During the Old Kingdom, a stable central government was established in the Nile Valley. Pyramids and other tombs were built to shelter the pharaohs in their afterlife. It was believed that when a pharaoh died he became Osiris, the king of the dead. The new pharaoh became Horus, god of the heavens and protector of the sun god. This cycle was symbolized by the rising and setting of the sun. The ka remained with the body, and if the corpse did not have proper care, the former pharaoh would not be able to carry out his duties.
Each pharaoh was mummified and put in a massive tomb, but that tomb was not always a pyramid. Pyramids were not built by slaves or foreigners. They were built by Egyptians who lived in villages overseen by the pharaoh's supervisors. Some builders were permanent employees of the pharaoh, and others were from villages and worked for a limited time. Some workers may have been women. Graffiti has shown that some workers took pride in their work.
"An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 workers built the Pyramids at Giza over 80 years. Much of the work probably happened while the River Nile was flooded." Architects were involved to make sure stones were placed correctly. Priests-astronomers helped choose the pyramids' sites and orientations, so that they would be on the appropriate axis in relation to sacred constellations. Every worker contributed to the perpetuating glory of Egypt.
National Geographic. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. <http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html>.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons. Web. 4 Feb. 2010. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pyramids_of_Egypt1.jpg>
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