Preview

Comparing The Pyramid Construction And The Afterlife In Ancient Egypt

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2099 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Comparing The Pyramid Construction And The Afterlife In Ancient Egypt
Pyramid Construction and the Afterlife of the Pharaoh

The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is the only one left standing out of the seven. The Great Pyramid was built in honor of the Pharaoh, Khufu. It was once believed that the pyramids were constructed by slaves. It was later discovered that out of work farmers would work on the pyramids when the tide rose for the Nile. It was then believed that the deceased would be buried with the things that they would need for the afterlife. The pyramids where built as the final resting ground for the Pharaohs and his belongings. He would be placed in his tomb after mummification. All events from pyramid construction to the death of the pharaoh, led to the
…show more content…
According to Ancient Egypt “The mummification process has been changing over the millennia from the natural decay of the corpse buried in shallow graves hollowed from the desert sands to the complicated work of wrapping a prepared corpse in huge amounts of linen and including a portrait of the deceased” (Silverman). After the pharaohs death he goes through a process called embalmment. A standard embalming process can last almost three months. The first step was the removal of the vital entrails from the body. The embalmers would surgically extract the lungs, stomach, liver, and intestines. This also included the process of taking the brain out of the head with a hook from the nasal cavity. The organs that were removed are then dried thoroughly in a process called desiccation. This process is only involved in the removal of those organs particularly subject to decay according to Egyptian conceptions of natural disease. After the organs are desiccated where they are wrapped separately and then placed in a container. Shortly after this they are transferred to individual vessels called canopic jars. The heart still remains in the corpse of the pharaoh. The Ancient Egyptians believe that the detritus of unabsorbed food would clog the internal vessels to produce disease and ageing. This was also believed to cause the corpse to decompose. After the vital organs were removed, the pharaohs corpse would then be entirely packed with dry natron inside and out for a period of forty days to complete the desiccation period. Then the body would be washed thoroughly with the internal cavity packed with resin and linen. After this process the whole corpse is then wrapped in a large amount of fine linen bandages. The Facial features of the pharaoh are then restored by paint, by the application of a coat of molded plaster, or, they would place a funeral mask

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Egyptians had far more advanced medical techniques than people had in Prehistoric times. The main reason for this is their religion. They believed in life after death, therefore they felt it was very important to treat the corpses with a lot of care. They were prepared for the afterlife. This meant the Egyptians gained a lot of knowledge about anatomy. The process they went through to preserve the bodies is called embalming. It was noticed that the organs in the body would not remain preserved so they removed them before the burial. They were placed into canopic jars, then the body was treated with salts. These salts and the desert air dried out the bodies and later they would be wrapped in hundreds of yards of linen. After 70 days, the embalming process was complete and the mummy would be placed inside a specially made coffin with things that made them comfortable in life.…

    • 377 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Many people agree that the Egyptians were the ones who formed innumerable piles of bricks into the Great Pyramids. But, before building such a complex structure the Egyptians were quite intellectual and focussed on organization. The Egyptians were originally inspired to build the pyramids by religious conviction and were fully committed to take on the critical task. The Egyptians were able to determine the site of pyramids by religious beliefs. They decided to place the Pyramids on the west bank of the Nile because they asserted that the west was the dwelling place of the dead. This is where all the majestic and honourable people would be kept mainly pharaohs that accomplished major achievements. But, the most essential factor for building a marvellous structure was the authoritarian god-king. The article " Who built the Great Pyramids" elucidates that during the influential pharaoh, Khufu's reign Egypt was rich, united and at peace which allowed the authoritarian god-king to focus all attention on the salient task. Which moves onto how the Egyptians were able to transport the heavy loads of material…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The construction of the Great Pyramids of Giza is one of the greatest mysteries in history. They are the largest and most elaborate structures built in the ancient world, which is what considers them to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Great Pyramids of Giza are made up of three separate pyramids for three different pharaohs: Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure who were all pharaohs during the Fourth Dynasty (2,575-2,450 BCE), also known as the Old Kingdom. Khufu’s pyramid was built first and is known as the Great Pyramid. It took over 20 years to build his pyramid with the help of hundreds of thousands of peasants. Khafre, Khufu’s son, built his own pyramid a few years later and this pyramid appears to be larger than Khufu’s, however,…

    • 1346 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    A man with a plant growing from him(symbolizing defeated Lower Egypt) is being held captive by a falcon with human arms (who represents Horus, the pharaoh's protector). 3. Embalming(or mummification) was a 70-day technique used to preserve the body. Egyptians believed that preserving the body would help to ensure the ka(a soul-like entity) would live on in the afterlife.…

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Built during a time when Egypt was one of the richest and most powerful civilizations in the world, the pyramids, especially the Great Pyramids of Giza, are some of the most magnificent man-made structures in history. The reason that the Egyptians started building these very large structures was because when a pharaoh died, they believed that he became Osiris, the king of the dead. They thought that in order for a king to fulfill his duty, he needed a righteous resting place. This goes to show just how important the pharaoh or kind was in the lives of the ancient Egyptians. After the pharaoh underwent the seventy-day mummification process, they were sent to these places to begin the afterlife.…

