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"Egypt I: Arts" Cylinder for Portable Planetariums

Upper Pole	More Important Topics of Cylinder	Lower Pole
	Egyptian Pyramids, Temples, Tombes, The Queen´s Pyramids, Micerinos´Pyramid, Red Pyramid, Pyramids Construction - Ramp Tipes, Pyramid of Meidum, Complex of Keops, The Staggered Pyramid of Sauiet Al-Arian, Abu Simbel, Riveras of the Nile, Grave of Amenhotep II, Funeral complex of Shepseskaf (Mastabet the-Faraun), Grave of Khentkaus in Gizeh, Grave of Dewen, Plane of the Grave, Rhomboid Pyramid, Egyptian Temples, Grave of Ramsés III, The Sphinx of Giza, Tomb of Tutankhamon, Temple of Karnak, Luxor.


The Queen´s Pyramids
	In this virtual restauration of the necropolis of Pepi II, the comparison between the pyramid of the king and queen´s, it turns out to be quite generous, because in fact its surface represents just 1/10 of the Pharao´s. The VI dinasty suposed a stopping on the evolution of the pyramids build for queens. The queen grave was situated at the feet of her consort king, with the entrance looking at
king´s pyramid. The funeral complex wasn´t endowed with nor a Temple of the Valley nor a processional ramp. The queen´s temples reproduced, in lower scale, the king´s temple, coinciding both in the disposition of their elements.


Micerinos
	This image shows the Micerinos´pyramid with the rests of the funeral temple, the cult pyramid, and the queens´pyramids. Inside the Micerinos´pyramid, there´s a rock chamber with six niches, maybe to hoard the gifts.


Red Pyramid
	The North Pyramid or Red Pyramid of Snefru in Dasur can be seen with the entrance almost 30 metres high in the nort side. Is the red color of the central stones what gives its name. The bright covering of white limestone of the pyramid had been extracted in the Middle Age. This drawing represents the caractheristic structures of the pyramid´s complex. In the image can be seen the Temple of the Valley, The
Highway, The Funeral Temple, the Main pyramid, the little Cult pyramid and the Protection Wall.

Pyramids Construction - Ramp Tipes

To transport the enormuos stones to build the pyramid, which reach to weight 15 tn and could be bigger than 50 metres, probably diferent kinds of ramps could have been used.

The theories known tells that the most common were straight or spiral ramps.

This ramps were made of adobe y recycled materials: useless rocks, wood and sand, etc.

The straight ramps should get longer as well as the pyramid grew in size and height, to keep a functional slope.

The spiral ramps could start as in the sides of the pyramid as in the ground, in which case it would have supported in the face of the pyramid, as a great evolve with a surface that gets higher and higher.

Anyway, if it had evolved all the pyramid, it would have been a problem: they would have had to control the square and the slope of the pyramid as it grew its height.

If ancient builders have chosen the spiral ramps, itwould had been necesary to let the surpassing stones of the covering to turn in diagonal crossing the face of the pyramid to allow the surface of the ramp to get higher.

Well now, all the posibilities about the ramps find problems close to the top of the pyramid, where the slope is more accentuatedand where the sides of the pyramid become too thin to bear a ramp from one corner to the next.


Workers Squads
	The job was realized by workers squads, who where not slaves, and receive a salary from the government. As soon as the groups of work were established one was proceeding to extract the stones of the quarries. The system of stone extraction was depending on his grade of hardness. For the very hard rocks they were resorting to the system of submitting them to a sudden change of temperature. Another method was to reduce the area by means

of the tracing of a network of small trenches up to reaching the depth adapted to extract it. Workers' different bands were raising the stones blocks for the different ramps.


The instruments of the builders
	To cut the hard stone a stone peak, chisels and hammers were used. The soft stones were carved by saws of copper and the finishing touches that were doing the wooden maces of conical head. The orientation was measuring itself and determining by means of diverse instruments, the
plummets, the merjet, and the bay.


The Narria
	Heavy stones blocks were moving in narrias, that a group of workers were moving dragging them for haulage, since the Egyptians did not know the wheel and his application to the car up to spent thousand years of the construction of the big pyramids.


Pyramid of Meidum
	Snefru constructed his first two pyramids still with form of staggered pyramids, in Meidum. His first funeral complex was including one enormous staggered pyramid. Towards the end of this length reign, Snefru modernized this staggered pyramid, changing his form into that of an authentic pyramid. The form of the staggered pyramid has his roots in the previous dynasty, the IIIrd; nevertheless,
there were important innovations contributed by the orientation of the complex of the pyramid, following the course of the sun, as well as for the system of funeral chambers. In Meidum, the funeral temple was a small sanctum placed to the east of the pyramid with two wide and high stelas that were replacing and representing physically the king, who had not been buried in Meidum.


