TEXT: Eye Wonder
  
  First published in Great Britain in 2004 by
  Dorling Kindersley Limited
  80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL
  2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
  A Penguin Company
  Copyright © 2004 
  Dorling Kindersley Limited, London
  A CIP catalogue record for this book 
  is available from the British Library.
  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
  reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
  any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
  photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
  written permission of the copyright owner.
  ISBN 1-4053-0376-X
  Colour reproduction by Colourscan, Singapore
  Printed and bound in Italy by L.E.G.O.
  see our complete
  catalogue at
  www.dk.com
  Written and edited by Caroline Bingham
  Designed by Janet Allis
  Publishing manager Susan Leonard
  Managing art editor Clare Shedden
  Jacket design Chris Drew
  Picture researchers Sarah Pownall, Jo de Gray
  Production Shivani Pandey
  DTP Designer Almudena Díaz
  Consultant John Malam
  4-5 
  What is a pyramid?
  6-7 
  The first pyramid
  8-9 
  True pyramids
  10-11 
  Big and bold
  12-13 
  The Great Pyramid
  14-15 
  A look inside
  16-17 
  How was it built?
  18-19 
  Who built the pyramids?
  20-21 
  Untold treasures
  22-23 
  Mummy mysteries
  24-25 
  Mummy revealed
  26-27 
  Lion or man?
  LONDON, NEW YORK,  MUNICH, 
  MELBOURNE, and DELHI
  Contents
  
  28-29 
  A watery highway
  30-31 
  A trip to the Sudan
  32-33 
  A trip to Java
  34-35 
  A trip to India
  36-37 
  Built for sacrifice
  38-39 
  Jungle ruins
  40-41 
  The Aztecs
  42-43 
  Weird and wonderful
  44-45 
  Modern pyramids
  46 
  Glossary
  48 
  Index and 
  acknowledgements
  
  4
  Pyramids are mysterious buildings and many are
  incredibly old. We know that the world’s oldest
  pyramids, in Egypt, were used as tombs for
  Egyptian pharaohs, or kings. In other countries,
  pyramids have been used for religious worship.
  However, pyramids still hide many secrets. 
  Where are they?
  Some countries have
  hundreds of pyramids,
  others have none. This map
  shows the location of some
  of the major pyramids
  mentioned in this book.
  Mexico
  Chichen Itza
  Mexico
  Aztec Temple
  of Tenochtitlan  
  Nevada, USA
  Pyramid Rock
  India
  Brihadisvara Temple
  Java
  Borobodur Temple
  Sudan
  Pyramids at Meroe
  Egypt 
  Giza pyramids
  France
  Louvre Pyramid
  Find a pyramid
  A pyramid has four triangular
  sides that meet at a point.
  It has a square base. The
  shape appears in buildings
  in many parts of the world.
  Perhaps there is a pyramid
  near where you live.
  Many Hindu temples
  have a pyramid shape.
  What is a pyramid?
  This sculpture shows the ancient Egyptian
  pharaoh Menkaure. It gives us a sense of
  his power and authority.
  
  5
  Why a pyramid?
  Nobody really knows why the
  pyramid shape was used by 
  the ancient Egyptians. Some
  believe it is based on the shape
  of the Sun’s rays as they come
  down to Earth. Others say it
  was a stairway to heaven. The
  mystery may never be solved.
  Still in use!
  The pyramid shape is still used
  today by architects. This modern
  12-storey pyramid in Texas, USA,
  houses an aquarium. It is built of
  glass, steel, and concrete: very
  different materials to the hefty
  blocks of stone used for the ancient
  Egyptian pyramids shown below. 
  
  6
  The Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Egypt, is believed to
  be the world’s first pyramid. It was built from small
  blocks of stone some 4,700 years ago (2,650 BC)
  and takes its name from its step-like appearance.
  The first pyramid
  Who was it for?
  The Step Pyramid was built
  for a pharaoh called Djoser.
  It was built over his
  burial chamber, 
  which was at the
  bottom of a 28 m
  (92 ft) shaft.
  Step by step
  The Step Pyramid has six
  levels, or steps, and is a solid
  structure. It took about
  18 years to build. 
  T
  he
  p
  yr
  a
  m
  i
  d
  r
  e
  ac
  hes a
  h
  e
  i
  g
  ht
  of 60
  m
  (
  1
  9
  8
  ft).
  Djoser’s statue was
  once painted in bright,
  life-like colours.
  A taste for colour
  Is your room a bright colour? Even 4,700 years
  ago, people liked colour. Just look at these
  blue tiles, found in the Step Pyramid complex.
  
  7
  Walled in
  An Egyptian pyramid was often built inside 
  a walled enclosure, and accompanied by other
  buildings. The site is called a 
  pyramid complex.
  Rock of ages
  Djoser’s burial chamber, cut into the solid
  rock underneath the Step Pyramid, was
  lined with red-and-black granite. This
  building material is still used today. 
  Imhotep was
  Djoser’s chief
  minister, or
  vizier.
  Who built it?
  The architect who built the Step
  Pyramid, Imhotep, was to become
  more famous than Djoser. The
  ancient Egyptians
  worshipped him
  more than 2,000
  years after his
  death as a god
  of wisdom. 
  Beneath the complex, Djoser’s workers
  dug out around 5.7 km (2 1⁄2 miles) of
  tunnels, shafts, and chambers.
  The Step Pyramid’s
  enclosure wall was
  10.5 m (34 ft) high.
  This model shows what the
  Step Pyramid complex
  once looked like.
  