    • 1026 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Ancient Egyptians believed that when the King or Pharaoh died, part of his spirit remained with his body. Ancient Egyptians were very concerned with the afterlife. By mummifying a dead person’s body the Ancient Egyptians thought that the person’s soul from their…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The huge stones used in the construction of the Egyptian pyramids were transported by being pulled over wet sand on wooden sledges. Each Egyptian pyramid consists of millions of 2.5 to 15 ton blocks. The most common theory for how these blocks were moved is that they were placed on wooden sledges and pulled up sand ramps for elevation. When scientists started to test this theory they realized it was unrealistic because the sand caused too much friction and clumped making it almost impossible for the sledge to be pulled. Although, when a team of Dutch engineers was testing out different methods the Egyptians could have used, they might have found an answer to the problem. They discovered that using water to make the sand wet stopped the sand…

    • 234 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Early Pyramids Essay

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages

    At around 1800 B.C., Egyptian pyramid-building was stopped once and for all. Historians are still left wondering exactly why they stopped building pyramids, but there are some known facts about the end of pyramid-building. Once pharaohs stopped being buried in pyramids, they were buried in tombs cut from rock, typically on mountainside. Also, the grave robberies went down greatly, most likely due to the fact that the graves were no longer very easily accessible.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    From start to finish, it took about seventy days to embalm a body. Since the Egyptians believed that mummification was essential for passage to the afterlife, people were mummified and buried as well as they could possibly afford. High-ranking officials, priests and other nobles who had served the pharaoh and his queen had fairly elaborate burials. The pharaohs, who were believed to become gods when they died, had the most magnificent burials of all. In the case of a royal or noble burial, the embalmers set up workshops near the tomb of the…

    • 1284 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Pyramids of Giza are located in Giza, Egypt. Three of the largest pyramids located there are Menkaura, Khafra, and Khufu. “The three pyramids at Giza are visible from space (“Great Pyramid” Data 44)” “These pyramids of Giza, Egypt, famous not only for their stupendous size and dramatic shape, but also for the astonishing skill with which they were built thousands of years ago (“Pyramids of Giza”42)”. The purpose of these pyramids was to function as monument tombs for pharaohs. The construction of the pyramids was elaborate. Stones weighing an average of two-and-a-half tons were pulled to their place on sleds with the help of at least thirty men. No powered equipment was available to them. Not to mention, the pyramid was hard to get around.…

    • 673 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are various interpretations of how the Great Pyramid was constructed, the three main explanations are: Von Daniken’s Chariots of the Gods, Davidovits/Morris’s An Enigma Solved as well as the more traditional theory, that the Egyptians built the Great Pyramid themselves by Sears/Wilson. In my opinion the theory written by Sears and Wilson most convincingly explains the construction of the pyramids. This theory provides a clear explanation to the questions, which the other alternatives posed. In addition to providing logical and effective evidence to support their claims of why the Egyptians were committed to building the pyramids, where the materials to build the pyramid were sourced and how the materials were transported to the construction site.…

    • 898 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To shelter and safeguard the part of a pharaoh's soul that remained with his corpse, Egyptians built massive tombs—but not always pyramids.…

    • 1096 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chapter 2 begins with illustrating what the Egyptians process was for taking care of their dead. It says, however, little is know about mummification because of the lack of records. They began by taking a metal hook through the nostril to extract the brain. Then, they removed the internal organs by an incision on the side of the abdomen, washed them in palm wine and shut them in stone vessels. Then, they washed the body and filled it with spices and covered it for about two months with a naturally occurring salt substance. Then they would start the mummification process which included bejeweling the body and wrapping it in cloth until finally, they put the body in a casket that looked similar to the person. This…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For centuries mummification was a wonderful and great privilege enjoyed by the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. From about 2500 B.C. many more people were able to hope for immortality by having themselves embalmed. Mummification remained an expensive business, well beyond most Egyptians. The process of mummification preserves the body so it won 't rot away. It is also called embalming. After the person was dead the embalmer would take out the internal organs; intestines, lungs, stomach, and liver. Perhaps the most well known method was the use of Canopic Jars. These were used to hold the lungs, liver, stomach and intestines of the deceased. Initially these jars had a lid that represented the deceased, or the…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    All the hard work that went into the pyramids was all done for the Pharaoh. Many people spent lots of time working on the art that was carved and painted in the pyramids. They built the pyramids so the pharaoh could live forever and believed in the afterlife. The people who worked on the pyramids had to live in separate towns than everyone else. It is amazing how the Egyptians built such big structures with such little technology because they were perfect in almost every dimension, it was all done by the physical strength of men, and many of the pyramids still stand…

    • 1225 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics