"To speak the

name of the dead

is to make him live
again"

Presented By:
Sagar Gupta
Saharul Islam
Kaushik Manna
Saharukh Mohammad
Pradip Mondal
Sandip Mondal
Sabir Hussain
Aniruddha Halder

Ancient Egypt civilization lasted over 3000 years.

Egyptian monuments have been around so long
that their monuments were ancient even in Greek
and Roman times. but one key question has
always loomed: how were the pyramids built?

The Pyramids are one of the Seven Wonders of the

Ancient World. Decorating the Nile waterfront
they loom over passing boats. They are the lasting
reminders of the Pharaohs that once ruled Egypt
and of the power that the nation had.

There are More than

eighty (80) pyramids
were built around the
Nile from 1600 - 2700
BC

How did the Egyptian burial

practices evolve?
Mastabas
2. Mummification
3. Pyramids
4. Valley of the Kings
1.

MASTABAS

Mastaba tombs were low rectangular brick or stone structures. Like the pyramids,
they were built on the west side of the Nile (symbol of death, where the sun falls
into the underworld).
In the mastabas, lavish tombs with all necessary possessions would be prepared
for the Phaorahs
The pyramids evolved from the mastabas

R
Y
P

S
D
I
M
A

BURIAL TOMBS: four-sided stone structure that symbolizes the sacred

mountain, humanitys universal striving to reach the heavens.

PURPOSE: because the Pharaoh was viewed as a god, he lived in the spirit
world with the gods. Upon death, he had to be able to return to his body on
earth, and required a tomb where his body would be preserved and
surrounded by materials he would need whenever his spirit returned to his
body

IMMORTALITY: the ancient belief in raising the human spirit towards the
gods is the quintessential purpose behind the construction of pyramids

The Pyramids were built on the

west side of the Nile, as the sun
sets in the west. This represented the
cycle of life (east = rebirth);
west= death).

Valley of the Kings

Beginning with the 18th Dynasty and

ending with the 20th, the kings abandoned
the Memphis area and built their tombs in
Thebes.
Also abandoned were the pyramid style
tombs.
Most of the tombs were cut into the
limestone following a similar pattern: three
corridors, an antechamber and a sunken
sarcophagus chamber.
These catacombs were harder to rob and
were more easily concealed.
Construction usually lasted six years,
beginning with the new reign.
The text in the tombs are from the
Book of the Dead, the Book of the Gates
and the Book of the Underworld.

Imhotep:
The Step Pyramid
at Saqqara

During the early Old

Kingdom (2680 BCE),
King Djoser
commissioned Imhotep to
build him a memorial
tomb that would remind
future generations of his
brilliance and power

Imhotep took the idea of

the mastabas and stacked
six of them one on top of
the other > creating a
stairway to Heaven

This became the worlds

first building made
completely of stone

Steps in the pyramid were

to enable the pharaoh to
take his place among the
star gods

The pyramids evolved

from that point
Later designers were
to smooth out the
edges
Inner burial chambers
and hidden passages
and tombs were built
within the pyramids
The pyramids have
mathematical
dimensions that have
stupefied later
societies

Pharaoh Sneferu
2575-2551 BCE)

(father to Khufu)

Most enthusiastic builder

of pyramids building at
least four pyramids during
his reign
At Dashur, a pyramid was
built with 2 entrances
(north and west)
However the angle of the
first was too sharp and
collapsed
To save the other, the angle
of the walls was changed,
leaving a bent appearance
This is called the Bent
Pyramid!

The Red Pyramid was the first to

achieve the perfect pyramid shape

the Red Pyramid at Dashur has the second

largest base of any pyramid in Egypt

Stripped from its limestone casing,

this pyramid reveals the reddish
sandstone used to build most of its
core.
Its Ancient Egyptian name was
"The Shining One".

