The plateau is situated about 15 miles (25 Km) south west of the Egyptian Capital of Cairo, just outside of the town of Giza on the Nile River.
Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, was believed to be Horus, the god of the heavens, during his lifetime. At death he became Osiris, god of the underworld. When the king died, part of his soul, the ka, remained with the body. If he was not properly mummified, buried and provided with goods and food for the afterlife, his spirit would not be able to perform the functions of the deity. These beliefs lead to the building of massive, luxurious tombs, but no pyramids.
Most experts agree that the pyramid idea came from the benben, a pointed stone, which represented the sun’s rays. Since ancient beliefs alleged that the Pharaoh got to heaven on sunbeams, it was only a matter of time before the king’s architects and engineers made the connection and began fabricating tombs in a pyramidal shape.
The Pyramids
The three pyramids of Giza were built by three Pharaohs of the Old Kingdom’s Fourth Dynasty. Either on purpose (most likely) or not, they are aligned with the three stars in the belt of the constellation of Orion. The pyramids of Giza in addition, are oriented east to west. The first one was built by Khufu. Known as the Great Pyramid, it is the oldest and largest of the three, and is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient World that endures largely intact. It took 20 years to build. The Great Pyramid was the tallest man made structure in the world for over 3,800 years. Originally the Great Pyramid was covered by casing stones that formed a smooth outer surface, and it is thought that, at construction, was originally 480.94 ft (146.59 m ) tall. The casing stones and interior chamber blocks of the Great Pyramid were fit together exceptionally well. Based on measurements taken, the average separation of the stones is only 1/50th of an inch (0.5 millimeters).
The second oldest and also next in size is the Pyramid of Khafre. He was the son of Khufu, and little is known about him. Khafre’s pyramid has a base of 706 ft (215.25 m) long and in the beginning rose to a height of 470 ft (143.5 m) and it was made of Limestone blocks weighing more than 2 tons each. Khafre died before his tomb was completed.
The newest and smallest of the Giza Pyramids was that of Menkaure, grandson of Khufu and son of Khafre. It originally stood as 218 ft (65.5 meters) high with a base of 356.5 ft (106 meters). Today it is only 204 ft (61 meters) tall. The upper portion was cased in the normal manner with the lower part built of granite, while the top is limestone. Menkaure also finished his father’s pyramid.
The Great Sphinx
The fourth great monument at Giza is the Sphinx, the large statue with the body of a lion and the head of a man. It is not the only one in Egypt, but it is certainly the largest and most famous. The Great Sphinx is 65 ft (20 m) long and the body is 200 ft (60m) long. The face is 30 ft (10 m) long, 14 ft (4m) wide and the eyes are 6 ft (2m) apart. It was probably built under the auspices of Khafre and it is believed to be a representation of the king’s power, for lions had been identified with royalty since the beginning of history. Egyptologist are divided in whether the face in the Sphinx is that of Khafre himself or his brother the Pharaoh Djedefre, who reigned for a short period after Khufu’s death.
The Great Sphinx is probably the most damaged of the famous Giza monuments. It has had to be dug out of the sand on various occasions. Windblown sand, underground water and pollution from Cairo have harmed the stone. The nose was used for target practice by Turks when they invaded Egypt in the 16th Century. The broken off beard is in the British museum.
Myths about the Pyramids and the Sphinx
Through the years many legends have been told about the secretsof the pyramids and/or Sphinx. Neither posses magical powers and there are no great secrets about ancient civilizations, alien invasions or supernatural beings inside.
While the builders of the pyramids created many a maze and an occasional chasm to protect the royal cadaver, and its treasures, there is no evidence of mechanized booby traps a la Indiana Jones.
Neither the pyramids, nor the Sphinx are stand-alone monuments. They are all part of vast burial complexes that included temples, thoroughfares, statues and other memorials.
Furthermore, while the pyramids certainly held fabulous treasures at one time, none had been found in modern times. Whatever riches were buried with the Pharaohs had been removed by tomb robbers’ long before modern archaeologists starting their digs.
Sources
Ivan Castro - Ivan Castro, a former reporter for The Miami Herald, is a free lance writer specializing in History and Archeology.
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