The Mystries of Egypt

"To speak the name of the dead

is to make him live again"

Presented By:Sagar GuptaSaharul IslamKaushik MannaSaharukh MohammadPradip MondalSandip MondalSabir HussainAniruddha Halder

Ancient Egypt civilization lasted over 3000 years. Egyptian monuments have been around so longthat 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?

1. Mastabas2. Mummification3. Pyramids4. Valley of the Kings

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

MASTABAS

BURIAL TOMBS: four-sided stone structure that symbolizes the sacred mountain, humanity’s 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

PYRAMIDS

The Pyramids were built on thewest side of the Nile, as the sunsets in the west. This represented thecycle 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 world’s 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 Sneferu2575-2551 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

•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".

•the Red Pyramid at Dashur has the second largest base of any pyramid in Egypt

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 the

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

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

Original entrance of the Great Pyramid. 

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

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.

Pi?

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”

Great Sphinx oldest and longest stone sculpture

from the Old Kingdom lion’s 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.

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 Be a scribe. It will save you from toil and protect you from every toil and protect you from every kind of work. It will spare you kind of work. It will spare you from bearing hoe and mattock, from bearing hoe and mattock, so that you will not have to carry so that you will not have to carry a basket. It will keep you from a basket. It will keep you from plying the oar and spare you all plying the oar and spare you all manner of hardships.manner of hardships.

-- Excerpt from a text used in the New Kingdom for the instruction of scribes.

Papyrus Plant

Papyrus Sheet

Animation of paper-making process

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.

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.

Once dry, the sheets were rolled up and stored until needed.

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 world.

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).

I was the one who began (everything), I was the one who began (everything), the dweller in thethe dweller in thePrimeval Waters. Primeval Waters.

First Hahu* emerged from me First Hahu* emerged from me and then I began to move. and then I began to move.

I created my limbs in my 'glory' I created my limbs in my 'glory' I was the maker of myself, I was the maker of myself,

in that I formed myself in that I formed myself according to my desire andaccording to my desire and

in accord with my heart.in accord with my heart.-- Egyptian High God-- Egyptian High God

*The wind*The wind which began the separation which began the separation

of the waters and raised the skyof the waters and raised the sky

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.

Osiris Maat Amemet

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 person’s 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.

Which organ goes in each canopic jar? Look at the heads.

Qebehsenuef the falcon-headed god looks after the intestines.

Hapy the baboon-headed god 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 person’s 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 body.

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

Use Explore to look at some of our mummies

www.britishmuseum.org/explore/introduction.aspx

Learn more about mummification

www.ancientegypt.co.uk

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A SPECIAL THANKS TO MONITA MADAM FOR INSPIRING US