  8
  One hundred years after the construction of
  the Step Pyramid, Egyptian building methods
  improved dramatically. The pyramids of this
  period were made up of huge slabs of stone
  and had straight sides, not steps: the age 
  of the true pyramid had arrived.
  True pyramids
  Scary surprise
  These amazingly
  lifelike statues of
  Sneferu’s son, Prince
  Rahotep, and his wife
  Nofret, were found in
  a tomb close to the
  Meidum Pyramid. 
  The statues scared the workmen
  who found them because they
  looked so real.
  Who built them?
  The pharaoh Sneferu built the first
  straight-sided pyramids. He built 
  three of them. His first was at Meidum. 
  His second is called the Bent Pyramid. 
  His third is the North, or Red, Pyramid.
  The Meidum Pyramid was originally
  a step pyramid. It was later given
  straight sides. The outer casing has
  since fallen away to reveal the inner,
  stepped structure. 
  Remains of outer casing.
  
  9
  This ancient wooden chair
  was found in the tomb of
  Queen Hetepheres, 
  Sneferu’s wife.
  Bent beginnings
  Sneferu’s Bent Pyramid started
  life as a very steep-sided
  pyramid, but halfway up the
  builders changed the slope of
  the sides. This was because
  the original angle was too
  steep, and the insides were
  starting to collapse.
  Third time lucky
  Sneferu’s builders got it right with their
  third attempt, the North Pyramid. This is
  also known as the “Red” Pyramid because
  of its colour in the sun.
  The Bent Pyramid has
  a large amount of its
  original outer casing.
  
  10
  The most famous pyramids of all
  are those at Giza in Egypt. These
  three massive tombs were built
  more than 4,500 years ago and
  dominate the landscape 
  around them. 
  Big and bold
  Who’s who?
  The Giza pyramids were built for
  the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre,
  and Menkaure. We know
  what each pharaoh
  looked liked because
  archaeologists have
  found statues 
  of them. 
  Menkaure’s pyramid
  was the last of the
  three to be built.
  The Egyptians believed the
  dead pharaoh travelled
  through the sky in a boat,
  which also carried the Sun.
  These small pyramids
  are known as the
  Queen’s Pyramids.
  Sun disc
  The afterlife
  The Egyptians believed life continued 
  after death. Pyramids were built to contain
  the mummified bodies of their kings, the
  pharaohs. Their mummies were meant to
  stay in the pyramids for ever, while the
  pharaohs’ spirits travelled to the afterlife.
  AN AWFUL LOT OF STONE
  The French military commander Napoleon
  Bonaparte estimated that there was 
  enough stone in the three
  Giza pyramids to build 
  a 3 m (10 ft) high 
  and 0.3 m (1 ft) thick 
  wall around France.
  
  Take a ride
  If you visit the Giza pyramids, you may have
  the chance to ride a camel. You’ll certainly
  see one. Camels have been used in Egypt for
  well over 2,000 years. They are incredibly
  well-adapted to the intense and dry heat.
  A bird’s eye view
  This picture shows how the Giza
  pyramids may have appeared 
  when first built, with their 
  white limestone outer casings. 
  They would have been enclosed
  by walls, with flat-topped tombs 
  inside each enclosure.
  Each pyramid had a
  causeway, which was a
  raised path that connected
  two small temples together.
  The Sphinx 
  sits in front of 
  Khafre’s pyramid.
  Temple
  Tombs
  Khafre’s pyramid
  still has some of
  its original outer
  limestone casing.
  Khufu’s pyramid,
  known as the Great
  Pyramid, is the largest,
  but appears smaller as
  it sits on lower ground.
  
  The Great Pyramid
  Visitors to the Great Pyramid are always
  amazed at its size. At 138 m (450 ft) it is
  taller than America’s Statue of Liberty and
  covers an area the size of 200 tennis courts.
  As tall as a 50-storey skyscraper, this is 
  an incredible structure.
  12
  Which way in?
  Hidden under its limestone casing, 
  the pyramid’s original entrance was
  invisible to would-be tomb robbers for
  thousands of years. Today’s visitors
  use a lower entrance that was created
  in AD 820 by an Arab leader.
  All-powerful
  The Great Pyramid 
  was built for Khufu. 
  A pharaoh was seen as 
  a living god and people
  obeyed his commands.
  Khufu was a powerful
  pharaoh, but the only
  statue that remains 
  of him is tiny, and his
  mummy has been lost.
  Built for a giant
  If you were allowed to
  climb the Great Pyramid
  today (it’s against the 
  law), you would find it a
  struggle. Each block is half
  as tall as an adult – it’s a
  bit like a giant’s staircase.
  The blocks fit
  together very
  tightly.
  The only known
  statue of Khufu is just
  7.6 cm (3 in) tall.
  
  A smooth looker
  The Great Pyramid was
  originally covered in smooth
  white limestone, which would
  have shimmered in the sun.
  More than a tomb, it was a
  symbol of all the ancient
  Egyptians believed in. 
  Its creation alone involved
  thousands of people.
  A passing lorry
  shows the size
  of the pyramid.
  •All the pyramids had been
  broken into by 1000 BC.
  •The Great Pyramid was the
  tallest building in the world for
  4,300 years, until the Eiffel
  Tower in Paris, France, was
  finished in 1889.
  •The word pharaoh means
  “great house”.
  Ancient facts
  Up at the top
  Today, a wooden tripod on top of
  the pyramid shows its original
  height. The Great Pyramid
  was originally 146 m 
  (479 ft) high, but
  the peak has
  worn away
  over time.
  Archaeologists
  believe that the
  Great Pyramid
  originally had 
  a golden cap.
  