Phases of construction of the pyramid of Meidum
	A. The first staggered pyramid, of seven steps, B. The second phase, with a height of eight steps (85 m), C. Third phase, authentic pyramid. Never completed a. Entry, b. Descending broker and c. Funeral rooms


Staggered pyramid of Meidum
	A. Entry B. Descending broker C. Funeral room and D. Recent accumulation for the stone extraction in ancient and modern times.


Complex of Keops
	These three small pyramids that they usually attribute to the queen of Keops are aligned of north to south, I joust on the outside of the wall East of the Big Pyramid. The drawing shows the reconstrución of three pyramids, and the low ones show the drawing of the pyramids in which there is seen the step that leads to the chamber, with a curve in
straight angle that he leads to the funeral chamber


The Staggered Pyramid of Sauiet Al-Arian
	This one drew sample a hypothetical reconstruction of the pyramid belonging to the Third Dynasty. They can turn the underground brokers who drive to the funeral chamber, and the real dimensions of the pyramid today. The pyramid reaches almost 18 m, y the brokers hipogeos lead to a funeral chamber without sarcofagus or indications
of burial.


Abu Simbel
	Four big statues sedentes of the Pharaoh Rameses II of almost twenty-one meters high, in groups of two, preside at the frontage of the temple. In them, the king turns out to be touched with the double crown of the High place and Under Egypt. On the entry of the temple an ornacina was opened where a
statue of Re-Haractes was placed grasping others two symbols that compose one of the names of the Pharaoh: a figure of Maat and a scepter user.


Map of the Nile with Principal Locations
	A stripe of grounds flooded by the rises of the Nile sustained a civilization during more than three thousand years. The surrounding desert was protecting Egypt of any foreign invasion. In this fragment there is observed part of the High Egypt.


Grave of Amenhotep II
	The grave presents the plant in L characteristic of the dynasty the XVIIIth, although it was possessing, as innovations, the room of the ritual well and a sepulchral rectangular chamber, which was differentiating the chamber of the sarcofagus and the room of the props.


Funeral complex of Shepseskaf (Mastabet the-Faraun)
	Belonging to the penultimate king of the dynasty the IVth. Constructed in the south zone of Saqqara, it was measuring 95 m long, 67 m wide and 18 m high. His form was consisting of frontages of earring covered with lime thin stone, and a stripe of granite of the low part
of the same ones. The plant of the funeral chamber has form of T. After the descending alley there is another horizontal alley, to which they continue three grooves for rake and a broker who drives to an anteroom, which in his western side opens to itself the mortuary chamber.


Grave of Khentkaus in Gizeh
	The queen mother Khentkaus, relative of Keops, is a personage of ends of the dynasty IV surrounded with big mystery. Placed in field central of Gizeh, it is not associated with any
real pyramid, against what they were dictating the traditions of this one. Had been arranged the top structure of this monument in two differentiated levels. In the first one of them, the nucleus of the lime stone had been worked following the model of a mastaba, to be later an emptying and decorated in his southern end with a palatine frontage. About this nucleus, the stonemasons had reduced the level of the soil approximately ten meters. It is possible that later there was joining a built volume of approximately 8 meters high. This new form took the aspect of a giant sarcofagus as as that of Mastabet - The Faraun, and precisely because of the similarity between both structures, a big number of historians makes sure that this queen could have been the wife of Shepseskaf. In the second phase of construction, the totality of the volume was covered with lime stone, in addition to was built a chapel faced to this one. There exist three chambers that in the past were decorated. A short sloping alley goes down from the chamber of gifts up to the mortuary chamber, which was constructed by granite. Outside, the funeral complex was surrounded by an enclosure, in whose margin south-west there was a naval pit. In this monument the avenue does not seem to be associated with a temple of the Vale. For his perception and original place this monument supposes a perfect example of the final phase of the development that reached the cemetery of the fourth dynasty of Gizeh. Had been arranged the top structure of this monument in two differentiated levels. In the first one of them, the nucleus of the lime stone had been worked following the model of a mastaba, to be later an emptying and decorated in his southern end with a palatine frontage. About this nucleus, the stonemasons had reduced the level of the soil approximately ten meters. It is possible that later there was joining a built volume of approximately 8 meters high. This new form took the aspect of a giant sarcofagus as as that of Mastabet - The Faraun, and precisely because of the similarity between both structures, a big number of historians makes sure that this queen could have been the wife of Shepseskaf. In the second phase of construction, the totality of the volume was covered with lime stone, in addition to was built a chapel faced to this one. There exist three chambers that in the past were decorated. A short sloping alley goes down from the chamber of gifts up to the mortuary chamber, which was constructed by granite. Outside, the funeral complex was surrounded by an enclosure, in whose margin south-west there was a naval pit. In this monument the avenue does not seem to be associated with a temple of the Vale. For his perception and original place this monument supposes a perfect example of the final phase of the development that reached the cemetery of the fourth dynasty of Gizeh.

Grave of Dewen

The funeral complex of Dewen, occupies an area of 40 for 55 m.

This funeral central chamber of the king is surrounded per cent forty four secondary graves, for servants and dogs, as well as for three stores for pitchers of wine.

Plane of the Grave

A. Real Chamber. B. Principal stairs. C. Secondary graves. D. Stores. E. Annex with statue. F. Chamber


Grave of Nefertari


Grave of Ramsés III
	This burial was following the typical structure of the graves of the dynasty the XIXth: a longitudinal axis, in which stays and corridors happen. In this occasion, the subsidiary
chambers of the room of the sarcofagus were located in the corners. The walls of the grave of Ramsés III were decorated by sunken reliefs and paintings. In the attached chambers there were represented scenes of the daily life: the real navy, harpists tañendo his musical instruments or scenes of the real treasure.

The Sphinx of Giza

The Sphinx is not a part preceptuada of the pyramids and, in fact, although he seems to keep the temple of the vale and other smaller that it has to his feet, it is concebida actually as lookout of the whole necropolis of Giza.

The head been inspired by that of Kefrén, takes the nemes, the royal veil with the ureus on the front and the false beard in the chin, beard that has disappeared as the nose and that a statue of Kefrén of píe, which was showing in front of the breast.

His pure dimensions should have transmitted a tremendous importance and spirituality.

Nevertheless, in his union with the body of the lion there is according to Henry Fisher, " an indication of change of form, of metamorphosis, which is adapted for the king, who is the only one that constitutes the tie between the humanity and the gods and is constantly on the threshold of both worlds ". Reconstruction of the profile of the Sphinx, and of the temple of the Sphinx.

A. Sanctum East. B. Statues about the open court. C. Sanctum West. D. Top patio of the Sphinx. E. Temple of the Vale on the South. F. Walls of the Avenue of Kefrén along the South face of the pit of the Sphinx.


The Grave of Tutankhamen
	Excavated in the rock of the Vale of the Kings, the grave where Tutankhamón was buried was not constructed for real use. His architectural structure suggests that it was projected as private grave and that he adapted himself to bury there the Pharaoh.
The simplicity of the grave constrasta with the wealth of the funeral trousseau. The scenes represented in the walls allude to the transport of the sarcofagus in the funeral procession, to the reception that the gods dispensan to the Pharaoh and to the trip for the underground world.


Temples
	The temples of Mentuhotep II Nebhepetre of the dynasty XI and of Tutmosis III and of Hatshepsut of the dynasty XVIII were built below the prominent peak known in Arab as El-Qum (The Horn). This emplacement perhaps was chosen because the pyramidal form of the mountain had the same symbolism as the authentic pyramids constructed in previous epochs.


Temple of Karnak
	The temple of Karnak, together with that of Luxor it was the principal center of worship of the ancient city of Tebas. It was constituted by multitude of chapels, portals, courts, temples, and other buildings not related to the religion. It is the biggest of the world dedicated to only one god. The set consists of three separated, embattled centers each one for a wall of raw bricks. The biggest, which is in the
center and occupies an extension of approximately 30 hectares (the sanctum of Amón) is that Diodoro of Sicily affirms to be the most ancient temple of Tebas. It is also the one that better has survived. The most extraordinary part is undoubtedly the imposing room hipóstila, acquaintance as the Stone forest. The set of Karnak includes also a sacred lake of 120 meters long in which, as Herodoto writes, the priests were fulfilling the night rites. The temple of Amón is faced according to a double axis this west and north - south; the axis this west, which he understands from the first one to the sixth pilono, it was following the trajectory of the sun and was symbolizing the solar and celestial axis. The axis north - south, which includes from the seventh one to the tenth pilono, was parallel to the course of the Nile and it was indicating the real or terrestrial axis.


Luxor
	Luxor, ancient Tebas, capital of the Egyptian empire. For political and geographical reasons, Tebas was receiving little by little importance during the dynasty X up to transforming in the capital of the Pharaohs of the New Empire. There the god Amón was venerated by sumptuous ceremonies in triad by Mut and Khonsu. To every victory, new and grand temples were erected in honor of the god. The ancient Egyptian capital was divided by a channel, to the south of which Luxor arose, while to the north the people of Karnak was spreading.
The temple of Luxor, sanctum of ka, measures 260 meters long and it was begun by Amenofis III and finished by Ramsés II. Is joined to the temple of Karnak by a long avenue adorned with sphinxes with head of ram, replaced by sphinxes with human head during the dynasty XXX.