Pharaoh in Egyptian society
Pharaoh in Egyptian society
During the third and fourth dynasties of the Old Kingdom, Egypt experienced the enormous economic prosperity and stability. Kings held a unique position in Egyptian society. Somewhere between human and divine, they were suspected to have been chosen by the gods to mediate between them and the people on earth. Because of this, it was in the interest of everybody to keep intact the majesty of the king even after his death, when he believed to become Osiris, god of the dead. The new pharaoh, in turn, became Horus, the falcon-god who served as protector of the sun god, Ra.
Did you know?
Smooth pyramids , slanted sides symbolized the sun and were designed to help the soul of the king climb to the sky and join the gods, especially the god Ra the sun.
The ancient Egyptians believed that when King died, part of his mind (known as "ka") stayed with his body. To take good care of her mind, the body was mummified, and all that the king would need in the afterlife was buried with him, including golden vessels, food, furniture and other offers. The pyramids have become the object of a cult of the dead king which continued well after his death. Their wealth provides not only for him but also for parents, officials and priests who were buried near him.
The Early Pyramids
From the beginning of the Dynastic era (2950 BC), the royal tombs were carved into the rock and covered with rectangular structures with flat roof known as "mastabas", which were the precursors of the pyramids. The oldest known pyramid in Egypt was built around 2630 BC. AD at Saqqara for King Djoser of the Third Dynasty. Known as the pyramid, he started as a traditional m astaba , but grew into something much more ambitious. As history, the architect of the pyramid was Imhotep, a priest and healer who some 1,400 years later would be deified as the patron saint of the scribes and doctors. During nearly 20 years of reign of Djoser pyramid builders assembled six storied stone layers (for bricks in opposition, as most previous tombs) which eventually reaches a height of 204 feet (62 meters) ; it was the tallest building of its time. The pyramid was surrounded by a complex course, temples and shrines, where Djoser would enjoy his future life.
After Djoser, the pyramid has become the standard for royal funerals, although none of those under his dynastic successors were completed (probably because of their relatively short reigns). The first tomb built as a "real" (smooth walls, not intervened) pyramid was the Red Pyramid at Dahshur, one of three funeral structures built for the first king of the Fourth Dynasty, Sneferu (2613-2589 BC) He was named for the color of the limestone blocks used to construct the base of the pyramid.
The Early Pyramids
From the beginning of the Dynastic era (2950 BC), the royal tombs were carved into the rock and covered with rectangular structures with flat roof known as "mastabas", which were the precursors of the pyramids. The oldest known pyramid in Egypt was built around 2630 BC. AD at Saqqara for King Djoser of the Third Dynasty. Known as the pyramid, he started as a traditional m astaba , but grew into something much more ambitious. As history, the architect of the pyramid was Imhotep, a priest and healer who some 1,400 years later would be deified as the patron saint of the scribes and doctors. During nearly 20 years of reign of Djoser pyramid builders assembled six storied stone layers (for bricks in opposition, as most previous tombs) which eventually reaches a height of 204 feet (62 meters) ; it was the tallest building of its time. The pyramid was surrounded by a complex course, temples and shrines, where Djoser would enjoy his future life.
After Djoser, the pyramid has become the standard for royal funerals, although none of those under his dynastic successors were completed (probably because of their relatively short reigns). The first tomb built as a "real" (smooth walls, not intervened) pyramid was the Red Pyramid at Dahshur, one of three funeral structures built for the first king of the Fourth Dynasty, Sneferu (2613-2589 BC) He was named for the color of the limestone blocks used to construct the base of the pyramid.
The Great Pyramids of Giza
No pyramids are more famous than the great pyramids of Giza, located on a plateau on the west bank of the Nile, on the outskirts of modern day Cairo. The oldest and largest of the three pyramids of Giza, known as the Great Pyramid, is the only surviving structure on the famous seven wonders of the ancient world. It was built for Khufu (Cheops in Greek), the successor of Sneferu and the second of eight kings of the fourth dynasty. Although Khufu ruled for 23 years (2589 to 2566 BC.), Relatively little is known of his reign beyond the size of his pyramid. The sides of the base average 755.75 feet (230 meters) of the pyramid and its original height was 481.4 feet (147 meters), making it the largest pyramid in the world. Built three small pyramids for Khufu queens are aligned next to the Great Pyramid, and a grave was found near the empty sarcophagus containing his mother, Queen Hetepheres. Like other pyramids of Khufu is surrounded by rows of mastabas, where relatives or officers of the king were buried to accompany and support him in the afterlife.