  14
  Enter the Great Pyramid today and you will follow 
  a dimly-lit corridor down until it meets another 
  that rises quite steeply and opens into the huge 
  Grand Gallery. Pass on through this and 
  you will come to the King’s Chamber.
  A look inside
  Follow that corridor
  Inside the Great Pyramid is a network 
  of shafts and corridors, chambers and
  galleries, more complicated than
  those of any other pyramid.
  Nobody knows for certain just
  how they were all used.
  Airshafts leading from the
  King’s Chamber line up with
  certain stars, perhaps to let
  the king’s soul travel to them.
  Grand
  Gallery
  A robot has been used
  to explore narrow
  shafts leading from the
  Queen’s Chamber.
  One of five
  relieving chambers.
  Fit for a king
  The king’s burial chamber lies at the
  heart of the pyramid, the weight it
  carries supported by five relieving
  chambers. The chamber was built
  around the king’s stone sarcophagus.
  Khufu’s burial 
  chamber contains a 
  damaged stone sarcophagus.
  King’s
  Chamber
  
  15
  The Grand Gallery
  After the cramped corridor
  leading into the pyramid, the
  fabulously high ceiling of the
  Grand Gallery comes as 
  a surprise. At 8.5 m 
  (28 ft) tall, a
  streetlight would
  fit in here. 
  How did they see?
  The ancient Egyptians
  worked on the dark corridors
  by the flickering light of oil
  lamps with twisted linen
  wicks. Over the centuries,
  the lamps and burning
  torches of visitors have
  blackened the polished 
  stone in many areas.
  The robot towed a
  computer “brain”.
  Mystery of the shafts
  A robot was recently sent along two of the Great
  Pyramid’s shafts. Pyramid Rover managed to crawl 65 m
  (208 ft) up a shaft just 20 cm (8 in) across, drill through
  a tiny door and send back images of a second door. 
  The pyramid’s original
  entrance is on its north
  side, 15 m (49 ft) above
  ground level.
  
  The Great Pyramid is believed to contain
  more than two million limestone blocks,
  each weighing as much as a family-sized
  car with its passengers. There are 
  200 layers! All this was built by hand!
  16
  How was it built?
  Fine white limestone
  was used to coat the
  Great Pyramid.
  One mighty ramp?
  No records exist to tell us
  exactly how the pyramid was
  built. One theory is that a ramp
  was used, increasing in size as
  each layer was added. Workers
  dragged the stones up it.
  Floating stones
  The Great Pyramid was 
  built on the west bank of
  the River Nile, close to
  the river, because some
  stones were taken to
  the site by boat.
  How to cut stone
  Archaeologists think the blocks were
  cut by hammering wooden wedges into
  the rock. The wedges were soaked with
  water until they expanded and split the
  rock. The blocks were levered away.
  Archaeologists believe 
  it took around 5,000
  workers 23 years to
  build the Great Pyramid.
  It would have been
  difficult to move stones
  around the corners.
  Winding around?
  An alternative theory
  suggests that the
  pyramid builders
  constructed a ramp
  that spiralled around
  the pyramid and was
  later removed.
  
  17
  A hard pull
  The pyramid builders dragged huge
  loads by hand on wooden sleds. Just
  look at this picture, taken from a
  tomb carving made almost 4,000
  years ago. It shows 172 men pulling
  a massive stone statue.
  Building bricks
  Later pyramids were built from bricks. Mud
  from the River Nile was mixed with sand
  and straw and shaped in wooden moulds.
  The bricks were then left to dry in the sun.
  The Great Pyramid
  sits on a solid rock
  foundation.
  This man is
  clapping to help
  the workers pull
  together.
  Tools of the trade
  Archaeologists have found many tools around the
  pyramid sites, and some of these are very similar to
  those used today. But the Egyptians only had soft
  metals to work with.
  Wooden
  hammers are
  still used today.
  This carpenter is
  using an adze.
  An adze 
  was used for 
  cutting wood.
  Liquid is poured beneath the sled to help it move.
  
  The pyramids were built by teams of
  workers who came to Giza from all
  over Egypt. They were ordered to do
  the work for the pharaoh, but they
  were not slaves. Workers were well-
  treated. They were given somewhere
  to live, food and drink, and they 
  had time off to rest.
  Who built the pyramids?
  Fresh from the farm
  Many pyramid workers were farmers,
  who came to help build each year when
  the Nile flooded their farms and they
  were unable to work on the land.
  Grain store
  Farmland was always on
  the banks of the Nile.
  How did they live?
  A village used by the pyramid
  workers has been found just 
  1.6 km (1 mile) from the 
  Great Pyramid. It had shops
  for bakers, brewers, and
  butchers, and it had doctors.
  Thousands of pots
  for baking bread
  have been found
  near the pyramids.
  The Egyptians produced
  some 40 varieties of bread.
  
  19
  Huge numbers of cattle, sheep,
  and goats were cut up and
  cooked in the workers’ village.
  And so to bed
  In the workers’ village,
  archaeologists have found
  the remains of what they
  believe are dormitories, with
  sleeping space for up to 2,000
  people. Some workers had
  their own small houses.
  A meaty diet
  Archaeologists have found enough
  animal bones in the workers’ village
  to feed several thousand people
  meat every day. Meat was usually
  reserved for the rich: the pyramid
  builders were exceptionally well fed.
  This worker 
  is preparing
  casks of beer.
  The dormitories would have
  housed the temporary, or
  seasonal, workers: the farmers.
  Bring on the beer
  The workers drank plenty of
  beer, made from barley. It was
  much thicker than the beer
  drunk today, like a
  porridge or gruel.
  Barley
  Holes once held posts that
  supported a canopy.
  
  20
  Untold treasures
  Talking pictures
  We know who was buried in some of the
  pyramids because of hieroglyphics, a
  form of writing with pictures. Tombs
  sometimes included the hieroglyphic
  name of the pharaoh buried there. 
  Every pyramid was looted long ago, so we 
  can only guess at what treasures might have 
  been buried with Egypt’s early pharaohs.
  Luckily, one pharaoh’s tomb was missed
  by the robbers. He was Tutankhamun
  and his tomb shows what might 
  have been inside the pyramids.
  Secret treasure
  In 1922 an English
  archaeologist called
  Howard Carter made
  an amazing discovery: 
  the tomb of a young
  Egyptian pharaoh called
  Tutankhamun. It was
  crammed with thousands
  of treasures.
  Tutankhamun’s
  golden throne shows
  the king with his wife,
  Ankhesenamun.
  