Giza Pyramid: The Great Pyramid

Built under the rule of Khufu

(Cheops in Greek) outside of Cairo
(Giza)
Belief that Pharaoh would join the
sun-god Re as Re made his daily
journey by boat across the sky.
Thus Khufu would need a pyramid
shaped like a sunburst, so he could
climb on the rays of the sun to join
Re
Still remains the largest stone
building on Earth

It aligns almost perfectly with a compass

A meridian running through the pyramids divides th

continents and oceans into two equal halves

The Pyramid
lies in the
exact center of
all the land
area of the
world,
dividing the
earth's land
mass into
approximately
equal
quarters.

The

north-south axis is the longest land meridian, and the east-west

axis is the longest land parallel on the globe. There is obviously only
one place that these longest land-lines of the terrestrial earth can
cross, and it is at the Great Pyramid!

It stands 147 meters high

Original entrance of the

Great Pyramid.

Pyramid of Giza: Look at the Stats!

Total of 2.3 2.6 million blocks of
limestone were cut out of the quarries,

dressed and transported and fitted

together
Each block weighs average 2.5 tons 15
tons
2.5 tons= approximately 25 refrigerators

seam between blocks were very fine,

about 1 mm on all 6 sides
Only error of less than 0.1% in
construction of Great Pyramid
Estimated Construction: 20- 80 years

Great Pyramids of Giza: Size Stats

920 meters around

Nearly 10 football fields could fit within the base.

The area of the base is also equal to about seven

city blocks in New York City or about 13 acres.

The rocky structure where the

pyramids stand had to be leveled
(south east corner is just 1/3 inch
higher than northwest corner!

Great Pyramid is a sundial. The

shadow fell on pavements and the
pavements were marked with the
day of the year and the hour of the
day.

Great Pyramid is a giant calendar.

The Egyptians could use it to
measure the length of a year to
three decimal places 365.24

Did you know?

The surface of blocks did not

crack along layers after
thousands of years of exposure
to wind and sun

The casing stones, 144,000 in

all, were so brilliant that they
could literally be seen from the
mountains of Israel hundreds
of miles away. On bright
mornings and late afternoons,
sunlight reflected by this vast
mirrored surface of 5-1/4 acres
distinguished the Pyramid as
being visible from the moon.

Priests of Pharoh Khufu

convinced him to pay for all the
bills of the Great Pyramid!

In the heart of the burial chamber,

you'll be 20 m (66 ft) beneath the
foundation with over 6 million tons of
stone piled above you!

Burial chamber filled with riches for

Pharaoh to take into afterlife

Inside the pyramids there were false

doors, staircases and corridors

In the Chamber

In

the Kings Chamber of the

Great Pyramid, laid a stone
coffin that contained nothing!
King Khufu had never been
placed in his burial place!

Pi?

The area of the base of the pyramid divided by

twice its height gives the figure of pie (3.14)

The height of the Pyramid's apex is 5,812.98

inches, and each side is 9,131 inches from
corner to corner (in a straight line). If the
circumference of the Pyramid is divided by
twice its height (the diameter of a circle is
twice the radius), the result is 3.14159, which
just happens to be pi. Incredibly, this
calculation is accurate to six digits. So the
Pyramid is a square circle, and thus pi was
designed into it 4,600 years ago. Pi is
demonstrated many times throughout the
Pyramid.

QUESTIONS
Blocks of granite moved from Aswan
(950 km away) each weighing 53.5
tons
How did people get out of pyramids
(building trap doors / secret corridors?
No markings inside the pyramids from
torches?
How did they transport the stones?
Ramps? Boats? Lifting?
Who built these pyramids?

Power of the Pyramid Shape

Scientists experimented by making model pyramids and

placing different types of food in them (usually food that
goes bad quickly). The food stayed in good condition
much longer than expected.

1959, engineer Karel Drbal did a similar experiment with

blunt razor blades. To his astonishment, Drbal found the
blades actually became sharp again when stored in
pyramid. He sold his idea to a company who successfully
sold plastic models of pyramids.

Theories: Who really built the pyramids?

