Annessa Shively 5G2 The Great Pyramid of Giza weighed 6.5 million tons altogether, with each stone block weiging two and a half tons! Those must have been some strong workers! A pyramid is a three­dimensional, triangular, stone structure, and this one was built by King Khufu, about 4,500 years ago, or 2580 BCE, in the Old Kingdom. It is located in Egypt, which is on the continent of Africa in the Northern Hemisphere. Khufu had the pyramid built for his burial by peasants and artisans. The Great Pyramid of Giza definitely proves that ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization by showing examples of religion, writing, and a social structure. The Great Pyramid shows that religion was absolutely one of the traits ancient Egypt had that helps prove it was an advanced civilization. One example of religion in the pyramid is that royalty was buried there. Kings were considered gods on earth, and when they died it was believed they rose up with the other gods, so they had to have all their belongings, riches, and body parts buried with them so they’d have them in the afterlife. Another example of religion is the rituals that took place before the mummy was put into the tomb. To help the mummy get to the afterlife, prayers and spells were said as a blessing on safe travels, to make sure they went to the right place, and so they would live a good life after death. A third example is how the whole pyramid is based off of religion. The Great Pyramid is like a giant graveyard for one person, with lots of rooms connected by elaborate tunnels, sort of like all the holes for coffins in a graveyard, where the mummy rested in their sarcophagus and waited to be sent to the afterlife. These religious aspects definetly prove that The Great Pyramid of Giza shows that ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization. Khufu’s Great Pyramid also shows that writing was definetly one of the traits that helps prove ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization. One example of writing in the pyramid is the hieroglyphics on the walls. Scribes, who wrote down everything in ancient Egypt, wrote down stories about the afterlife and things about the gods on the passage walls in hieroglyphics. Another example of writing is how the scribes kept records on the construction of the pyramids. The scribes wrote down how much stone was delivered and used, how much work was done, how much food and shelter was used for builders, how much pay each worker got, and how much it would cost for all the materials, so that the pharaoh could find out all the details of his biggest project. A final example of writing in the Great Pyramid is the Pyramid Texts in the burial chambers.Pyramid Texts were prayers and rituals that were enscribed on the chamber walls to help the deceased pharaoh get through judgement and live happily in the afterlife. These examples of writing definitely show that the Great Pyramid of Giza proves Ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization. The Great Pyramid shows that a social structure was absolutely one of the traits ancient Egypt had that helps prove it was an advanced civilization. One example of a social structure in the pyramid is how they were only built for the pharaoh and his/her family. The royal family was at the top of the social pyramid, showing that they were known to everyone and themselves as the best , so they got the best. A second example of a social structure in the pyramid is how it was built by the peasants. The peasants were of the lowest class on the social pyramid, and were thought of as the least, so they had to do the most dangerous, dirty, and difficult things in the pyramid construction process. A final example of how the Great Pyramid shows Egypt was an advanced civilization is how the construction was directed by government officials. Government officials were the highest people after the pharaoh in the social pyramid, so the pharaoh trusted them to make sure everything was in order with the construction, since they were of the second highest class. These examples of a social structure definitely help show that the pyramid provs ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization. Pharaoh Khufu’s incredible Great Pyramid of Giza indoubtly prove that Ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization. They show all seven traits of a civilization, three being religion, writing, and a social structure. For example, writing is shown in the Pyramid Texts, religion is shown in how the whole pyramid is like a giant graveyard for one person, and social structure is shown in how orderly and directed the whole process of building the pyramid was. These traits and ideas fit together in how they all help make the pyramid an example of how Egypt was an advanced civilization. These traits that the pyramid shows can prove that Ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization, but the question is: Do cities in today’s world still have these traits? Do they show examples of the traits to prove they can be classified as a civilization? BIBLIOGRAPHY Compton’s by Brittanica. “The Pyramids.” Compton’s by Brittanica. Vol. 19. Chicago: Encyclopedia Brittanica, 2010. 671. Print. Fitzgerald, Michael G. Personal interview. 13 May 2014. Lasko, Leonard H. “Khufu.” World Book Student. 2014 World Book, 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. <http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar299280>. ­ ­ ­. “Khufu.” World Book. By World Book. Chicago: World Book 2014, 2014. 1. World Book Encyclopedia. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. <http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar299280>. Millard, Anne. Pyramids. New York: Kingfisher, 1996. Print. Morley, Jacqueline. You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Pyramid Builder. New York: Franklin Watts, 2012. Print.