  21
  Burial mask
  Tutankhamun’s burial mask is more than
  3,000 years old. This incredible piece
  of work is made from beaten
  gold, precious glass and
  stones and weighs
  about 11 kg (24 lbs). 
  The boy king
  Not much is known
  about Tutankhamun.
  He became pharaoh
  at the age of eight or
  nine, and died less
  than ten years later.
  He may have been
  murdered by his
  successor.
  On guard
  Tutankhamun’s burial
  chamber was guarded by
  two life-size statues. The
  only reason the tomb had
  not been robbed long ago
  was because its entrance had
  been hidden by the building
  rubble of a tomb above it.
  Packing for the afterlife
  Everything Tutankhamun may
  have needed in the afterlife was
  buried with him, including food,
  jewellery, and furniture. There
  were even six chariots. 
  The scarab beetle
  was often used on
  Egyptian jewellery.
  It represented 
  new life.
  
  Poking around
  Soon after death the brain was
  drained out through the nose. 
  A knife was then used to make 
  an incision in the left side of the
  body, ready to remove the organs.
  A dead pharaoh was not buried straight away.
  His body was preserved, or mummified, so that
  his spirit would recognise it in the afterlife.
  The Egyptians were excellent mummy-makers.
  Jars at the ready
  After opening the body,
  the liver, intestines,
  lungs, and stomach
  were removed. They
  were dried, then placed
  in special jars. These
  were often topped with
  heads of different gods.
  22
  Get ready with the salt
  Next the body was packed with linen
  or sand, and left under a pile of
  natron for 40 days. This dried out 
  the body. Finally it was cleaned 
  and wrapped in linen strips.
  Mummy mysteries
  Natron is a
  natural salt.
  Linen strip
  Brain
  hook
  Jars for body organs.
  Ritual knife
  used for
  preparing 
  a body for
  mummification.
  
  23
  Following mummification,
  the wrapped body was placed
  in a decorated coffin.
  Lucky charms
  The cut in the body was covered with a plaque.
  On it was a sign for the Eye of Horus. It was an
  amulet, or charm, and was meant to stop evil
  from entering the body. Many other amulets
  were placed between the mummy wrappings. 
  Amulets, such as these, were
  lucky charms. They were
  believed to offer protection.
  Embalming
  The god of mummy-making,
  Anubis, had the head of a
  jackal. This picture shows 
  a priest wearing the mask 
  of Anubis making the final
  preparations over the body
  of a pharaoh. 
  The ankh, a
  symbol of life,
  was a powerful
  amulet.
  Eye of Horus.
  The preparation of a
  pharaoh’s body took at
  least 70 days. 
  
  In the past, mummies have
  had some rough treatment.
  Many were damaged by
  tomb robbers, while others
  were ground into powder 
  in the belief it made good
  medicine. Today, mummies
  are respected and studied
  for what they tell us about
  life in the past. 
  Nest of coffins
  A wealthy Egyptian might have his or
  her mummy encased in a “nest” of two
  or more coffins. A coffin was called a
  “chest of life”. It was another layer of
  protection for the person’s body.
  I know that face!
  The preservation of a person’s
  face was important to the
  Egyptians as they believed
  that a person’s spirit had to
  recognize its body before
  the mummy could
  enter the
  afterlife.
  Nos
  es
  we
  re
  st
  uff
  ed
  wi
  th
  pe
  ppe
  rcorns and c
  he
  ek
  s
  24
  Mummy cover
  Lid of inner coffin.
  Lid of outer coffin.
  Mummy cases were
  painted in bright
  colours and decorated
  with hieroglyphs.
  Mummy revealed
  
  wit
  h l
  in
  en
  wa
  ds
  to k
  eep their s
  ha
  pe
  .
  If it moved, mummify it!
  The ancient Egyptians also mummified
  animals – millions of them. Mummified
  pets were buried with their owners, as
  were joints of meat to feed the person.
  Some animal mummies were presents
  for the gods.
  The Egyptians kept
  cats as pets, and also
  mummified them.
  The inside story
  Mummies are rarely cut open today.
  Modern scanning equipment can 
  see through a mummy’s coffin and
  wrappings without damaging either 
  and create a 3D picture of the body inside.
  The mummy’s
  skeleton can be seen
  inside its coffin.
  Outer coffin
  25
  Crocodiles from the River
  Nile were mummified.
  • The heart was left inside
  the body. The Egyptians
  believed it gave a person their
  intelligence and emotions.
  • In the 1800s thousands of
  mummified cats were brought
  to England, ground up, and
  used as fertilizer.
  Mummy facts
  Coffins were made for some animal
  mummies, such as this one for a shrew.
  
  26
  Approach Khafre’s pyramid 
  from the east, and prepare to be
  amazed. This pyramid is guarded
  by an incredible man-lion, a
  statue carved out of a lump 
  of rock the size of a jumbo jet.
  Meet the Sphinx!
  Lion or man?
  A close shave
  At some stage in its
  history, the Sphinx had 
  a beard, but this fell off
  long ago. This fragment
  was found in the sand
  beneath its head.
  I’ve had it up to ’ere
  For much of its life, the Sphinx
  was buried by drifting desert
  sands – in fact, it was buried up
  to its neck. It was a good thing,
  as it has helped to preserve the
  stone. The Sphinx was fully
  uncovered in 1925.
  As hard as rock?
  The Sphinx was carved from soft
  limestone, but wind and rain have caused
  a lot of damage to the surface and it has
  been repaired several times.
  
