Pyramid Mummification

Have you ever wondered how the Great Pyramids of Giza were built? Or how the Egyptians mummified the dead? Or, even simpler, how they lived their daily lives? Well, according to David Macaulay in the book Pyramid, life was fairly simple. Most Egyptians were farmers. Since the Nile flooded for a time from July to November, farmers were drafted for pyramid building since farming was impossible. Pyramids were constructed for a pharaoh so that when he dies, he is mummified and put into a sarcophagus inside the pyramid along with everything else that belonged to him including is pets, servants, and possibly even his wife. But in order for a pharaoh to get his desired afterlife, he has to go through a series of mummification steps. Most

Most of the stone used for the pyramid was limestone. The better quality stone (compared with the limestone that was around the site) came from the quarry across the river Tura. They used mallets, chisels, dolerite balls, hammers, etc., to cut and shape the stone block. After each block was cut down to size, a gang that was assigned to the block, used ropes and heavy timber levers to first roll the block onto a wooden sled and then tie it down. The first step in the completion of a pyramid for the pharaoh, was to choose a site on the west bank of the Nile. Within two months a complex similar to Giza was completed and was shown to the pharaoh. The structure consisted of three parts. The innermost section was the step-like central core. Second, were the packing blocks, which rested on the steps around the core. Third, were the outer casing blocks laid against the packing stones. All three layers were constructed

Soon, they began placing the stone blocks. By the end of the summer the first course was completed and all the stones for the second course had arrived. Unlike the first course, the second was not as easy to get the blocks on because of the height. This problem was easily solved by making ramps that started at each of the corners of the pyramid. As the pyramid grew, the tunnel leading to the tomb was extended. They made other rooms and they moved the sarcophagus into the chamber. After ten years, the base of the pyramid could be seen from miles away. Twenty six years after Mahnud Hotep presented his plan, 124 courses had been completed. The flat area on top now measured only 10 feet square. Later on they removed the