2500 years ago, the ancient Greeks listed the seven wonders of the world at that time. Today, only the pyramids, the first of the seven wonders, have stood the test of thousands of years. No wonder there is an Egyptian proverb that says, "People are afraid of time, and time is afraid of pyramids."
The ancient Egyptians had the custom of building pyramids as tombs for kings and queens, so there are many pyramids in Egypt, which is called the country of pyramids. Of course, the most magnificent is the pyramid of khufu of Giza (also called the Great Pyramid), which has become a symbol of the Egyptian state and civilization. The Great Pyramid consists of about 2.3 million limestone and granite blocks without any bonding material in the middle. These stones are in perfect harmony with each other. Despite more than 4000 years of wind and rain, even a sharp knife can't be inserted between stones. There are two stones on each side on average. 5 tons, the heaviest reached 100 tons. With the labor force of ancient Egyptians at that time, how did they mine boulders and transport them here? How to build them? Why resist the erosion of time until today? And the four sides at the bottom of the pyramid are almost opposite to due south, due north, due east and due west, with an error of less than one degree. How did the ancient Egyptians calculate this accurately?
For many years, the Great Pyramid has been a mystery that people have explored and can't prove. Not knowing how to explain these phenomena, modern people have exhausted their imagination and reasoning ability. Some people say that the pyramids were built by aliens as their landing point, while others say that pyramid of khufu was built by the missing ancestors of Atlantis.
In order to solve the mystery of the pyramids, people have never stopped trying to explore the secrets of the Great Pyramid. Unlike China's Qin Shihuang Mausoleum, which set up organs to deal with grave robbers, Egyptian pharaohs used spells to protect themselves. There is a chilling inscription on the pyramid of khufu: "Whoever disturbs the peace of Pharaoh, the wing of death will fall on his head." Moreover, the American Medical Monthly also published a report, which confirmed that among the 100 people who have entered the Great Pyramid, the probability of dying of cancer in the next 10 year is as high as 40%. However, this did not stop people from exploring the mysteries deep in the pyramids. The latest action that attracted the most attention was the archaeological excavation which was broadcast live in 42 countries around the world/kloc-0 in 2002. Micro robots were also used. Ironically, however, people did not find the expected treasure, tomb or mummy. Behind the stone gate is another stone gate. The unsolved mystery still puzzles curious modern people. As long as the pyramids exist, people are likely to continue to pursue them.
Although it is impossible to prove how the magnificent pyramids were created, the existence of the pyramids can well explain the ancient Egyptians' view of life and death. The ancient Egyptians believed that the world was temporary, the afterlife was eternal, and death was the gateway to eternal life. But the premise is to declare your body correctly.
The Sphinx is also a symbol of Egypt and another attraction in Giza. The ancient Egyptians worshipped lions. They think the lion is the embodiment of strength. The lion's body and Pharaoh's head are symbols of wisdom and strength. At the same time, this strange image accords with the ancient Egyptians' view that Pharaoh was both a god and a man.
The secret of the Great Pyramid is still unsolved. What is more attractive than the Pyramid or the Sphinx? The whole civilization of Egypt and everything in the desert are fascinating. No matter whether the mystery of the pyramids is uncovered or not, people will be eager to go to the west bank of the Nile to experience the light that the pyramids shed on the earth for themselves. After all, it was the same light that fell on the earth four thousand years ago.
Geographical overview:
There are 107 pyramids in Egypt, mainly located in the Giza Plateau near Cairo, the capital of Egypt. There are three large pyramids in this area, namely pyramid of khufu (also known as the Great Pyramid), Kafra Pyramid and Monkara Pyramid, among which pyramid of khufu is the most famous, the largest, the best preserved and the highest architectural achievement in Giza Pyramid.
