Engineering the Pyramids of Giza

Engineering the Pyramids of Giza — page 1 — CHAPTER ONE 4

Engineering the Pyramids of Giza — page 2 — THE PYRAMIDS IN THEIR PRIME It It is early morning in the workers city at Giza in ancient Egypt It is the 2500s BCE The sun rises over the Nile River east of town It lights up the eastern face of King Khufu’s huge pyramid to the north At the pyramid’s peak a shiny capstone reflects the sun Khufu has died The pyramid is his tomb But it’s more than just a tomb It is a symbol of the Egyptians religious beliefs It is also a marvel of ancient engineering An artist’s rendering shows how Khufu’s pyramid may have looked in ancient times 5

Engineering the Pyramids of Giza — page 3 — FUNERALS IN ANCIENT EGYPT The ancient Egyptians believed that death was not an end to life It was a journey to eternal life To prepare for a safe journey a person had to honor the gods who ruled over Earth When the person died loved ones buried the body with tools food and drink The person WHY PYRAMIDS In ancient Egypt a mound of earth was a symbol of new life The people lived along the Nile River Every year the river rose and flooded the land nearby When the water dropped again it left behind rich soil Plants grew there starting on the highest mounds of earth A pyramid stood for a mound of earth It was a symbol of new life after a time of waiting needed these items to journey through the world of the dead and reach eternal life in paradise Ordinary people were buried in the ground with some everyday objects and food Important people were buried in tombs The more important The pyramids incredible scale continues to impress visitors today more than 4,500 years after their construction 6

Engineering the Pyramids of Giza — page 4

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