The Pyramids of Egypt

Source one: The pyramid fields in Egypt

Pyramids were burial tombs for Egyptian kings and Pharaohs.

The pyramids were built to protect the Pharaoh and kings and it was believed to make them immortal. They were most commonly made of limestone because it was a common resource and was quite easy to carve into blocks. The limestone blocks were too heavy for man to carry, they were thought to use a “rope roll” that was a primitive form of pulley. They would wet the sand in front of them to make a smooth surface for the limestone blocks to slide along the ground easier.

The average pyramid was made up of hundreds of  thousands to millions of carved stone blocks. The pyramids had many rooms holding jewels, furniture and other representations of the pharaoh. There were many booby traps, dead ends and other things to hold off tomb robbers and others trying to invade the tomb. The pyramids were most commonly made in a square based pyramid shape so the Pharaoh or king could ‘climb’ to heaven and live forever.