants who died after the king were also laid to rest besides him so that the king would find the same luxuries of life in his journey to the next world (Ancient Egypt, home 2). The Egyptian pyramids manifest a lot about the civilization that existed in the early Egyptian world. It is only due to these pyramids that people have come to know a lot about the Egyptian history, the people, the civilization and the norms of this ancient society. Most of the Egyptian history has been revealed through the exploration of inner portions of Egyptian pyramids. They have been a demonstration of early Egyptian world and the lives led by Egyptians through the ages (The Built of Egyptian Pyramids). The most significant conception that surrounded the whole lives of Egyptian people was the belief in life after death and eternity. This is much evident in the act of people burying the riches and belongings of King with him so that he might remain with comfort and peace in his life beyond the worldly living. Along with the King, the people close to him in the world were also buried with him because of the same belief. People were severely enthusiastic about the concept of life after death that led them to work diligently on raising the building and structures of pyramids. The Egyptians also perceived their kings to be a savior for their lives in eternity and by building these building untiringly, they manifested such a belief. The size and strength of pyramids was also a reflection of civilizations' power and adeptness at constructing such massive monuments without the help of advanced technology available today. The inscribing and engravings visible on the walls of inner pyramids demonstrate that the ancient Egyptians mainly used symbols and pictures as a means for writing and reflecting their thoughts. These writings also reveal a lot of information about their beliefs associated with kings, their dead bodies and also their lives after death. The Great pyramids of Giza, in particular remain extant as a reflection of Egyptian dynasties and mysterious strength consociated with their expertise in construction work. These pyramids also reflect the Egyptian respect and awe for might and power. They constantly worked to build the Great pyramids unless they came to a size unrivalled by any other. The bigger, the greater. This very desire led the Egyptian people to construct a monument that still happens to be a source of wonder for the world. Conclusion The discussion carried out through this paper leads us to the point that pyramids happen to be a sheer demonstration of Egyptian ideology and beliefs. These pyramids tell the humankind of modern era a lot about mysticism, faith and rituals that became the ambitions for one's whole life in history. As the days pass, people find more and more about the mysteries held deep down the pyramids. The Egyptian people, culture, values, norms, traditions and beliefs are evident with their glory in the tombs and monuments they had built. People believed that they would remain extant for eternity only if their kings did. The labor and efforts conducted in building the pyramids reveal the people's zest for their lives after death. This led them to construct the pyramids untiringly and bury the kings with all their wealth and riches so as to make him live with comfort through his eternal life. This remains to be question for mankind today, the life after death of human beings. The Egyptians staunch belief in the life after death, make people ponder upon the existence of eternal life. The Egyptian mummies as they continue to survive invite mankind to dig beyond what pyramids appear to demonstrate. As the mysteries continue to be unfolding through an in-depth exploration of pyramids, people get more tangled on this issue. Hopefully, someday humankind will be able to solve these mysteries. Works Cited Ancient Egypt. Nova Online Adventure. Pyramids Home, 05.08.06 Fakhry, Ahmed. The Pyramids. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1961 The Built Of Egyptian Pyramids. 2006. Ancient Egypt Online, 05.08.06 The Egyptian Pyramids. Tour Egypt. 2006. The Egyptian Pyramids Index, 05.08.06 Read More