  27
  The nose was
  deliberately destroyed
  in the 1400s by a man
  called Saim-el-Dahr.
  Is it the pharaoh?
  The Sphinx has the
  body of a lion and,
  experts believe, a head
  carved to resemble
  Khafre himself. 
  Can you spot any
  similarities between
  this statue of Khafre
  and the Sphinx?
  Both the Sphinx and Khafre’s
  statue wear a striped headcloth,
  a nemes, which is a symbol of
  ancient Egyptian royalty.
  A MESSAGE IN A DREAM
  A tablet between the Sphinx’s front paws tells
  of Thutmosis IV who, in around 1400 BC, fell
  asleep beneath the Sphinx and dreamt that he
  would be made a king should he clear away
  the sand that was burying the Sphinx.
  Thutmosis did this – and he became 
  king. The sands later returned.
  T
  h
  e
  S
  p
  h
  i
  n
  x
  f
  a
  c
  e
  s
  e
  as
  t, towa
  r
  d
  s
  t
  h
  e
  r
  i
  s
  i
  n
  g
  su
  n.
  
  28
  The ancient Egyptians used the River Nile as 
  their  major “road”. Boats travelled up and down 
  it all the time, including the funeral boats that
  transported the mummified pharaohs to their
  pyramids and other tombs. 
  A watery highway
  Row, row, row your boat
  Paintings like this show us what Egyptian
  river boats looked like. These are big boats,
  which are rowed through the water. Men at
  the back operate the long steering oars.
  Papyrus reed
  Reed on
  The best boats were made of wood,
  but most Egyptian boats were made
  of papyrus reeds, which grew on the
  banks of the Nile. These were lashed
  together in a similar way to reed
  boats used in Peru today. 
  
  The steering oars
  were at the back, 
  or stern, of the boat.
  Sealed in a pit
  In 1954, an archaeologist found
  two boat pits by the Great
  Pyramid. One contained 1,224
  pieces of timber, which joined
  together to make a boat. This
  may have carried Khufu’s
  mummy to his pyramid.
  No rudder
  Ancient Egyptian boats
  were steered with long
  steering oars – there were
  no rudders. This model
  boat is carrying a mummy.
  Model boats were often
  buried with the mummy.
  Tests r
  eveale
  d tha
  t K
  hu
  fu
  ’s
  b
  o
  a
  t
  h
  a
  d
  be
  en
  us
  ed.
  No nails here
  Khufu’s boat is held 
  together with wooden 
  pegs and rope. No metal 
  nails were used because they
  didn’t exist. It was chiselled
  from blocks of wood.
  
  30
  The Sudan lies south of Egypt, in north-east Africa. It is
  big. In fact, it is just over one-quarter the size of America.
  About 180 small pyramids have been found here. These
  steep-sided pyramids were built as royal tombs.
  A trip to the Sudan
  A place for offerings
  The Sudanese pyramids were built from around
  720 BC to AD 350. They all face the rising sun
  and each has a small chapel in which pilgrims
  and priests would say prayers for the dead king
  and queen, and leave offerings for them.
  This is one of King
  Taharqa’s shabtis. He is
  the most famous of the
  kings buried in the Sudan.
  This shabti
  holds farming
  tools.
  Each shabti had
  the name of the
  king with whom
  it was buried.
  Added protection  
  The kings and queens buried beneath these
  pyramids were accompanied by shabtis. These
  small figures were servants whose duty was to
  serve the king in the next life. 
  Each pyramid has
  a small chapel on
  its eastern side.
  
  31
  This gold bracelet is
  decorated with images
  of a goddess called Mut.
  Queen Amanishakhto
  would have worn
  several bracelets 
  at once.
  Treasure, too?
  Queen Amanishakhto’s pyramid at Meroe, 
  in the Sudan, is remarkable as it is the only
  pyramid of all those in the Sudan and Egypt
  that has been found with its treasure. The
  Queen lived in the 1st century BC. 
  All for greed
  Queen Amanishakhto’s treasure was discovered
  in 1830 by an Italian adventurer called
  Giuseppe Ferlini. He said he found it at 
  the top of her pyramid. This led others to
  knock the tops off these little pyramids 
  in a greedy search for treasure.
  Tests have shown
  that the jewellery
  found in
  Amanishakhto’s
  tomb had been
  worn, probably
  by the Queen
  herself.
  Most pyramids have
  been damaged, some by
  treasure hunters looking
  for valuables.
  Some pyramids
  have been
  restored.
  
  Two and a half thousand years ago a teacher
  called the Buddha set up a religion we call
  Buddhism. Central to Buddhism is the temple,
  and one of the oldest of these is the pyramid-
  shaped Borobodur Temple, in Java, Indonesia.
  A trip to Java
  •The word Borobodur means
  “temple on the hill”.
  •It is believed that
  Borobodur took more than 
  100 years to build.
  •The winding walk from
  bottom to top, properly done,
  covers almost 5 km (3 miles). 
  Borobodur facts
  Hard times
  Soon after it was built, Borobodur
  was abandoned after an earthquake
  and it fell into ruin. It was
  rediscovered in 1814 and has 
  been gradually rebuilt.
  A stepped pyramid
  Borobodur is thought to have been built
  about 1,200 years ago. It looks a little like
  a stepped pyramid and contains statues 
  of the Buddha on each of its
  levels, most enclosed in 
  a bell-shaped shrine, 
  or stupa.
  Each stupa is pierced
  with diamond-
  shaped holes.
  
  Take a left
  People work their way up by always
  turning to the left, and keeping the
  structure to their right. On the way
  they pass numerous Buddha statues.
  There are also carved scenes that tell
  stories about the life of the Buddha.
  The top cannot be
  seen from the bottom.
  Three circular terraces at the 
  top lead to a large central stupa.
  
  34
  Imagine hauling 16 elephants to the top
  of this pyramid-shaped temple. That’s
  about the weight of the granite dome
  that tops the Brihadisvara Temple 
  in southern India. How did the
  builders do it? They used a ramp.
  A trip to India
  The dome was
  dragged up an
  earth ramp that
  stretched more
  than 6 km (4 m).
  A place of worship
  The Brihadisvara (or “Big”) Temple
  was built about 1,000 years ago and
  has been in continuous use ever
  since. It stands 63 m (216 ft)
  high and has 13 floors.
  Only Hindus are
  allowed to enter.
  Who built it?
  Brihadisvara was built by a Chola
  king. The Cholas ruled much of
  Southern India from the 800s to
  the 1200s. They left behind many
  beautiful buildings, and also a
  huge number of bronze statues.
  