The central pyramid of Giza was built for Khufu's son Khafre (2558-2532 BC.). A unique feature built inside the complex of the pyramid of Khafre was the Great Sphinx, a guardian statue carved in limestone with the head of a man and the body of a lion. It was the largest statue of the ancient world, measuring 240 feet long and 66 feet high. In the 18th Dynasty (c. 1500 BC.), The Great Sphinx come to be loved himself, the image of a local form of the god Horus. The southern Pyramid of Giza was built for the son of Khafre Menkaure (2532-2503 BC.). It is the shortest of the three pyramids (218 feet) and is a precursor of smaller pyramids that would be built in the fifth and sixth dynasties.
About 2.3 million stone blocks (averaging about 2.5 tons each) had to be cut, transported and assembled to build the Great Pyramid of Cheops. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote that it took 20 years to build and required the labor of 100,000 men but later archaeological evidence suggests that labor might actually have been about 20,000. While some popular versions of history held that the pyramids were built by slaves or foreigners for forced labor, skeletons discovered in the area indicate that workers were Egyptian laborers probably native who worked on pyramids during the time of year when the Nile flooded much of the land nearby.
The end of the age pyramid
Pyramids continued to be built through the fifth and sixth dynasties, but the overall quality and scope of their construction has declined during this period, and the power and wealth of the kings themselves. In the Old Kingdom pyramids, beginning with that of King Unas (2375-2345 BC.), The pyramid builders have begun enrolling events written accounts in the reign of King on the walls of the burial chamber and the rest of the interior of the pyramid. Known as texts of the pyramid, it is the first major religious compositions known in ancient Egypt.
The last of the great pyramid builders was Pepi II (2278-2184 BC.), The second king of the Sixth Dynasty, who came to power as a young boy and ruled for 94 years. At the time of his reign, the Old Kingdom prosperity decreased, and Pharaoh had lost part of its quasi-divine status as the power of non-royal administrators increased. The pyramid of Pepi II, built at Saqqara and completed about 30 years in his reign was much shorter (172 feet) than others of the Old Kingdom. With the death of Pepy, the kingdom and strong central government almost collapsed, and Egypt have entered a turbulent phase known as the First Intermediate Period. Later kings of the 12th Dynasty, returning to the construction of the pyramid during the so-called Middle Kingdom phase but it was never on the same scale as the great pyramids.
Pyramids Today
About 2.3 million stone blocks (averaging about 2.5 tons each) had to be cut, transported and assembled to build the Great Pyramid of Cheops. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote that it took 20 years to build and required the labor of 100,000 men but later archaeological evidence suggests that labor might actually have been about 20,000. While some popular versions of history held that the pyramids were built by slaves or foreigners for forced labor, skeletons discovered in the area indicate that workers were Egyptian laborers probably native who worked on pyramids during the time of year when the Nile flooded much of the land nearby.
The end of the age pyramid
Pyramids continued to be built through the fifth and sixth dynasties, but the overall quality and scope of their construction has declined during this period, and the power and wealth of the kings themselves. In the Old Kingdom pyramids, beginning with that of King Unas (2375-2345 BC.), The pyramid builders have begun enrolling events written accounts in the reign of King on the walls of the burial chamber and the rest of the interior of the pyramid. Known as texts of the pyramid, it is the first major religious compositions known in ancient Egypt.
The last of the great pyramid builders was Pepi II (2278-2184 BC.), The second king of the Sixth Dynasty, who came to power as a young boy and ruled for 94 years. At the time of his reign, the Old Kingdom prosperity decreased, and Pharaoh had lost part of its quasi-divine status as the power of non-royal administrators increased. The pyramid of Pepi II, built at Saqqara and completed about 30 years in his reign was much shorter (172 feet) than others of the Old Kingdom. With the death of Pepy, the kingdom and strong central government almost collapsed, and Egypt have entered a turbulent phase known as the First Intermediate Period. Later kings of the 12th Dynasty, returning to the construction of the pyramid during the so-called Middle Kingdom phase but it was never on the same scale as the great pyramids.
Pyramids Today
تعليقات
إرسال تعليق