Architectural Achievements of Ancient Egypt

Pyramids of Giza

There are three (3) major pyramids for the
pharaohs – Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure.
The tallest pyramid is 450 feet tall. There
are numerous smaller “queen” pyramids
and buildings surrounding the great
pyramids. Most pyramids were built
during the Old Kingdom. These buildings
were built around 2500 BCE.

Khufu

Khafre

Menkaure

Multiple Choice

Why were Egyptians so intent on protecting the body of their pharaohs?

• They did not want the pharaoh to haunt them in their afterlives.

• They believed the pharaoh could protect them in his afterlife if his soul and body could get to the afterlife.

• Ammut would eat the pharaoh's heart, and he would cease to exist.

• The pharaohs paid their citizens well for keeping their bodies and tombs safe.

Karnak

Karnak is the largest and most visited
religious complexes from Ancient Egypt. It
was located in the ancient city of Thebes,
now the modern city of Luxor. The
Pharaoh Senusret started the temple in
3200 BCE, and 30 different pharaohs
spent the next 3,000 years adding to the

temple.

Multiple Choice

What type of government was set up in Ancient Egypt?

• theocracy

• democracy

• socialist

• autocracy

Great Sphinx

The Egyptians built sphinx statues as
guards.

A sphinx is a mythological creature with the
body of a lion and the head of a person,
often a pharaoh.

The most famous sphinx is the Great
Sphinx in Giza. Archeologists believe the
head is meant to be the Pharaoh Khafre
and that it was built in 2500 BCE.

The Great Sphinx in 241 feet long, 20 feet
wide, and 66 feet high.

Archeologists believe it was painted bright
colors of red, blue, and yellow.

Abu Simbel

This temple complex was built by the
famous Ramesses II to honor himself and
his favorite wife, Queen Nefertari.

It was originally built in Southern Egypt in
1264 BCE, but it was moved in 1968 CE in

a monumental attempt to save it from being
flooded when Egypt was making the
manmade Lake Nasser and Aswan Dam.

It is famous for its four giant statues of
Ramesses II guarding the entrance of the
temple. Each statue is 65 feet tall.

Open Ended

Why did the Egyptians stop building pyramids?

Valley of the Kings

Over 60 tombs of pharaohs are located at
this giant burial ground near the city of
Ancient Thebes.

Starting around 1500 BCE, pharaohs
stopped building pyramids and instead
built their tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

King Tutankhamun (King Tut) was buried
here. Most of the tombs were looted by
thieves, but Howard Carter found King
Tut’s tomb mostly intact in 1922.

Multiple Choice

All of the following were found in King Tut's tomb, except

• containers of mummified meat

• a lock of his grandmother's hair

• the mummies of all of his servants

• 130 pairs of underwear, 93 shoes and sandals, and 200 pieces of jewelry

Luxor Temple

This temple was built in 1400 BCE to
honor the God Amun, his wife Mut, and his
son Khonsu.

The temple is known for its 80 foot tall
obelisk.

An obelisk is a tall pillar monument with a
pyramid shape on top. They were built at
the entrance of temples. They honored
the dead and the gods.