  35
  On guard
  The gates around the Big Temple
  are decorated with amazingly
  detailed carvings. The Cholas
  believed that these sculptures
  helped to turn away evil spirits.
  Decorate that pyramid
  The pyramid shape can also 
  be seen in many south Indian
  temple gateways. This gateway 
  is adorned with more than 
  1500 sculptures. The temple, the
  Meenakshi, was begun in the 1400s.
  The sculptures of
  gods, goddesses,
  demons, and other
  creatures are painted
  in bright colours.
  Hindu stone carver
  The stone carvings seen 
  on Indian temples were
  carved by hand, a craft
  that takes great skill.
  Stonemasons still carve
  statues like them in
  parts of India. 
  A mason will work
  on a sculpture for
  several weeks.
  
  36
  The Mayans were a people who lived in Mexico
  and parts of Central America hundreds of years
  ago. They built pyramid-shaped temples to
  use for sacrifice, killing people to keep 
  their gods happy. One of these temples 
  is El Castillo at Chichen Itza. 
  The Mayans
  If you had met a Mayan priest
  some 1700 years ago, you 
  would have noticed his high, 
  sloping forehead. The Mayans 
  achieved this by strapping 
  a baby’s head between two
  wooden boards to force 
  the skull to grow 
  in a certain way.
  El Castillo’s four stairways
  each have 91 steps. The step
  to the platform at the top
  makes a total of 365 steps. 
  Serpent guards
  The Mayan name for El Castillo is Kukulkan,
  the plumed serpent God. Twice a year the sun’s
  position causes a shadow that looks like a snake
  to run down its side. Two carved snake heads
  flank the foot of the north staircase.
  Carved stone heads show us how
  the Mayans may have looked.
  Built for sacrifice
  
  37
  Offerings were placed 
  on the chac mool’s plate.
  Ready and waiting
  A statue called a chac mool has
  usually been found in Mayan
  temples. The Mayan priests
  supplied it with incense... or gave
  it the hearts of their victims.
  A little bit of colour
  Every evening a sound and
  light show brings a little bit of
  colour to El Castillo. The
  Mayans used a lot of colour
  in decorative murals, and
  the temple may well have
  been brightly painted with
  murals and signs.
  I’d just like to say…
  El Castillo rises steeply to a
  height of 24 m (78 ft) and 
  gives its visitors a stunning
  view. It is said that if you
  stand at the top and speak
  in a normal voice, you
  can be heard at 
  the bottom. 
  
  Deep in the rainforests of Mexico and
  Central America are thousands of ruined
  pyramids, built by the different peoples
  who lived in this region hundreds of 
  years ago. Some have been restored.
  Jungle ruins
  There are
  said to be 500 building
  s in
  the
  rai
  nfo
  rest a
  t
  A face from the past
  This mosaic burial mask was
  found in the burial chamber
  of a Mayan lord called Pacal.
  He ruled over the city 
  of Palenque, shown below, 
  more than 1,300 years ago.
  38
  Most Mayan
  pyramids were
  built between 
  AD 600 and 900.
  Mayan pyramids
  have steep stairs
  and flat tops with
  temple chambers. 
  Hidden riches
  The ancient Mexican city 
  of Palenque is hidden in thick
  rainforest. Deep within Palenque’s
  pyramid temple is Lord Pacal’s burial chamber. 
  It contained many beautiful jade objects. 
  Lord Pacal died
  in AD 683.
  
  An ancient calender
  The Mayan Pyramid of the Niches at El Tajín in
  Mexico contains three hundred and sixty-five niches.
  According to legend, each niche contained an idol for
  each day of the year. It is thought to date to AD 600.
  Palenque aw
  ai
  ti
  ng
  ex
  ca
  va
  ti
  on
  .
  Filled with rubble
  Another Mayan pyramid is at Tikal in
  Guatemala (in Central America). Unlike
  the Egyptian pyramids, Mayan pyramids
  are not made from solid blocks but have
  a stone casing laid over rubble.
  The steps are so
  steep that the priests
  zig-zagged up and
  down them.
  Mayan
  incense burner
  from Tikal
  
  40
  The Aztecs were a war-like people who lived 
  in Mexico some 700 years ago. They believed in
  sacrificing human victims to please their gods,
  and built pyramid-shaped temples on which to
  carry this out.
  The Aztecs
  The importance of gods
  The Aztecs worshipped many
  gods, each linked to a
  particular part of nature. 
  This vase carries an image 
  of Tlaloc, the god of rain.
  A warrior nation
  Aztec warriors were rewarded with
  fancy costumes for their bravery in war
  and for the numbers of victims they
  captured. The more feathers in
  his headdress, the braver
  the warrior.
  This painted terracotta vase
  dates to between 1440 and 1469.
  
  41
  Two shrines topped the Great
  Temple. One was dedicated to
  the god of rain, the other 
  to the god of war.
  The stone measures 
  4 m (13 ft) across!
  The Great Temple
  was just one-fifth
  the height of
  Egypt’s Great
  Pyramid.
  A story in pictures
  This stone tells of the
  Aztec belief that the
  universe had passed
  through four creations
  and entered the 
  fifth. All would end
  violently unless the
  gods were calmed with
  human blood. Hence
  the need for sacrifice.
  Sacrificial knife
  Knives for sacrifice
  were made from 
  a stone called
  obsidian or from
  flint. They were
  often decorated,
  sometimes with
  fierce faces.
  Skull mask
  More than 6,000 objects 
  were found at the site of 
  the Great Temple, including
  this human skull mask. Shell
  and stone “eyes” give it 
  a gruesome appearance.
  Mine is the biggest!
  The Aztec pyramids were destroyed
  in the 1600s. This is a model of
  the Great Temple of
  Tenochtitlan, Mexico
  City. It shows how ruler
  after ruler built ever
  bigger temples
  over the original.
  