Slaves (100 000 or 20 000? )

Hebrew Slaves
Farmers (during annual flooding)
Stars
Aliens
How long?
Transportation Methods?
Limestone from quarries floated to base
of pyramids
Graffiti / Drawings
Articles:
1)Heave Ho
2) Chariots Still Crash
3) Pouring a Pyramid

oldest and longest stone sculpture

from the Old Kingdom
lions body and a human head, it
represents Ra-Horakhtv, a form of
the powerful sun god, and is the
incarnation of royal power and
the protector of the temple doors.
The face of the Great Sphinx is
believed to be that of Chephren,
the fourth-dynasty pharaoh who
built the second-largest pyramid
in the Giza triad.
Carved out of a natural limestone
outcrop, the Sphinx is 19.8 metres
(65 feet) high and 73.2 metres
(240 feet) long.
It is located a short distance from
the Great Pyramid.

Great Sphinx

The Legacies of the Pyramids

LOUVRE, France

Las Vegas

LETS EXPLORE THE WRITING PATTERN OF

ANCIENT EGYPTIANS

The EGYPTIAN LANGUAGE was one of the earliest languages

to be written down, perhaps only the Sumerian language is older.
First appearing on stone and pottery dating from 3100 B.C. to 3000
B.C., it remained in use for almost 3,000 years.
The last inscription was written in A.D. 394.

The word HIEROGLYPH literally

means "sacred carvings". The
Egyptians first used hieroglyphs for
inscriptions carved or painted on
temple walls.
This form of PICTORIAL
WRITING was also used on:

Tombs
Sheets of papyrus
Wooden boards covered with a stucco
wash
Potsherds
Fragments of limestone.

The ancient language was written by SCRIBES who, from a young age,
went through a long apprenticeship before they mastered the skill of
writing.
The ability to write guaranteed a SUPERIOR RANK IN SOCIETY and
the possibility of career advancement.
CLIMBING THE SOCIAL LADDER was difficult, but it could be
achieved through outstanding accomplishments in professions such as that
of the scribes and the military.

Be a scribe. It will save you from

toil and protect you from every
kind of work. It will spare you
from bearing hoe and mattock,
so that you will not have to carry
a basket. It will keep you from
plying the oar and spare you all
manner of hardships.
-- Excerpt from a text used in the New
Kingdom for the instruction of scribes.

To make the paper-like writing material, the

exterior of the PAPYRUS stem was discarded
and the interior was cut into thin strips.
The strips were soaked in water and beaten to
break down and flatten the fibers.
Papyrus Plant

They were then layered crosswise and

lengthwise to produce a sheet, which was
beaten again to mesh the strips together.
Weights were placed on the sheets while they
dried.Animation of paper-making process
Once dry, the sheets were rolled up and stored
until needed.

Papyrus Sheet

DRAFTSMEN were scribes

who specialized in drawing.
They followed a formula that
makes standing and sitting
figures look stiff.
Using a traditional grid of 18
squares, they sketched figures
according to a predetermined
pattern, making no attempt to
show perspective.
The eyes and shoulders are
drawn from the front and the
face, torso, arms and legs

Sacred texts, known as the PYRAMID TEXTS, were written on the inner
passages and the walls of the burial chamber.
They were intended to help the pharaohs travel through the afterworld, to secure
regeneration and eternal life.
The Pyramid Texts are considered the oldest body of religious writings in the

I was the one who began (everything),

the dweller in the
Primeval Waters.
First Hahu* emerged from me
and then I began to move.
I created my limbs in my 'glory'
I was the maker of myself,
in that I formed myself
according to my desire and
in accord with my heart.
-- Egyptian High God
*The wind which began the separation
of the waters and raised the sky

COFFIN TEXTS
emphasized the
afterlife and helped
the deceased find
their way in the
afterworld.
Inscribed inside the
coffins of Middle
Kingdom high
officials, they
consist of over
1,000 spells
(prayers for
protection and
empowerment).

Osiris

Maat

Amemet

The JUDGMENT OF THE DEAD was a way of attaining new life. The
deceased were taken before OSIRIS and their hearts were weighed on a scale,
against a feather representing MAAT, the goddess of truth and justice.
Those who were good passed through to the new life as transfigured spirits.
Those who were judged as wicked, were tossed to the goddess AMEMET, "the
swallower." who was portrayed as having the rear of a hippopotamus, the fore of a
lion, and the head of a crocodile.