Historical overview:
The pyramids of Egypt are the tombs where the ancient Egyptians buried their kings and queens. The history of ancient Egyptians building pyramids lasted from the third dynasty to the thirteenth dynasty (2686-2 18 1), which has been more than 4,600 years. The heyday appeared during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu and two generations of monarchs Cabra and Menkaure, who all chose the boundary between the desert and oasis in Giza to build their pyramids and other ancillary buildings. In the 5th century BC, Herodotus, a famous ancient Greek historian, wrote the earliest words about the pyramids when he traveled to Egypt. The study of pyramids in modern times began with the data investigation after Napoleon invaded Egypt.
The three most famous pyramids and their annexes:
Pyramid of khufu: The largest pyramid in Egypt, often called the Great Pyramid, was built by the successor of Pharaoh Khufu (reigned from 2543 to 2520). The Great Pyramid was built about 2,570 years ago, and it took/kloc-0,000 workers and slaves 20 years to complete. The original height of the Great Pyramid was 146.6 meters. After thousands of years of weathering, it is now 138 meters. 1889 Before the completion of the 320-meter-high Eiffel Tower in Paris, it was the tallest building in the world. There are many noble flat-topped stone tombs neatly arranged around the Great Pyramid, and the stars hold the moon to set off the grandeur and majesty of the Great Pyramid.
Kafra Pyramid and the Sphinx: Kafra Pyramid is the second pyramid built in Giza after pyramid of khufu. Its scale is exactly the same as that of pyramid of khufu, but its internal structure is relatively simple. The famous Sphinx guards in front of the pyramid of Kafra. This is a huge stone statue with the body of a lion and the head of King Kabra. There were many sphinxes in ancient Egypt, symbolizing the idea that Pharaoh was both a god and a man. The largest building in Giza is 73 meters long and 2 1 meter high.
Monkara Pyramid: Monkara Pyramid is the successor pyramid of Calaf, but its scale and architectural art are far lower than the first two pyramids.
Ground Penetrating Radar Discovers pyramid of khufu's "Secret Corridor"
Pyramid of khufu in Egypt is one of the "Seven Wonders of the World" and is said to be the tomb of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu. However, so far, the mummy of Pharaoh Khufu (also known as King kipps) has not been found. Some archaeologists suspect that Khufu's mummy may have been stolen by ancient grave robbers.
It is understood that there are currently three rooms in pyramid of khufu. "The King's Room"-There is a huge granite sarcophagus in it, which is considered to be the burial place of Khufu's mummy. But actually, it's empty now. Under the "King's Room", there is a slightly smaller tomb called "Queen's Room", although scientists tend to think that it is not arranged for the queen. In addition, there is a small basement that has never been used under the pyramid.
However, a few days ago, two French amateur experts in Egyptology, after years of on-the-spot investigation, put forward a breakthrough new view: under the "Queen's Room" in pyramid of khufu, there is also a "mysterious tomb" that is still unknown, which may be the final burial place of Pharaoh Khufu! Now, they have detected a secret corridor leading to the chamber of secrets through ground penetrating radar!
Khufu built three graves for himself? One didn't finish writing, and the other cracked it.
One of the most popular theories about how pyramid of khufu was built is that all the internal structures of the pyramids were designed in advance and the workers built them according to the design drawings. However, Dominion and Fordhat believe that the design idea has changed repeatedly in the process of building pyramids. When ancient Egyptian architects found that the original "king's room" might not be able to bear the weight of the boulder above, they began to return to the drawings.
It is understood that the roof of the "King's Room" is fixed by several granite Liang Shi, each weighing 50 tons, which divides the roof into four small spaces. Geoffrey Spencer, deputy director of the ancient Egyptian Sultan Pavilion of the British Museum, said: "This design is to spread the weight of the boulder in the center of the pyramid to the side." However, it is obvious that cracks can be seen on these granite Liang Shi. Spencer explained that archaeologists usually think that these cracks were cracked in an earthquake long after the pyramids were built.
However, Damien doesn't think so. He believed that the cracks in Liang Shi appeared during the construction of the pyramids, and ancient Egyptian architects knew all about it. Dominion's evidence is that in some cracks, some 4500-year-old plaster was daubed. Dominion believes that this is evidence that ancient Egyptian architects tried to repair and strengthen the roof.
Damian wrote in his new book "The Tomb of Hops", "All the problems in pyramid of khufu can be summed up in the following theories. Khufu built three tombs for himself that year, but the first tomb (Queen's Room) was not completed. Tomb No.2 (undiscovered secret room) can be put into use; There is a crack in the third tomb (the king's room). Therefore, Khufu was finally buried in the second tomb. " Daoming said that he didn't think the "Queen's Room" was the cause of Khufu's tomb because its entrance was too narrow to be carried into Khufu's big sarcophagus.
The "mysterious tomb" is in the "heart" of the whole pyramid?
Jean pierre Huang Fengying Gini, a famous ancient Egyptian scientist of the French Oriental Archaeological Association in Cairo, Egypt, was deeply impressed by the pyramid research of Domien and Faldat from the beginning.
According to Huang Fengying Ghianni, he was interested in their research because he provided their radar detection data to a French ground radar data expert for analysis, and the expert's explanation confirmed their guess. Huang Fengying Ginny said, "This expert works for a big company. One of the company's projects is to design the track line of the express train from Paris to Strasbourg in the future. If the expert says it is safe to lay tracks here, it is because he found that there are no holes in the ground. I don't think he can make mistakes, otherwise there will be a big car accident in the future. "
Huang Fengying Gini said that the second reason that interested him was that the location of the "mysterious tomb" imagined by two amateur archaeologists was just to the west of the bottom of the "Queen's Room". Structurally, it was "the heart of the whole pyramid", so it was probably the symbolic final resting place of Pharaoh Khufu.
The latest archaeological discovery in Egypt: the truth about the death of Pharaoh Tutankhamun
For decades, after the hype of various movies and novels, the "Pharaoh's curse" became more and more fantastic, which not only scared off grave robbers, but also worried many archaeologists and tourists. Recently, despite the threat of incantations, Egyptian archaeologists conducted a comprehensive examination of Pharaoh's body with high-tech equipment, thus uncovering the mystery of the death of the young Pharaoh in ancient Egypt 3,300 years ago.
Tutankhamun was an Egyptian Pharaoh in 18 BC. He ruled Egypt from 1336 BC to 1327 BC. Tutankhamun is not the most outstanding Pharaoh in ancient Egyptian history, but he is the most famous Egyptian Pharaoh today. Since 1922, when British archaeologists howard carter and Count carnarvon discovered the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, the dazzling array of funerary objects in the tomb, the world-famous golden colossus and the creepy curse of Pharaoh have aroused great interest of the world, but people are most concerned about the young Pharaoh himself. Tutankhamun, 19 years old, died suddenly and mysteriously. He died too early, was buried in a hurry, and was injured in the back of his head ... People believe that there must be some big secret behind his untimely death. ...
Young Tutankhamun died of murder?
The mystery of the young king's accidental death caused a series of questions, which induced modern explorers to try their best to break through the fog of history, travel through time and space, and touch the ancient and mysterious ancient Egyptian world.
According to scattered historical records handed down, Tutankhamun's father, Okhennathan, was a famous "pagan" king in ancient Egypt. He tried his best to "reform" and changed ancient Egypt from polytheism to monotheism. His practice was controversial and jealous at that time, and his son Tutankhamun was likely to get into trouble.
Judging from the situation in Tutankhamun's tomb, expect the unexpected, the tomb of Tutankhamun, was narrow and small, as if he had been buried in a hurry before being repaired. At first glance, it seems that it is not for the royal family, and the decoration is also sloppy. A lot of paint was splashed on the mural on the tomb wall, and no one cleaned it. However, some funerary antiques that have attracted the attention of the world are not his own daily necessities, because archaeological discoveries show that these antiques are engraved with other people's names, and Tutankhamun's name was temporarily added after the original name was erased. The process of mummification is not to soak the corpse slowly with antiseptic spices like other pharaohs, but to pour buckets of antiseptic spices on the mummy.
1968, after the mummy was allowed to undergo X-ray examination, researchers at the University of Liverpool in England found a displaced bone in the brain cavity of the deceased, with a shadow on the back of the head similar to a blood clot. Dr Harrison of the research team said: "There is nothing unusual about the edge of this shadow, but it may actually be caused by intracerebral hemorrhage in this area. This kind of internal bleeding is probably the result of a blow to the back of the head. On the contrary, this blow is most likely the cause of death, which means that Tutankhamun is likely to die of murder. "
Three suspects
When clues gradually emerged from the sinking of history, all kinds of doubts shrouded in this tragic story flashed mysteriously.
Who is the murderer of the king? What a short and extraordinary life is the flesh and blood that once lived like us? What traces did this political conspiracy leave in history? Where is the fate of the dynasty?
Bob buhrer, who plays the dual role of historian and detective, inadvertently becomes the messenger of history. Scattered cultural relics, archives, tombs and ancient mummies, under his careful integration, tell a true and extremely complicated story, which makes people really smell the bloody battle of the royal power at that time.
The era of Tutankhamun in Egypt 3000 years ago was an extremely turbulent era in the history of ancient Egypt. The country is divided, the inherent social order is further undermined by religious and political turmoil, and North Korea's greedy careerists collude with each other. At the same time, the young king and his beloved wife could not get the heir to the throne. All these unstable factors make Egypt like a powder keg, which is explosive. The devil finally raised his arms to the young king Tutankhamun-the country changed hands. Buhrer also listed three people who are most likely to be murderers.
Suspect 1: Army Commander Holland Herb.
Holland Herb often taught Tutankhamun to hunt and drive chariots, which provided ample opportunities for planning accidents. If Tutankhamun really died on the road, the body might have rotted before Holland Herb brought it back. This may explain why the mummy was poured with a lot of extra antiseptic spices. Holland Herb's most likely motive is to usurp the throne himself, which is not difficult for him who holds the relieving power.
Suspect 2: His wife, Anxana Menmen.
Her motive may be to usurp the throne or hope to have an heir. Two fetal mummies were also found in Tutankhamun's grave. It is inferred that both stillbirths are the daughters of Tutankhamun couple, and the causes of death are premature or stillbirth. If Tutankhamun can't have healthy offspring, Anxana may want him to leave and marry someone who can let her have healthy children.
Suspect 3: Prime Minister Ai
When Tutankhamun's father was in power, Ai was the prime minister. Later, he assisted Tutankhamun, who was 9 years old, to ascend to the throne. In fact, he has been in charge of state power and won the trust of Tutankhamun. Ai's motive may be coveting the throne of Pharaoh, but he did become the next Pharaoh after Tutankhamun's death. On the mural of Tutankhamun's tomb, Ai presided over Tutankhamun's funeral ceremony. The person who had the right to preside over the ceremony at that time was the person who confirmed the right of inheritance.
CT scan showed that Tutankhamun was not fatally injured.
However, well-known scholars who study the history of ancient Egypt call this conclusion nonsense. A scholar specializing in Tutankhamun at the Brandenburg Institute of Scientific Anthropology in Berlin said: "Everyone likes to speculate, but so far there is no evidence to prove these speculations." In order to solve an unsolved mystery that has lasted for many years, the Egyptian Ministry of Archaeology and the American research team
At the beginning of this year, a vehicle equipped with special equipment was used to remove the Pharaoh's mummy from the tomb from the Valley of the Kings, hoping to use high-tech equipment to take stereo photography of his skull and ribs to determine the cause of death.
On March 8, the research team announced the scanning results: the Egyptian Pharaoh 18 years old 3300 years ago did not die of murder. In a short CT scan of 15 minutes, the researchers took nearly 1700 photos of different parts of the mummy. Research shows that Tutankhamun is slim and healthy, and has no malnutrition or infectious diseases, but he has a slight cleft lip.
The CT film also showed that the young Pharaoh had a tiny cleft palate, unlike a decorative beard or other facial decorations. His front teeth are very big, and like other pharaohs in his family, his teeth have the characteristics of overbite. Hawass said that Tutankhamun's body is well preserved, and the outline of King Tutankhamun's face can be clearly seen, even his toes and fingers are well preserved.
Hawass, the most famous Egyptian archaeologist who discovered the "hiding place" of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, said that the research team investigated various claims about Tutankhamun's murder, but found no evidence that he was hit hard on the back of the head, and there was no other indication that he was involved in the murder.
They also found that accidental chest injuries were extremely unlikely. Hawass said that some members of the research team believed that Tutankhamun had fractures and cracks in his left thigh, which indicated that he might have been seriously injured before his death. Although the crack itself does not pose a threat to life, it may be infected by bacteria. Although this kind of crack may also be caused by anti-corrosion treatment, they think it is unlikely. The results show that Tutankhamun was not persecuted by conspiracy before his death. After the mystery is solved, the mummy who has been concerned will be sent back to his grave and live a peaceful "life" from then on.
Gift of the Nile
Egypt is a gift from the Nile. This is a famous saying of Herodotus, a famous ancient Greek historian. This is also the case. Without the Nile, there would be no Egypt, an ancient civilization.
The Nile runs through northeastern Africa, with a total length of more than 6,600 kilometers, and the part that flows through Egypt only accounts for one sixth of the total length.
Generally speaking, river flooding is always a bad thing. However, Egypt has benefited greatly from the periodic flooding of the Nile. Every year when the mountainous areas of Ethiopia, the birthplace of the Nile, enter the rainy season, the Nile water will rise. Since mid-July, the river has gradually flooded the whole Egyptian basin. 165438+1At the end of October, the river receded, leaving fertile silt, as if nature had generally fertilized the land in Egypt. Although Egypt is a place with little rain all the year round, relying on the Nile, people planted crops and developed production on moist and fertile land, making it the cradle of ancient civilization.
Egypt is one of the oldest countries in the world. 6000 years ago, many small slave countries (polis) appeared here. Around 3 100 BC, Egypt established a unified slavery kingdom. The capital is Memphis in the south of the Nile Delta.
The king of ancient Egypt had a taboo habit and was not allowed to call him by his first name. He is generally regarded as "Pharaoh". "Pharaoh" originally meant "big house".
From 3 100 BC to 332 BC, Alexander the Macedonian king conquered Egypt for more than 2700 years, which was the "Pharaoh's era" in Egyptian history and experienced 3 1 dynasty. After that, Egypt was ruled by Greece, Rome and Byzantine Empire until the Arabs conquered Egypt in 640 AD, ending the era of ancient Egyptian history.
The history of ancient Egypt is the history of slave society. The poor and slaves opposed all forms of cruel exploitation and oppression by slave owners. During the 13th Dynasty (about BC 1785-BC 1647), a large-scale uprising of the poor and slaves broke out. A man named Yi Puwei wrote down the uprising. He wrote: "The king was immediately occupied, the king was abolished, state officials were driven to various places, officials in charge of documents were killed, and documents were taken away ..." Although the uprising was later suppressed, the thirteenth dynasty was dealt a heavy blow and soon perished.
Egyptians were in a leading position in ancient astronomy, mathematics, medicine, physics and architecture. How do people understand the history and splendid culture of ancient Egypt? This is mainly due to the efforts of archaeologists.
Archaeologists mostly learn about the history and culture of ancient Egypt through the study and textual research of tombs. Due to the lack of written records, the history of the first dynasty in ancient Egypt was unknown for a long time. Later, archaeologists excavated in Abidos on the Nile and found the tombs of many kings of the first and second dynasties in Egypt. The top of the tomb is slightly higher than the ground, and the bottom of the tomb is10m to17m deep. There are many bottles of wine in the grave. The bottle was sealed with mud and straw from the Nile, and the king's seal was printed on it. These marks have become an important basis for identifying the owner of the mausoleum. In the tomb of a king named Zell, an arm bone with four beautiful arm bracelets was found. This was an ornament for the ladies in the palace at that time. It can be seen that in the first 200 years after Egypt became a unified kingdom, maids, that is, slaves, have been used for the martyrdom of kings, which is the evidence that Egypt entered the slave society.
