Egyptian Pyramids Essay -- Egypt Pyramid

In the deserts of Egypt lie the colossal remains of an ancient civilization. These enormous works of human endeavor are the only member of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World that time has passed down to us. These are, of course, the great pyramids of ancient Egypt. But these imposing structures were not built to impress civilization millennia down the road. The pyramids in fact had a purpose to the ancient Egyptians. While they seem very simple in nature, as they are simply four-sided pyramids with square bases, they had a meaning for those that had them built. Even by today’s standards, the pyramids of ancient Egypt were an impressive feat of engineering, due to their enormous size, both in building materials and finished product. Indeed, there is more to these mysterious pyramids of the ancient Egyptians than meets the eye. Before a decent discussion of the pyramids is begun, a bit of background history must be set forth. The ancient Egyptian empire lasted for over 3,000 years, beginning at around 3,100 BCE and ending just shy of 300 years before the dawn of the Common Era. Historians break up the empire chronologically into nine separate eras. The second of these eras, known as the Old Kingdom, is when all of the pyramid construction took place, and dates from 2,686-2,181 BCE (Edwards 1). During this era, Egypt’s kings and queens were buried inside these pyramids. Presently, there are about ninety such pyramids—or remains of pyramids—which stretch along the desert just to the west of the Nile River (Edwards 2). The previous style of burial of Egyptian pharaohs was the mastaba, a flat-roofed structure made of brick. However, at the beginning of the Old Kingdom, stone was introduced as a building material. Building with... ...never be known, but some, such as Senefuru and Khufu have, in a sense, reached immortality. Imhotep, the architect of many of these great monuments, has too become immortalized in history as being one of the first known architects as a result of his work on the pyramids. These pyramids have solidified these ancient rulers as well as others in the pages of history. These pyramids have stood the test of time, and most likely, thousands of years from now, when all our modern skyscrapers have either toppled or been dismantled, the pyramids of the ancient Egyptians will still stand tranquilly in the desert and invoke the same mystery and inspiration to the future generations who gaze at them. Works Cited Edwards, I.E.S. The Pyramids of Egypt. Middlesex, England: Viking Books, 1985. Fakhry, Ahmed. The Pyramids. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1961.