Chapter 5 Lesson 2 part 3
The Pyramid Tombs
Pyramid Tombs p. 113
Purpose –
• to hold the bodies of
pharaohs
• built to honor their ruler
• protected the bodies from
floods, wild animals, and
grave robbers
• Held the things the
pharaoh might need in
the afterlife (clothing,
weapons, furniture, and
jewelry)
Design –
• Triangle-shaped tombs
• Sat on a square base with
a north entrance (to find
true north, they studied the
sky)
• Made of stone blocks
• Covered the area of
several city blocks
• Built so well that centuries
later, many of them still
stand over the desert
sands
Today, archeologists can study the pyramids and the
treasures because they have been so well preserved.
They help us learn more about Ancient Egyptian life.
Who?
• Thousands of people worked for
many years- Farmers (during the
summer months/flooded season),
surveyors, engineers, carpenters,
stonecutters, and enslaved
people
• First engineer = Imhotep (he was
also an official / bureaucrat for the
pharaoh)
• They had to figure out the amount
of stone and the angles for the
walls – they developed and used
mathematics and geometry to do
this
How?
1. Workers search for stone throughout
the Nile River valley or in Upper Egypt
2. Then, Artisans used copper tools to cut
the stone into huge blocks
3. Next, workers used rope (remember- 1st
to invent this?!) to fasten the blocks
onto wooden sleds. Sleds are pulled
along a path made of logs to the Nile
River
4. There, the stones were moved onto
barges (large flat boats) that carried
them to the building site.
5. Workers unloaded the blocks and
dragged or pushed them up ramps to
be set in place at each new level of the
pyramid
How were the pyramids built? P. 113
Shadoof lifting devices with
counter-weights
<>
Illustration to show how teams would work in the final stages of
pyramid construction. Some counter ramps are constructed on the
same face of the pyramid as the ramps for the stones
•
http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/the-egyptianpyramids/videos/mankind-the-story-of-all-of-us-building-the-pyramids
Challenges Leading to Scientific
Discoveries p. 114-115
1. Remember that each pyramid rested on a square-shaped
foundation with an entrance facing north? To find north, they had to
study to skies which is called Astronomy
2. With the knowledge of the astronomy, they created the 365 day
calendar with 12 months divided into three seasons. Each month
was 30 days long. This calendar became the basis for our modern
calendar.
3. They had to calculate how much stone was needed to build the
pyramid which is Mathematics.
4. To do that, they invented a system of written numbers based on 10
5. They had to measure angles in order to construct he pyramid’s
walls which is Geometry
6. They also created fractions using them with whole numbers to add,
subtract, and divide.
An Egyptian Wonder p. 115
1. c. 2540 BC build The Great Pyramid
of Khufu
http://www.history.com/topics/ancienthistory/ancientegypt/videos/deconstructing-historythe-great-pyramid#
– 10 miles south of the modern city Cairo
– Oldest and largest of three pyramids
still standing in Giza on the Nile’s west
bank.
– Is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of
the Ancient Word and the only one to
remain largely intact
– 48 stories tall = over 500 ft
– Extends over 9 football fields
– More than 2 million stone blocks – each
block weighing more than 2.5 tons
– For more than 4,000 years, it was the
tallest structure in the world
2. The Great Sphinx --Not a
pyramid!
http://www.history.com/topics/ancienthistory/the-egyptianpyramids/videos/the-great-sphinxis-the-worlds-oldest-statue
p. 115 Graphic
This graphic is an image of the pyramids
at Giza.
Read the caption.
What did you learn about the graphic?
Which pyramid is larger?
What other pyramids are mentioned
here?
p. 114 Inside a Tomb
1. Put your finger on the path from 1-9 to see
what this visual is showing us.
2. If #1 stood for the most important part of
the pyramid, what feature would be #1?
3. What do the sizes of these pyramids say
about the importance of queens compared
with pharaohs?
4. Why was the king’s burial chamber
constructed in the middle of the pyramid
and not at the top?
Pyramid Facts
Assignment: Create a web diagram with
your shoulder partner to record:
1. famous pyramids
2. their uses/purposes
3. how they were built
4. their sizes.
Label each section.
Reread pp. 113-115 for help.
Final poster due
Tuesday, Oct. 21