Preview

Stokstad And Cothren's Article The Great Pyramids At Giza

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
965 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Stokstad And Cothren's Article The Great Pyramids At Giza
The Old Kingdom was a significant period of time in ancient Egypt. It was a time of social growth and economic stability. In this point in history the Old Kingdom was considered to be an era that flourished from the third dynasty to the sixth dynasty. In this age the art movement expanded with detailed carvings and decorative tombs complexes. The development of wealthy families and rulers reflected amongst the trends of building pyramids. Between 2575-2150 BCE many pyramids were constructed and it was considered a time known to be “the Pyramid Age”. According to History’s article Egyptian Pyramid the Pyramids at Giza were “Built during a time when Egypt was one of the richest and most powerful civilizations in the world” (History). In Marilyn …show more content…
The authors mainly describe the construction of the pyramids rather than also including the importance of the pyramid to Egypt and its significance to the Egyptian culture. Not only are readers interested in the construction of The Great Pyramids of Giza, but readers also want to know uncover the relevance of the pyramids with Egyptian culture. This was a time period in history that a pharaoh’s glorious power stood out in The Old Kingdom; which significantly relates to the spread of Egyptian culture. As I read Stockstad and Cothren’s points of views on the pyramids it seemed to have left a reader such as myself lingering with unsolved questions. The importance of the famous pyramid landmarks in Egypt could have been further emphasized by the …show more content…
In this section the authors introduced how the pyramids were constructed. They mentioned the fact that the pyramids were built out of 2.5- tons of cut stone block. The term cut stone blocks could also be explained as ashlar stone. The authors could’ve used this specific term while describing the cut stone blocks that the pyramids were built out of. According to author Joseph Davidovits, “The granite ashlars were not carved in a quarry, but simply taken from individual boulders found in great quantities in the Aswan region” (Davidovits). The authors should’ve put specific terms such as ashlar to describe the construction of the pyramids in order to enhance the readers

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    CulturalArtifactSpeech 1

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages

    2. The pyramids are a monumental part of Egyptian culture. It’s a huge symbol of pride thing for them.…

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hooker, R. (1996). The Old Kingdom 2650-2134 BC. Retrieved September 18, 2010, from World Civilizations: http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/EGYPT/OLD.HTM…

    • 1637 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    First, we must examine where the stones came from since there’s evidence that some of the stones were brought from hundreds of miles away. In order to move stones hundreds of miles, they used their greatest resource: the very large and powerful Nile River. In a book titled The Pyramids by Miroslav Verner, there’s a chapter titled The Construction of the Pyramids where the author discusses methods that were used to build the Great Pyramids of Giza. According to Verner, the Nile was the quickest and least difficult way to transport stones of these sizes down the river for hundreds of miles (Verner 65). He states that there is written and pictorial evidence that supports the idea that the Nile was used quite often to transport these massive stones (Verner 65). However, the Nile wasn’t the only way stones were brought to the site of Giza. There is evidence that most of the stones used to build the Great Pyramids came from nearby quarries, which is why limestone was chosen as the primary medium for the pyramids (Verner 67). Since limestone was the closest and most abundant medium, it seems plausible why it was primarily used. In order to get the stones up the sides of the pyramids to heights around 400 or more feet, a lot of manpower needed to be used. One of the greatest mysteries behind the construction of the pyramids is how many people worked on the pyramids. We know that in order to…

    • 1346 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Just to pound out the stone 60 to 70 men were needed. To get the stones to the pyramid, the men had to cut slot in the stone then ram pegs in the holes and put water in them. That was the only way they could split the stones with the limited tools they had. They had to lubricate an area to slide the stones to the pyramid by either the men or oxen pulling dragging them. When the stones got to the pyramid site, then the men had to build ramps to be able to get all the stones to the top. The ramps were "wrap-around" style. They couldn’t be straight because you needed wrap around for the upper layers of the great pyramid. They were made of mud brick and had pieces of plaster mixed in to make them harder.…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Many people agree that the Egyptians were the ones who formed innumerable piles of bricks into the Great Pyramids. But, before building such a complex structure the Egyptians were quite intellectual and focussed on organization. The Egyptians were originally inspired to build the pyramids by religious conviction and were fully committed to take on the critical task. The Egyptians were able to determine the site of pyramids by religious beliefs. They decided to place the Pyramids on the west bank of the Nile because they asserted that the west was the dwelling place of the dead. This is where all the majestic and honourable people would be kept mainly pharaohs that accomplished major achievements. But, the most essential factor for building a marvellous structure was the authoritarian god-king. The article " Who built the Great Pyramids" elucidates that during the influential pharaoh, Khufu's reign Egypt was rich, united and at peace which allowed the authoritarian god-king to focus all attention on the salient task. Which moves onto how the Egyptians were able to transport the heavy loads of material…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The huge stones used in the construction of the Egyptian pyramids were transported by being pulled over wet sand on wooden sledges. Each Egyptian pyramid consists of millions of 2.5 to 15 ton blocks. The most common theory for how these blocks were moved is that they were placed on wooden sledges and pulled up sand ramps for elevation. When scientists started to test this theory they realized it was unrealistic because the sand caused too much friction and clumped making it almost impossible for the sledge to be pulled. Although, when a team of Dutch engineers was testing out different methods the Egyptians could have used, they might have found an answer to the problem. They discovered that using water to make the sand wet stopped the sand…

