Why Were the Pyramids Built?

This is an age old question that had eluded many Egyptologists for centuries.  Until recently, we began to have a better understanding of why these great monuments were built.  The Pyramids of Egypt are the last of the “Seven Wonders of the World” that are left standing today, and through centuries of history and excavations, we are beginning to truly appreciate the last true wonders left on earth.

It is thought by many that the Ancient Egyptians were a culture obsessed with death and dying due to the great tombs and pyramids that have been found and erected throughout; however, this can’t be further from the truth.  In fact, these prestigious monuments were built to prolong their lives even through death.  

To fully realize why the pyramids were constructed, we must first begin to understand the beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians. They believed the dead would go on to the next world, which was filled with happiness and a life better then they had known on this earth.  In order for this to occur, they had to somehow keep their bodies preserved for the next world.  This led to the process of mummification. Each body was embalmed and wrapped in fine linen. Once the process of mummification was complete the body was buried with its most prized possessions.  These prized possessions could include items such as jewelry or other items that would help them live comfortable in the afterlife.  It may be that this ritual is made popular mostly through the preservation of kings’ tombs that have been discovered; however, it appears that this burial ritual was of great importance to all citizens.

In order for the Ancient Egyptians to preserve their bodies, they had to find a method of keeping everything intact and yet last forever.  Important pieces to this mummification practice were the three ceremonies that were very much a part of this process.  They were 1) Ritual purity, 2) Preparing the body for its eternity of repose, and 3) The Opening of the Mouth Ceremony.  

The first ceremony called “ritual purity” was ensuring that the body was thoroughly cleansed.  The second ceremony was preparing the body for the mummification process.  The third ceremony, known as “The Opening of the Mouth” was probably the most important.  The dead subject would be laid in front of statutes that resembled him or her.  By using magic and ritual traditions, the mouths of the statutes would be touched with adze, chisel, and then rubbed with milk.  This would allow the statutes to receive the dead king’s “ka” (spiritual double) and stand as a proxy for him throughout time.

Mummification was only one part of this whole burial process.  The second part of the process was to preserve the body in sacred and secret locations due to the concern of having the bodies disturbed by unbeknownst tomb robbers.  It was important that the “ka” (spiritual double) continue to develop in his or her corpse.

Tombs or mastabas were built as “the home for eternity” and they had to be more durable than the palaces of everyday life to withstand time.  The mastabas were portions of the tomb structure that were visible above ground.  They were rectangular tombs with a flat roof and were constructed from mud, brick or stone.  The mastaba could be devised with underground chambers that were dug into the ground with connecting shafts to the entrance.  The walls of the mastaba were painted with scenes that would depict everyday life among the courts and the pharaoh for which it was constructed.  

Statutes were also an important part of this burial ritual and were a form of insurance for the dead.  They were included in the burial ritual so that they could take on any hard work that could possibly crop up in the hereafter for the dead pharaoh or person.  In addition, papyrus rolls (“The Book of Coming out into the Day” and today better known as “The Book of the Dead”) were placed and wrapped within the mummy bandages or between the legs of the dead person.  These papyrus rolls contained magic spells that would help the dead person make it to the afterlife. In later years, the papyrus rolls were put inside hollow statutes that were placed inside the tombs.  Tombs were considered as the place where a king could make his successful journey into the afterlife.

It was thought that the dead pharaoh would take on the immortality of the God Osiris with this burial-mummification ritual and many pharaohs continued with this belief.  Another method for a king to take on the immortality of Osiris (without having to die) was by ruling for 30 years or more.  In this event, a king would be idolized as having taken on the immortality of Osiris while still being alive; thereafter, every three years until the king died, this event would be celebrated. 

With the ideology of afterlife journeys engrained deep in the Ancient Egyptian culture, the construction of pyramids began to take hold to better serve the needs of pharaohs throughout the centuries.