Great Pyramid Of Khufu example essay topic

Monuments and burial sites of such great design, size, and architectural precision that to attempt to replicate them today is completely unheard of, but does the great pharaoh Khufu, who later became revered as Re, the sun god, deserve anything less. Just as the Balinese built temples for their gods, so did the Egyptian. Back in the area of around 2575 B.C. -2134 BC, during the fourth dynasty, and what is known as the old kingdom, the Egyptians built one of the greatest monuments and burial sites ever constructed, The Great Pyramid of Khufu. The Great Pyramid is one of the greatest accomplishments of ancient Egypt. Many people believe that the pyramids at Giza are the most appealing pyramids ever made (Bahn 245). The Egyptians were very dedicated to their Pharaoh and the effect of time on the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

In the Old Kingdom sometime between the years of 2575 BC and 2134 BC, the Egyptians constructed The Great Pyramid. The Pharaoh Khufu ordered the building of a pyramid of greater dimensions than any other pyramid ever constructed. Allegedly, Khufus pyramid was built to out do the massive tombs built under Snefrus, his father, reign over the Egyptian Empire. In hope to increase interest in the building of his pyramid, Khufu shut down other temples to divert the interest to his site.

Khufu chose to build on the Giza plateau on the East side of the Nile River. Many sources say that the Egyptians used slave labor to construct the huge pyramid for the pharaoh Khufu, or Cheops as he was also called, this was not so. The pyramid was built by free citizens of Egypt drafted for public work. Using stone cut mostly form a quarry right on the Giza plateau the laborers quarried and hauled the massive blocks of stone to and later even up the pyramid. More on the upward progression later, for now let us concentrate on the materials. Fine white limestone was taken from Tura across the Nile River.

The granite used for the kings burial chamber was quarried from Aswan, 400 miles upriver form Giza. The blocks of stone weighed as much as 15 tons as the granite stones were the heaviest. The total weight of the pyramid 6.25 million tons and is constructed of about 2,250,000 blocks of stone. This feat is almost unheard of today with the use of new machines and techniques for hauling and moving incredibly heavy objects. The construction of the pyramid was flowing smoothly until either Khufu or one of his architects changed his mind and moved the burial chamber from the under ground to the center of the pyramid. Archaeologists suggest that the shifting of the burial chambers took place after Khufu started to be revered as Re, the sun god.

Since Res symbol was the ben-ben which was the shape of a pyramid it would only seem appropriate for Khufu-Re to be placed for eternity in the pyramid itself instead of under it as originally planned. The Egyptians used some rather ingenious ways to keep their building project on the perfect side. The crews would dig connected trenches around the building site and fill the trenches with water. After filling the trenches with water, they would tie a length of rope at equal height onto two sticks.

Thus stretching the rope taunt, they could see any un leveled points to fill or level off to keep their base even all-around. Seeing how organized the ancient civilization was proving itself to be, we are not shocked to find that they used a four-way ramp system to haul the blocks of rock to the upper most places of Khufus pyramid. The system used three ramps that formed three squared off spirals to the top, and one ramp that followed the same form down and off the formation. This gives us four tiers of ramps, a sort of Egyptian highway system of on and off ramps. To build the Great Pyramid at Giza, a nearby quarry cut stone blocks.

They were then dragged through the sand and up steep and long ramps (Berman & Sanchez 556). French architect Henri Cheerier tested the ramp theory with 50 men and a one-ton block of limestone set on a track of wet mud from the Nile river. The results showed that one man harnessed to a rope could move the block on a level surface, 1 not all 50. After possibly what might have taken the entire twenty-three year reign of Khufu, the structure was complete.

Then advancing upward to a second burial chamber that was left incomplete, this chamber is commonly misnamed the Queens Chamber. Then we fall upon a 153-foot long 28-foot high tunnel called The Grand Gallery. The Grand Gallery is noted for its ceiling made with tiers and braces. After traveling through The Grand Gallery, we find ourselves in the actual burial chamber of Khufu.

The sarcophagus, which is a marvel of engineering in its own right, still stands at the west end of the chamber. The sarcophagus was crafted from a single block of granite and hollowed out by unknown methods. The burial chamber was actually the third placement designated by Khufu. The burial chamber was designed with six stress-relieving roofs made of granite to support the tons of block over head.