Exploring the Pyramids

The Egyptian pyramids were built to protect the pharaohs in the afterlife. When the pharaoh died, he was believed to transform into the king of the dead, Osiris. The new crowned pharaoh would then become the god of the heavens and protector of the sun god, Horus. To make sure the pharaohs spirit would be able to do well as the new king of the dead, they would be mummified. Every time a pharaoh died, a pyramid wasn’t built, a lot of the time, there were big tombs constructed. Recently, there has been a longtime debate on who built the pyramids. The construction site is always portrayed as millions of slaves hauling large stones while being whipped. In fact, research and artifacts have shown that slaves actually did not build these massive structures. The builders may have hired workers in towns in Egypt. 2,000 to 3,000 workers were used to build the pyramids at Giza over a span of 80 years. Many architects were on the job to design the shape of the pyramid. Every person working on the pyramid knew that it was contributing to the glory of Egypt itself, and was happy to help the rising of the king of the dead.

"National Geographic: Egypt Pyramids--Facts, Photos, Diagrams." National Geographic - Inspiring People to Care About the Planet Since 1888. Web. 04 Feb. 2010. .