Pyramids and the Ancient Egypt history for kids

The discussion about ancient Egypt for kids would be incomplete without mentioning the pyramids. The pyramid is generally what Egypt is known for. These are structures predating Christ and are a symbol of Egyptian reign. The Pharaohs that ruled Egypt wanted to be buried with honor so that people would remember them forever. They ordered huge stone tombs to be built for them and their belongings. Over the time as historians and travelers have visited and explored Egypt they have discovered around 138 pyramids. Many of them are still under the deserts of Egypt.

The pyramid structure has its historical importance as well. The tombs were not built in a pyramid shape from the start. Rather the bodies of the kings were buried with walls built around them called the Mastabas. The successive rulers had their own style of getting buried. It was started in the time of Middle Kingdom when the Pharaoh Djoser chose a pyramid structure for his tomb. Thousands of workers were used in the construction of the first pyramid for a Pharaoh and it also took about 20 to 23 years for it to complete.

The ancient Egypt for kids also lays importance on the design structure of the pyramids. Everything the Egyptians did had some religious association to it. The Egyptians were worshippers of the Sun and various other Gods. The shape of the pyramid was chosen because it represented sun rays descending from the sky. The Egyptians believed that the shape will help in taking them to the next world.

The Pharaohs of Egypt wanted a grand pyramid constructed for themselves during their lifetime so as they took over the throne the construction of a pyramid started. The importance of pyramids in the ancient Egypt for kids also lies in the fact that with the discovery of these pyramids the rule of a place by a certain Pharaoh and his life has been known. Every Pharaoh had his pyramid constructed near his acquired land.

Some of the Pharaohs died before their pyramid was built so they had to be transferred to some other pyramid in order to preserve the bodies quickly. The pyramids were mostly made of limestone from outside and granite and basalt flooring was placed inside. The pyramids are quite enclosed from inside the basis of which is not understood by many archeologists.

The ancient Egypt history for kids with respect to pyramids can be found in the Great Pyramids of Giza. These are the most popular and one of the largest manmade structures in the world. They are also amongst the Seven Wonders of the World. The Pyramids of Giza include the Great Pyramid of Khufu, Pyramid of Khafra and Pyramid of Menkaure who were of the same generation. The built of these pyramids is so huge that many researchers and archeologists have different theories based on its construction. It is hard to understand how such huge structures can be built without modern day tools by the ancient Egyptians who used basic tools to work with. There are a lot of undiscovered mysteries of the pyramid which might stay mystery forever in order to hold the significance of these brilliant structures.