The BOOK OF THE

DEAD contains
approximately 190
chapters of spells to assist
the deceased on their
voyage to eternity.
Texts were originally
written on papyrus and
placed near the dead.
One spell was inscribed on
a heart scarab an amulet
placed over the heart either
within the mummy's
bandages or inside the
body.
Later, the spells were
written on strips of linen
that were wrapped around
the mummies.

LETS VISUALISE THE UNIQUE

PROCESS OF MUMMYFICATION

There are three elements to the

Egyptian CONCEPT OF
SOUL:

KA is the life force or spiritual

double of the person.

BA is represented as a human-headed
bird that leaves the body when a
person dies. The face of Ba was the
exact likeness of that of the deceased
person.

AKH is the spirit of Re (represent-ing

light), the transfigured spirit of a
person that becomes one with light
after death.

The journey to the afterworld was considered full of danger. Traveling on a

SOLAR BARK, the mummy passed through the underworld, which was
inhabited by serpents armed with long knives, fire-spitting dragons and reptiles
with five ravenous heads. Upon arriving in the realm of the LAND OF THE
GODS, the deceased had to pass through seven gates, reciting accurately a
magic spell at each stop. If successful, they arrived at the HALL OF OSIRIS,
the place of judgment.

Here the gods of the dead performed the WEIGHING OF THE HEART
ceremony to judge whether the person's earthly deeds were virtuous.
The persons heart was placed on a scale, counterbalanced by a feather that
represented Maat, the goddess of truth and justice.
If the heart was equal in weight to the feather, the person was justified and
achieved immortality. If not, it was devoured by the goddess Amemet. This
meant that the person would not survive in the afterlife.

When a pharaoh passed the test, he became one with the god
Osiris. He then traveled through the underworld on a solar bark,
accompanied by the gods, to reach PARADISE and attain
EVERLASTING LIFE.

Herodotus provides us with written evidence of the process of

mummification. The British Museum contains objects and documents which
help us to understand how this process was carried out.
The Egyptians did not understand what the brain was for. They
needed to take it out to preserve the body. The easiest way to do this
was through the nose with a hooked probe.
A small incision (cut) was made in the left side of
the body to remove the internal organs.
They left the heart inside the body. It would
be needed during the journey to the afterlife
where it was weighed against the feather of
truth.

They removed the other organs and dried them to preserve them.

The organs could be placed in Canopic jars to keep them safe.

Qebehsenuef the falcon-headed god looks after the

intestines.

Which organHapy
goes inthe
each
canopic jar? Lookgod
at the
heads.
baboon-headed
looks
after

the lungs.

Duamutef the jackal-headed god looks after the stomach.

Imsety the human-headed god looks after the liver.

They washed the body with pleasant

smelling liquids.

They then covered it in

natron (natural salt) for 40
days. This dehydrated
(dried out) the body and
stopped it rotting. This
ensured the body was
preserved.
Once the body had dehydrated it was
washed again using perfumes and oils.

The clean and dehydrated body was then

carefully wrapped in linen sheets and strips.
The body was wrapped very
carefully to look like a human
figure. This shape could be used
in the afterlife if the persons
body itself did not survive very
well.

Amulets were placed in the

mummy wrappings. These
were like good luck charms
and were used to protect the

The mummified body was placed in a

coffin. This coffin could be shaped
like a human.

The coffin could be painted

or embellished with other
decoration such as gold.

The family then took the coffin to the tomb.

Funeral ceremonies were performed and the tomb was sealed with
the hope that the dead person would reach the afterlife.

RELATED LINKS
## NOVA ONLINE
# GOOGLE.CO.IN
#THE ANCIENT
ENCYCLOPEDIA,www.u
seborne.com
A SPECIAL THANKS TO
MONITA MADAM FOR
INSPIRING US

Use Explore to look at some

of our mummies
www.britishmuseum.org/exp
lore/introduction.aspx
Learn more about
mummification
www.ancientegypt.co.uk