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| The size of the pyramids at Giza is startling when
you first see them. They seem much smaller in photos. The size and
its effect was part of the plan. They were meant to stand on the
Western Horizon as a symbol of the Egyptian Pharaoh's purpose to
travel the underworld and help restore the sun and Ma'at (order)
each day. And they were meant to be seen from miles away. There
are many theories of how they were built.
Daniel Gerardo has a theory that proposes that the uniques shape
of the Grand Gallery within the Pyramids of Cheops was used in lifting
the stone blocks. Lifting the Stone Blocks
in the Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) in Egypt. |
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But we do know who the the Pyramids of Giza were built for.
The pyramids were the burial tombs
for a father, son and grandson in the Fourth Dynasty, Old
Kingdom. The pyramids are shown below with the names of
their occupants. This view is from the side and therefore
the largest pyramid (Cheops) appears to be the smallest
because it is the most distant in the photo. You will
also see them called Khufu (Cheops), Khafre (Chephren),
and Menkaure

Each Pyramid had a complex of accompanying buildings and enclosure walls.
As many of these were built of mud brick, they have since disappeared.
The complex included smaller pyramids for burial of the queens, burial
pits for the boats of the Pharaoh, and mastaba tombs for the nobles and
administrators of his reign.
Below are pictures of statues of the Kings from the Egyptian Museum.
The term Pharaoh means the same as King and comes from Biblical references
to the Egyptian Kings.
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