About 4700 years ago. Egypt entered a period of great technological progress. Until about 2700 BC, the main material had been adobe, however, in less than 200 years later, the Pyramids of Giza appear, being built with stone blocks that weighed up to 15 tons and that fit each other with great precision. In Sakara, using small blocks of stone instead of the traditional adobe bricks, Imhoptep, vizier of the mighty King Zoser, built a stepped pyramid and a rectangular funerary temple. Until then, no similar architectural structure had been seen, but they soon lost importance, being overshadowed by more grandiose works. For the Pharaohs, eternal life was the fundamental principle of Egyptian civilization. In an ancient religious text, a deceased king asks the Creator God, "What is my life span?" , and the God answers:"You are destined for millions of years, a life of millions." So to meet the necessities of their lives of millions, kings had tombs and mortuary temples built that would last forever. The people voluntarily worked for the construction of these tombs because they believed that their kings were the incarnate Gods, so they should be properly treated and appeased.
As soon as he rose to power, an Old Kingdom pharaoh began planning the pyramid that would be his tomb. Each village sent its share of workers to the quarries or to the construction site. The Great Pyramid erected for Cheops at Giza was built from around 2,300,000 stone blocks, most weighing an average of 2.5 tons. The task was completed within 23 years of the pharaoh's reign, around 2600 BC, by men who worked with the simplest tools, without draft animals and without wheels. The blocks were painted with various marks. Some indicated the destination of the block, others warned:"This side up.". Others gave the name of the group that worked there, such as "Turma Vigorosa", and some workers even wrote cheeky messages like "The King is Drunk!" Despite the intense work, some groups had the pleasure of working for the king. As one foreman said:"They worked without a single man being exhausted, without a single man feeling thirsty", and then "they went home in a good mood, and filled themselves with bread and beer as if it were the wonderful festival of a God". - Do you believe that?
Egyptian civilization was already ancient when the Greeks arrived in Egypt and discovered, near the modern village of Giza, a strange animal that they named Sphinx. Ever since this hybrid creature was named the Sphinx, it has represented to outsiders all that is strange and unfathomable about Egyptian civilization. The Egyptians considered the Great Sphinx of Giza an incarnation of Harmaquis, a manifestation of their Sun God. His face is believed to be a portrait of Khafre, who was the king of Egypt when the great statue was carved, but this data is not considered much as the true age of the monument is not known for sure.
Egyptian Civilization
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