Ancient Egypt: Difference between revisions - A+ Club Lesson Planner & Study Guide

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** thus the Benben represents creation and the origin of the sun

** early Egyptians built large earth mounds to represent the the rising land of creation, which was subsequently represented in a pyramid shape of a single block of stone, thus the Benben

=== pre-Dynastic & early Old Kingdom tombs & monumental structures ===

[[File:Mastaba-faraoun-3.jpg|thumb|Example of a mastaba, a built-up structure over underground tomb]]

* early Egyptians built elaborate underground burial tombs for kings & elites

** some tombs

* these underground tombs began to build up above ground with mud bricks

* mastaba

** = Arabic term for "bench of mud"

** ancient Egyptians called it, "house of stability"

* rectangular, flat-top, mudbrick structure, up to 30 ft high

** bricks were made of clay from the Nile banks, formed and sun-dried

** possibly related to similar Mesopotamian structures

* mastabas were built to protect burial grounds from animals and robbers

** mummification began with these structures, as they did not allow for natural mummification in the ground

* features included:

** chapel-like area above ground for ceremonies and offerings of food & other funerary offerings for the dead

*** the chapel area had a false door to protect against robbers

** oriented North-South, which was important for the buried's access to the afterlife

** two underground chambers, one for the dead and another for materials & goods for the afterlife

* mastabas were continued to be built into the Middle Kingdom

** increasingly complex over time

** some structures began to take shape of pyramids, which were adopted for kings

==== Old Kingdom early pyramid building ====

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** emulated ancient Egyptian pharaonic practices

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=== Pyramid building & engineering ===

* materials