Ancient Egypt: The Pyramids Of Giza

Ancient Egypt is known for a lot of things: amazing jewelry, government, irrigation, etc. Most well known, however, are their monuments and temples that have become recent excavation sites. The Valley of Kings is known for its staggering size, with sixty-three tombs placed inside for major royal figures. With its excavation beginning in 1884, the Luxor Temple is globally known as one of the great achievements of ancient Egypt. The pyramids of Giza also help to understand the culture of ancient Egypt by their architecture; for example, the pyramid of Khufu is set with its four corners facing the cardinal points of direction, because ancient Egyptians valued placement. These monuments and excavation sites are important because they are hard to get to, they give a big insight to the cultural beliefs of ancient Egypt. The Valley of Kings (Wadi Biban el-Muluk) is the location of many great Egyptians tombs. According to many sources, such as brittanica.com and National Geographic, it’s hard to find specific dates for the first findings of the Valley. This is due to grave robbers and treasure hunters and such. While it is known that many tombs were discovered before Howard Carter’s 1922 expedition, his is the first documented. But why was it built in the first place? One of the most famous burial tombs in Egypt, this crypt was created to hold the bodies of almost all royals the 18th to the 20th dynasty. Wanting to preserve their burial site from robbers, the kings at that time opted to have it built in the western hills of Dayr al-Bahri. It didn’t work as most were looted of everything before their excavation. This group of tombs also helps modern historians understand a bit more about ancient Egypt and its people’s customs. Like most Egyptian architecture, it was filled with beautiful murals. Its significance is stated by Ancient Egypt Online, which says, “The decorations on the walls of the tombs tell us much about the lives and beliefs of the ancient Egyptians.” It also claims that mummies and funerary items were discovered in that …show more content…
“When the Arab Abdullah Al Mamun finally forced his entry into the chamber in AD 820 - the first entry since the chamber was sealed in some long ago time - he found the coffer entirely empty.” At least that's what happened to the Great Pyramid, according to Sacred Sites. However, this evidence has yet to be supported by any other sources, so an exact date of discovery may be hard to find. More important than the discovery of the buildings are their usage. While there were and are many pyramids in Egypt, only three are considered to be in the Giza pyramid complex. Built for Khufu, the Great Pyramid was originally 481 feet tall. The middle pyramid was built for Khufu’s son Khafre, along with the world famous Sphinx. Later, the southernmost was built for Khafre's son Menkaure. These were built to house the people who created them, but interestingly Khufu was never found in his. These pyramids gave archaeologists many interesting clues as to Egypt's past. First of all, it shows just exactly how much power the pharaohs had over their country. Second, it has yet to be answered on how exactly the pyramids were built, as not even the cement has been replicated