  Some people believe that pyramids have strange and
  mystical powers. There is even a theory that the Giza
  pyramids are spaceships, and carried creatures to Earth
  from other planets. The pyramid shape fascinates people,
  and is used in lots of different ways today.
  Weird and wonderful
  A topsy-turvy world
  This unusual, upside-down pyramid
  is actually a shopping centre in
  Florida, USA. It also contains 
  an aquarium. 
  •In the 1400s, some people
  thought the Giza pyramids had
  been built to store grain in
  times of famine.
  •There’s an odd idea that 
  a blunt razor blade will
  magically sharpen if left in the
  centre of a model pyramid.
  Weird facts
  
  43
  The hanging gardens
  Nobody knows what the fabled
  Hanging Gardens of Babylon
  really looked like, but many 
  modern drawings show them as 
  being set on a pyramid-shaped base.
  The gardens were packed
  with exotic plants.
  These luscious
  gardens existed some
  2,600 years ago.
  Let’s slide down a pyramid
  This pyramid was built in the
  shape of a Mayan Temple, in 
  a waterpark in the Bahamas. 
  It contains five waterslides. 
  The steepest slide carries its 
  riders through a clear tunnel
  under a shark-infested pool!
  Pyramid lake
  Pyramid Lake in Nevada, USA, is aptly named.
  It has a natural pyramid formation, built up
  out of a soft rock called tufa. The lake is
  big and popular with fishermen.
  
  44
  Pyramids are still being built
  today. Modern pyramids show
  how dramatically building
  techniques, and materials,
  have changed.
  Modern pyramids
  Short and squat
  Pyramids come in all shapes and sizes.
  This pyramid’s broad base supports a
  fairly low-level building, which is used
  as an office housing some 675 people.
  Its reflection in the water provides 
  a dramatic look.
  The Louvre
  This glass and steel pyramid was
  built as the new entrance to the
  Louvre Museum in Paris, in 1989.
  A lot of people hated it at first,
  but it is now a popular feature 
  of the Museum. 
  
  45
  Built to last
  This American pyramid, built as an
  office block in San Francisco, was
  designed to withstand the effects 
  of an earthquake. It is much taller 
  than Giza’s Great Pyramid, but 
  its base is tiny in comparison. 
  One-fifth of its height is 
  taken up by its spire.
  Spend a night in a pyramid
  Is it real or is it make-believe? This
  Great Pyramid lookalike is actually a
  huge hotel in Las Vegas in America.
  The sphinx that sits outside is larger
  than the one in Egypt. Its eyes shoot
  beams of laser light.
  The pyramid contains
  more than 2,000 rooms.
  The spire is coated
  in aluminium, a
  lightweight metal.
  The pyramid is
  260 m (853 ft) tall.
  
  46
  Eye of Horus an ancient
  Egyptian sign that symbolized
  healing, strength, and
  perfection.
  god a being or number of beings
  worshipped by people. Ancient
  Egyptian gods and goddesses
  took many different forms, both
  human and animal.
  granite a hard-wearing stone
  that was used by the ancient
  Egyptians for sculpture, stone
  coffins, and for lining the
  inside of some tombs 
  and chambers.
  hieroglyphs ancient Egyptian
  picture writing. Ancient
  Egyptian scribes used at least
  700 different picture symbols.
  Imhotep Djoser’s chief minister,
  or vizier. He designed the Step
  Pyramid, Egypt’s first pyramid.
  He was worshipped 2,000 years
  after his death. Bronze statues
  usually depict him as a
  learned scholar with 
  a papyrus roll.
  Glossary
  Here are the meanings of some words it is useful to know 
  when learning about pyramids.
  AD the letters stand for Anno
  Domini, meaning ‘in the year of
  our Lord’ and are placed before
  the date, starting with AD 1. 
  adze a tool used to cut and
  smooth wood.
  amulet a lucky charm.
  ancient Egypt the time that
  Egypt was ruled by pharaohs. 
  It lasted from around 3100 BC
  to 30 BC.
  archaeologist a person who
  studies the remains of past
  human life and activities.
  Aztec a Central American
  civilization that was based
  largely in Mexico. The Aztec
  culture crumbled under Spanish
  invaders in the 1500s.
  BC the letters stand for ‘Before
  Christ’ and are placed after the
  date, ending with 1 BC.
  
  47
  nemes a pleated linen headcloth
  worn by ancient Egyptian
  pharaohs, denoting their 
  royal status.
  niche a shallow recess in a wall.
  It is usually used to display a
  statue.
  papyrus a riverside reed used by
  the ancient Egyptians to make
  all sorts of things, including a
  form of paper, sandals, baskets,
  and rope.
  pharaoh an ancient Egyptian
  king or queen.
  pyramidion a pyramid-shaped
  stone that capped the top of 
  a pyramid.
  sacrifice the killing of a person
  or animal as part of a religious
  ceremony.
  sarcophagus an outer coffin
  made of stone.
  shabti small human figures that
  were believed to work for the
  person they were buried with in
  the afterlife.
  sphinx a statue that has the
  body of a lion and the face of 
  a person.
  temple a building used for
  religious worship.
  tomb a grave or building where
  a dead person is placed.
  vizier the highest official in the
  ancient Egyptian government.
  The vizier reported directly to
  the pharaoh.
  Mayans a Central American
  people with an advanced
  civilization, whose way of life
  collapsed during the 800s.
  metal the ancient Egyptians did
  not have many metals. They
  used bronze, copper, and gold,
  all of which are fairly soft.
  mummification the process of
  preserving a dead body from
  decay.
  mummy a preserved body,
  either human or animal.
  natron a natural salt that is still
  used today in baking soda.
  