    • 234 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Egyptian pyramids are funerary monuments of the kings of ancient Egypt, especially those of the Old…

    • 1889 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Early Pyramids Essay

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The building of pyramids first started around 2700 B.C. when the first step pyramid was built for King Zoser in Saqqara, Egypt. Ever since then, pyramids have been commonly associated with Egyptian society. There were various types of pyramids, including (but not limited to) Mastabas, step-pyramids, and the bent-pyramid. Mastabas were not the true pyramid shape, neither were step-pyramids or the bent-pyramid for that matter. Mastabas were shaped similarly to pyramids, but were flat-topped and had sloping sides. Step pyramids were essentially just Mastabas piled on top of one another because, like the name implies, they consisted of "steps" going all the way to the top of the structure. The bent-pyramid was Egypt's first attempt…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Pyramids of Giza are located in Giza, Egypt. Three of the largest pyramids located there are Menkaura, Khafra, and Khufu. “The three pyramids at Giza are visible from space (“Great Pyramid” Data 44)” “These pyramids of Giza, Egypt, famous not only for their stupendous size and dramatic shape, but also for the astonishing skill with which they were built thousands of years ago (“Pyramids of Giza”42)”. The purpose of these pyramids was to function as monument tombs for pharaohs. The construction of the pyramids was elaborate. Stones weighing an average of two-and-a-half tons were pulled to their place on sleds with the help of at least thirty men. No powered equipment was available to them. Not to mention, the pyramid was hard to get around.…

    • 673 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Built during a time when Egypt was one of the richest and most powerful civilizations in the world, the pyramids, especially the Great Pyramids of Giza, are some of the most magnificent man-made structures in history. The reason that the Egyptians started building these very large structures was because when a pharaoh died, they believed that he became Osiris, the king of the dead. They thought that in order for a king to fulfill his duty, he needed a righteous resting place. This goes to show just how important the pharaoh or kind was in the lives of the ancient Egyptians. After the pharaoh underwent the seventy-day mummification process, they were sent to these places to begin the afterlife.…

    • 1026 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Sears and Wilson theory discusses and acknowledges that the construction of the Great Pyramid took an immense amount of dedication. It states that the Egyptians were extremely committed to constructing the pyramid because they were inspired by religious conviction. One example of religious effect on the construction of the pyramid is the placement of the pyramid. The placement was determinded by the religious belief that the setting sun in the west was the dwelling place of the dead. Futhermore the Egyptians were under authoritation of a god-like king Khufu, therefore the Egyptians would be forced to partake in religion, allowing it to be an inspiration for all to aid in the construction of the pyramid. (Sears&Wilson)…

    • 898 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The granite slabs the Egyptians used to build the pyramids weighed forty tons apiece. They were able to move these blocks without the invention of the wheel or cart. It is amazing how the Egyptians built such big structures with such little technology because they were perfect in almost every dimension, it was all done by the physical strength of men, and many of the pyramids still stand today.…

    • 1225 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ancient Egyptian Pyramids

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages

    There are many predicted meanings about architecture of the pyramids, some more far-fetched than others. One hypothesized reason for the shape of the pyramids evolves from the story of creation. According to an article by the Canadian Museum of History, “Perhaps the shape originated from the creation story, in which the world is conceived as a flat plane with four corners representing the north, east, south and west.” They article continued, “When the sky rose up, forming an invisible central axis like a pole or tree in the centre, the world took on the shape of a pyramid.” Another idea relates to the slopes of the pyramids. The slanted sides of a pyramid were believed to be designed to lead the pharaoh’s soul to heaven, representative of the rays of the sun (Parker). Also, the very top of the pyramid, known as the peak, is speculated to symbolize the entrance of the gods’ energy into the human world (“First”). For these designs to be interpreted, hard labor had to be done to create the…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Ancient Egypt Research Paper

    • 3135 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Egyptian civilization reached its zenith during the brief reign of Akhenaton and began a slow but inexorable decline thereafter. While the wisdom of so designating the reign of a pharaoh considered eccentric at best by his successors might be questioned, the fact remains that from the Third Intermediate period onward, the extent of Egyptian political hegemony in the Nile valley and beyond was severely constricted (McNeill et al.…

    • 3135 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ancient Egypt was an enthralling and complex place. Fortunately for archeologist, anthropologist and historians, Egyptians had made enormous strides in preserving many its artifacts, which have made studying their culture and society easier/possible. What naturally comes to one’s mind when the subject, Egypt, comes up is to imagine elaborate pharaohs, pyramids, gold, straight black hair with bangs and cat-eye liner make up,…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays