Why were pyramids built?
Posted on 20. Mar, 2010 by Iwind in History
The pyramids of Egypt are really impressive and famous all over the world. There are also pyramids in other parts of the world, but this article will focus on why the pyramids in Egypt were built. As of 2010, 138 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt. Most of these pyramids were built for Egypt’s pharaohs from about 3000 BC to 1600 BC.
So why were pyramids built? The most simple answer is that they were built as tombs for the pharaohs and their consorts. But why did the Pharaohs need massive tombs like the pyramids were? The answer lies in the ancient Egyptians religion and their belief in afterlife. The Egyptians had hundreds of gods, and these gods were believed to be present in every part of the natural world. When it comes to afterlife, the Egyptians believed that Pharaohs could become one with the gods after their death. For all people in Egypt the ability to enter the afterlife was believed to depend a lot on their tomb and the gifts they were buried with.
Exactly why the pharaohs needed these huge pyramid constructions as tombs has been debated. One theory is that the pyramids were built as some type of resurrection machine for the Pharaohs. Egyptians believed that the night sky was a physical gateway to the heavens, and the narrow shafts that extends through most pyramids from the main burial chamber is an indication that the pyramids were some sort of path for the Pharaohs to rise up into heaven. The setting sun was also associated with the realm of the dead in ancient Egypt, and all the Egyptian pyramids are on the west bank of the Nile where the sun sets.
It is hard to know the exact details why the pyramids were built the way they are, but it is generally agreed that they were important burial monuments to the ancient pharaohs.
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Buchaman
Mar 21st, 2010
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