Architecture History Pyramid Paper

Architecture History Pyramid Paper

Pyramids have been around for centuries, and for over 43 centuries some pyramids have been one of the tallest land structures made by man. Throughout the many decades, pyramids have been remade using modern materials and new technologies, but it remains a myth as to how the Egyptians were able to mold such a huge land mass with their lack of technology. One of the most famous pyramids to this day are the Pyramids of Giza. The most famous of all three pyramids of Giza, is the Great pyramid of Khufu as known as Cheops. Khufu was built by the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu of the Fourth Dynasty around 2560 BC to be his burial tomb. Khufu’s son Khafre, who was next in the royal line, commissioned the building of his own pyramid complex which includes the sphinxes. Menkarure, who is believed to be Khafre’s son, built the third and smallest of the three pyramids at Giza. Giza however, is more than just three pyramids and the Sphinx. Each pyramid has mortuary temple and a valley temple linked by long causeways that were roofed and walled. The great pyramid is believed to have been built over a 20 year period. They first prepared the site, and somehow transported the blocks of stone into there correct placements. In the process of building the pyramids an outer casing was placed over the surface, which was used to smooth the surface, but disappeared over the years. Several theories suggest that ramps were constructed from the sands and the blocks were pushed or pulled into place. Others say that the blocks were placed using long lever with a short angled foot.

The Great pyramid was 145.75 m (481 ft) high, which is located in Cairo, Egypt. Over the years, it lost 10m (30 ft) off its top. The sloping angles of its side are 51 degrees and 51 minutes. Each side is carefully oriented with one of the cardinal points of the compass (north, south, east, west) the horizontal cross section of the pyramid is square at any level, with each side measuring 229 m (751 ft) in length. What is amazing is that the maximum error between side lengths is less than .1 percent. This is very astounding due to the fact the technology at this time was very limited. There definitely were not any bull-dozers or cranes so everything was created by hand. The pyramid is made up of about two million blocks of stone, were each stone weighs more than two tons. It is most likely that the pyramids of Giza were not built by slaves but by paid laborers motivated by a faith in the divinity and immortality of their king. The exact process of building is still unclear but due to the amount of evidence available, it will always remain a myth.

The pyramids entrance is on the north side. There are also many corridors, galleries, and escape shafts that lead to the King’s burial chamber, and some were known to trap walk ways for grave-robbers. The King’s chamber is located at the heart of the pyramid, which is only accessible through the Great Gallery and an ascending corridor. All of the interior stones fit so well, a card won’t fit between them.

Beyond being a burial chamber for past kings, the purposes of the Pyramids of Giza are still in dispute. Some say Astronomic observatories, places of cult worship geometric structures constructed by a long-gone civilization, even extraterrestrial related theories have been proposed with little evidence in support. Most Egyptian people believed that death on Earth was the start of a journey to the next world. The pyramids were used to protect the dead bodies of the kings to ensure their souls safe travel to the afterlife.

These pyramids have been around for centuries, I believe that we should care about these because they signify just how smart and innovated the human mind can be. With only hand tools, and levers, these Egyptians were able to created monuments bigger than most buildings we have today. Also they built them in a way that baffles today’s scientist and we are left to assume of how they were actually constructed.

The Transamerica building, located in San