Pharaohs and Pyramids

1
Pharaohs and Pyramids

• ?Points to Ponder?
• Who were the famous pharaohs of ancient Egypt?
• How are pyramids and government related?
• Who built the pyramids?
• How was a pyramid built?
• What did the Egyptians invent to help build the
  pyramids?
• Who discovered the pyramids?
• Obelisks? Huh??

2
Famous Pharaohs

• Menes- united upper and lower Egypt
• Khufu- The Great Pyramid in Giza was built for
  him
• Hatshepsut- female pharaoh who wore mens
  clothing to convince the people that she could
  handle the job
• Thumose III- overthrew Hatshepsut and began
  aggressive wars to expand Egypt
• Tutankhaman- became pharaoh at the age of 10, he
  died unexpectedly when he was 19. He may have
  suffered a fall or been murdered.
• Rameses II- Ruled for 66 years, he was a great
  warrior and Egypt prospered under his rule.

3
Pyramids and Government

• Tombs for the pharaohs
• The larger the pyramid the more powerful the
  pharaoh
• Used as a pathway for the pharaoh to the heavens
  to meet the gods and goddess

4
Who built the pyramids?

• FARMERS
• After the Nile flooded farm land was covered for
  4 month with water.
• The Pharaoh would summon the farmers to work on
  the pyramid.

• The believed that the pharaoh was a god and would
  look after them and their crops in the next world
  in return for their labor on the pyramids.

5
How was a Pyramid built?

• Square base with the entrance facing north
• After they built the base, massive stones were
  tied to sleds and dragged in to place one at a
  time.
• Limestone was then used as a smooth cover on the
  surface.
• The Great Pyramid contains about 2,300,000
  stones- each stone weighs about 2.5 tons.

6
Egyptian Inventions
7
The Great Pyramid

• Egypts largest and most famous pyramid.
• Located in Giza
• Built for Pharaoh Khufu
• It was the tallest structure in the world for
  over 4,000 years.

8
Howard Carter

• British Archeologist
• His missions were sponsored by Lord Carnarvon who
  owned one of the most valuable collections of
  Egyptian artifacts in private hands.
• Famous for discovering King Tuts tomb in 1922.
• He also discovered six tombs in the Valley of the
  Kings and Luxor.
• Legend has it that by 1929, eleven of the people
  connected with the discovery of the tomb had
  died, including two of Lord Carnarvon's
  relatives, and Carter's personal secretary,
  Richard Bethell. This would spawn mummy movies
  through the end of the the twentieth century and
  beyond.

9
Obelisks

• Located in the center of temples to serve as
  protection.
• Usually made from granite from Aswan.
• Hieroglyphics were carved on all four sides.
• Symbolized the power of Re-The Sun God.