Preview

The Pyramids of Giza and the Mayan Pyramids

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
673 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Pyramids of Giza and the Mayan Pyramids
Historic Past of the Egyptian and Mayan Pyramids
Can you imagine building something almost as big as eight football fields? Skilled laborers who built the Pyramids of Giza and the Mayan pyramids built them almost or that big! The Pyramids of Giza and the Mayan pyramids are fascinating insights upon history. These pyramids are attached to great tradition as well as an historic past. They had similar and different features. This is what made them so unique and special. As you will see, these breathe taking pyramids shine on their many differences and similarities.
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.
The Pyramids of Giza had a few chambers with few passageways throughout the entire pyramid. These types of pyramids were primarily solid rock. They were designed like this because they “sealed” or “protected” the pharaoh’s body for the afterlife. There was also no public function for these pyramids other than being a monument. The Pyramids of Giza have astonished others for more than 4,500 years. On the other hand, the Mayan Pyramids had different interesting characteristics.
The Mayan Pyramids were created all over Central America by the Mesoamerican civilization. “They built most of their pyramids between 3rd and 9th century AD, all across eastern Mexico, Belize,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Hammurabi's Code

    • 215 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Egyptian pyramids are landmarks because they exhibit the astounding architectural feats and showcase the culture of the time. Built with primitive tools by today's standards, they used no pulleys or mortar, just large blocks of rock that perfectly fit. They were built to to guide pharoahs to the afterlife and contained everything that would make the journey more comfortable for them, from simple objects such as jewelry and dishware to people and animals the pharoah loved. They weren't just massive tombs, they were time capsules chock full of information. Within the chambers, there were frescos of everyday life and with the objects housed there we learned how they preserved their pharoah and how they lived.…

    • 215 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The construction of the Great Pyramids of Giza is one of the greatest mysteries in history. They are the largest and most elaborate structures built in the ancient world, which is what considers them to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Great Pyramids of Giza are made up of three separate pyramids for three different pharaohs: Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure who were all pharaohs during the Fourth Dynasty (2,575-2,450 BCE), also known as the Old Kingdom. Khufu’s pyramid was built first and is known as the Great Pyramid. It took over 20 years to build his pyramid with the help of hundreds of thousands of peasants. Khafre, Khufu’s son, built his own pyramid a few years later and this pyramid appears to be larger than Khufu’s, however,…

    • 1346 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mesopotamian and Egyptian architectural monumental structures were different. Mesopotamia had monumental structures called Ziggurats. These ziggurats were used to worship their gods. Ziggurats were shaped like squares. The height of the structure meant that you were closer to god. These structures were in every city state. The ziggurats were open to all of the different social classes. The Egyptians had Pyramids. Pyramids were used as tombs for their pharaohs. These were shaped like…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Researchers believe that today there are only about 80 pyramids left from ancient Egypt. The pyramids were built as tombs for the Pharaohs and their queens. During their time on earth, it was believed that the Pharaohs were the link between the people and gods and when the Pharaohs died, they became gods. Since they expected to become gods in the afterlife, the Pharaohs had massive pyramid tombs built for them and filled them with all the things they would need in the afterlife.…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Both the Maya and the Egyptians constructed these enormous pyramids that in a way stand as memorials to their ancient civilizations. The Mayan built shrines, temples, and pyramids in honor of their gods, and their kings. Most of the Mayan pyramids were temples to the gods, the Maya did sometimes bury their rulers, but the temple always remained on the top of the pyramid no matter what. Mayan pyramids were not only burial tombs like Egyptian pyramids, whose primary purpose was funerary, containing mortuary chambers. Egyptians had temples also, but theirs would be somewhere near the pyramid or right next to it, for the ceremonial services, but it was never placed on top of the structure because Egypt's pyramids come to a point at the top (The…

    • 173 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Early Pyramids Essay

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Within the pyramids there were two separate chambers, one for the pharaoh and one for the queen. Leading up to the pharaoh's chamber was the grand gallery. In the sides of the pyramids were air shafts which were a functional purpose for workers, but it has been theorized that the directions in which the shafts point could possibly be religious. Finally, there was often an underground chamber found in the Pyramids of Giza, for a purpose which is unknown. It is thought that it might be a diversion for grave robbers to lead them away from the real chambers of the pharaoh and…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Pyramids are a good monument for a pharaohs grave but the pyramids also held their gold and thousand year old wine. King Djoser built the Step pyramid. The Great pyramid was built out of 2.3 million blocks of stone. There are more than one type of pyramid in Egypt, there is the Great pyramid and the step pyramid.…

    • 166 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    All the hard work that went into the pyramids was all done for the Pharaoh. Many people spent lots of time working on the art that was carved and painted in the pyramids. They built the pyramids so the pharaoh could live forever and believed in the afterlife. The people who worked on the pyramids had to live in separate towns than everyone else. 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…

    • 1225 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pyramids are one of the most magnificent man-made structures of all time. They were used as tombs for the pharaohs and their queens. Pharaohs were buried in pyramids of different shapes and sizes. All Egyptian pyramids were made out of limestone. There are about 80 pyramids known today that is from ancient Egypt. The three biggest and best preserved are the Giza Pyramids. The most famous pyramid was made for pharaoh Khufu which is known as ‘The Great Pyramid’.…

    • 1725 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Legacies that ancient egyptians have carried on throughout the ages are the pyramids. The pyramids are one of the largest monuments known to mankind. The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Giza play a significant role due to modern historians having difficulty knowing how they were constructed. Back then there was no such thing as mathematical systems nor custom made tools. It is difficult to refer how in the world egyptians knew such correct angles and such equations that are to complicated to understand in this day and age due to every pyramid being the exact same size. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the biggest monument in the world and is able to be seen from Space. The pyramids were usually just for pharaohs but tourist attraction started…

    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ancient Egyptian Pyramids

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The ancient pyramids had very prominent roles in preserving the Egyptian culture. They were especially important in both the death and afterlife of the ruling pharaoh. The construction of the pyramids began around 4,000 years ago during a time period when the Egyptian civilization was at its peak (“Egyptian”). Their main purpose was to protect the spirit of the pharaoh once he passed away and lead him to…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Pyramids: served as tomb for pharaohs, they were triangular shape so they could speak to gods (due to height) “The pyramids are the most enduring symbols of the pharaoh’s authority and dynasty.”…

    • 3286 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Mayan Empire

    • 606 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Mayan empire was a pre-Columbian civilization located in Central America near the Mexico - Guatemala border. These geniuses lived about 500 -600 years B.Sc. They developed technology that rivaled the masterminds of that era in the Eurasian continent. There is evidence that leads to running water, sewer systems and the concept of 0 which did not come to existence in the old world hundreds of years later.…

    • 606 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The pyramids were built using modern day trial and error. They built the pyramids because they believed that the ka or spirit needed a place to live after death. Also before the pyramids were built quicker by moving the blocks used to build the pyramids on a sled and poured water on the sand in front of the sled (LiveScience). The pyramids were built quicker by using this method of moving blocks from the quarry to the pyramids. Also the pyramids were built because the egyptians believed that death was another life and needed food (KingTutOne.com). This is why they built the pyramids and why they put…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and the only one to remain intact. Egyptologists believe that the pyramid was built over a 10-20 year time span. It was built around 2560 BC.…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays