The first pyramid was built as the burial place of King Djoser around 2630 B.C., by his gifted architect Imhotep. It rose in six stages, and is called the Step Pyramid. It is supposed to represent a gigantic stairway for the king to climb to join the sun god in the sky. Some later kings had step pyramids too, but during the reign of King Sneferu the true pyramid, with sloping sides, developed. The idea of this pyramid was to re-create the mound that had emerged out of the watery ground at the beginning of time, on which the sun god stood and brought the other gods and goddess into being. The largest pyramid of all is the Great Pyramid at Giza, built for King Khufu around 2528 B.C. The pyramids were intended to protect the bodies of the pharaohs buried deep inside them. Later pyramids contained inscriptions of spells to help the pharaoh in the afterlife. Doors of granite and false passages were constructed to deter robbers who came in pursuit of the rich offerings buried with the kings. But by around 1000 B.C. all the pyramids had been robbed of their precious contents.
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Statues of lions often guard the entrances to Egyptian temples. The Sphinx was probably meant to protect the pyramid complex of Khafra in the same way. There is no evidence that it was worshiped in its own right when the pyramids were built. But in later times the Sphinx was identified with Horemakhet or "Horus in the horizon" a form of the god. |
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