From about the 27th century BC, "Pharaoh" began to build huge tombs for himself. This is a tall square pyramid building with a square base and a triangular side, which looks like the word "gold" in Chinese characters, so we call it "pyramid". It is called "cone" in English.
The pyramids are made of millions of huge stones. The average weight of each stone is over 2000 kg, and the largest stone is over 100 ton. These boulders were mined from the east bank of the Nile and transported to the west bank. How such a heavy and huge rock crossed mountains, rivers and piled up into towers is still a difficult problem that no one can give a satisfactory answer. How can people not admire the great strength and wisdom of the Egyptian people!
Although the stones used in pyramids and catacombs are very hard, skilled craftsmen still cut them into various shapes, and they are so closely combined that even sharp blades can't be inserted, which shows the superb skills of the ancient Egyptians in chopping mountains and chiseling stones.
The average length error of the four sides at the bottom of the pyramid is only 2 cm, and the error of the four right angles is only 0. 12. This shows that the geometry and measurement technology of ancient Egypt have reached a very high level, and the area of rectangle, triangle, trapezoid and circle can be accurately measured and calculated.
What is even more amazing is that the "mummy" of the Pharaoh's body was placed in the "underground palace" and treated with antisepsis. In ancient Egypt, not only the bodies of pharaohs and nobles were mummified, but also the common people had this custom. Archaeologists estimate that more than 200 million mummies were buried in the valley of Egypt during about 2700 years from the first dynasty to the thirty-first dynasty. The ancient Egyptians believed that after death, people could enter the kingdom of heaven only by preserving their bodies and preventing decay.
The Pharaoh's mummy was beautifully made. It takes 70 days to make one. After the viscera of the corpse is hollowed out, it is filled with spices, coated with spices, wrapped in linen and placed in a coffin made of precious antiseptic wood. The poor mummy can only be soaked in salt water and then dried. In ancient Egypt, not only human bodies were mummified, but also cows worshipped by gods were mummified and buried in stone tombs after death.
Thanks to the superb skills of ancient Egyptians in preserving corpses, people can still see the appearance of ancient emperors thousands of years later. 188 1 year, from 1567 BC to 945 BC, almost all the mummies of the pharaohs in the 18, 19, 20, 2 1 dynasties, including their queens and princes, were all. These dynasties had no money to build pyramids as before. However, the Pharaoh's mummy is still very beautiful. One of them was Ramses II who ascended the throne in BC 1304. You can see from the mummy that he is a big man.
The making of mummies made the Egyptians accumulate rich anatomical knowledge. At that time, people in other parts of the world knew almost nothing about anatomy.
When it comes to the civilization of ancient Egypt, we can't help mentioning the famous Sphinx-the Sphinx. In 26 1 1 year BC, khalaf, the Pharaoh of the fourth dynasty, ordered to carve a stone statue next to his pyramid in order to make his appearance "immortal". It is said that a young sculptor suggested carving a sphinx. Khalaf was very happy and ordered the construction to start immediately. This colossus is 20 meters high and 57 meters wide, and one ear is 2 meters long. It was carved from a huge stone left over from the pyramid. The Sphinx sits west to east, symbolizing the incomparable majesty of Pharaoh as the sun god. This great work of art has a history of more than 4600 years. It was buried in the sand for a long time, and was not excavated by French archaeologists until 1926. When it was dug out, its 2-meter-long nose was seriously damaged, and it was said that it was scraped off with a pickaxe. But this statement is not credible, because it has been buried by yellow sand several times and dug several times. The nose is the most prominent part of the head and is easily damaged.
After thousands of years, the Sphinx has been seriously eroded. The most serious thing is its neck, because it can't support a few tons of head, and its neck is likely to break. After thousands of years of wind and rain, the Pyramid of khufu, the largest pyramid in Egypt, has been knocked and pushed by thousands of tourists, and some stones along the tower have begun to loosen and fall off. The Egyptian government organized manpower and material resources to rescue the pyramids and the Sphinx.