  Dorling Kindersley would like to thank:
  Thanks to Janet Allis for original artwork, and to Sarah Mills and
  Kate Ledwith for DK Picture Library research.
  Acknowledgements
  amulets 23
  Anubis 23
  Aztecs 40-41
  beer 19
  Bent Pyramid 9
  boat pits 29
  boats 16, 28, 29
  Khufu’s boat 29
  Bonaparte, Napoleon
  10
  Borobodur 32-33
  bread 18
  Brihadisvara Temple
  34-35
  Buddhism 32
  Carter, Howard 20
  cats 25
  chac mool 37
  Chichen Itza 36-37
  Cholas 34
  coffins 23, 24, 25
  Djoser 4-5
  dormitories 19
  El Castillo 36-37
  Eye of Horus 23
  farmers 18
  Giza 10-11
  granite 7
  Great Pyramid 11, 
  12-17
  Hanging Gardens of
  Babylon 43
  hieroglyphics 20
  Hindu temples 4
  Imhotep 7
  India 34-35
  Java 32-33
  Khafre 10, 11, 26
  statue of 27
  Khufu 10, 11
  statue of 12
  Kukulkan 36
  limestone 13, 16, 26
  Louvre Pyramid 44-45
  map 4
  Mayans 36-39
  Meidum Pyramid 8
  Menkaure 10
  sculpture of 4
  modern pyramids 5, 
  44-45
  mummies 10, 22-25
  animals 25
  natron 22
  nemes 27
  North Pyramid 9
  oil lamp 15
  Palenque 38
  papyrus 28
  pharaoh 4, 6, 13, 
  20-21, 22
  Pyramid Lake 43
  Pyramid of the Niches
  39
  Red Pyramid 9
  relieving chambers 14
  River Nile 18, 28-29
  robbers 20
  robot exploration 15
  shabtis 30
  Sneferu 8
  Sphinx 11, 26-27, 45
  Step Pyramid 6
  stonemason 35
  stupa 32
  Sudan 30-31
  Sun 10
  Thutmosis IV 27
  Tikal 39
  tools 17
  treasure 20-21, 31
  Tutankhamun 20-21
  workers 18-19
  Index
  Holmes 4bl, 44-45; Hulton-Deutsch Collection 26cl; Richard Klune
  45tr; Danny Lehman 38-39, 39tl; Charles & Josette Lenars 39tr; 
  Chris Lisle 35tr; Landmann Patrick/Sygma 24-25b; Carmen Redondo
  29br; Bill Ross 37br; Scott T. Smith 4cla, 43tl; Hubert Stadler 28bl;
  Stapleton Collection 20cl; Orban Thierry/Sygma 33tr; Vanni Archive
  29cla; Sandro Vannini 8tl; Roger Wood 4tl, 12bl, 21tr, 27tr; Michael
  S. Yamashita 4cr, 4cb, 30-31, 34-35. DK Images: Bolton Metro
  Museum 16-17b; British Museum 2tc, 6bc, 7br, 17cra, 17crb, 17t, 
  18bl, 19cl, 22tl, 22cra, 22bc, 22br, 23cra, 24tl, 25cr, 25cbr, 26tc, 29tr,
  30bl, 48c; INAH 3, 4cbl, 41tc, 41br; The Manchester Museum, 
  The University of Manchester 23car; Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum,
  San Jose, California 7t. Werner Forman Archive: 19tr, 32bl;
  Egyptian Museum, Cairo 9c, 16cla, 21c, 23tr, 28cl; Teresa
  McCullough Collection, London 34cl; National Museum of
  Anthropology, Mexico City 38tl, 41tr; Staatlich Museum, Berlin 17c;
  E. Strouhal 18bc. Getty Images: AFP 19bl, 30cl; Guildo Alberto Rossi
  5; Richard A Cooke III 36-37; Grant Faint 40l; Will & Deni McIntyre
  13. Robert Harding Picture Library: Advertasia 4crb; Tettoni Casio
  32-33; I.Vanderharst 1. Masterfile UK: Miles Ertman 20-21c.
  Peabody Museum, Harvard University: Photo by Jim Harrison 18br.
  Reuters: Aladin Abdel Naby 15br. Science Photo Library:
  Brian Brake 20l; Christian Jegou, Publiphoto Diffusion 22cl;
  Alexander Tsiaras 25tc.
  All other images © Dorling Kindersley www.dkimages.com
  48
  Picture credits
  The publisher would like to thank the following for their kind
  permission to reproduce their photographs:
  Key: a=above; c=centre; b=below; l=left; r=right; t=top
  Alamy Images: Claudia Adams 12c; Bygonetimes 21br; Robert
  Harding Picture Library 28-29; M. Joecks 39cr; Ian McKinnell 9cr;
  John Ross/Robert Harding Picture Library 15tc; Worldthroughthelens
  20br. Todd N. Alexander: 13tr. Ancient Art & Architecture
  Collection: 15tr, 25cl; J. Stevens 14cl. The Art Archive: Egyptian
  Museum Cairo/Dagli Orti 12tl; Museo Regional de Antropologia
  Merida Mexico/Dagli Orti 37tr; Museo del Tempo Mayor
  Mexico/Dagli Orti 40ca; Staatliche Sammlung Agyptischer Kunst
  Munich/Dagli Orti 31tl. Art Directors & TRIP: A. Tovy 17br, 18c.
  Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz: 31tr. Bridgeman Art Library,
  London/New York: British Museum, London, UK 36tl. Corbis: 10-11,
  26-27; Lynsey Addario 40-41; Archivo Iconografico, S.A 6tl, 8c, 10bl,
  18tr, 23b, 36bl; David Cumming; Eye Ubiquitous 35c; Macduff
  Everton 39bc, 43tr; Mark E. Gibson 5tr; Richard Hamilton Smith
  44tr; Rose Hartman 42-43; Lindsay Hebberd 35tl, 35bc; Robert
  
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