The pyramids of Egypt were considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world; and, in
fact, are the only one of these wonders still standing. In ancient times as in modern, thousands of
visitors have journeyed to Egypt to behold the architectural feats. However, what is not
commonly understood is that the pyramids, like all Egyptian tombs, were constructed for the sole
purpose of providing a link between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Everything
about the Egytian tomb is permeated with cosmological significance whether it is afterlife belief,
structure of the world, or a reaffirmation of the role of the gods in the living and spirit worlds.The following sections will discuss the development of the Egyptian tomb, along with the cosmological significance of its furnishings and wall paintings. The text has been provided by the instructor and from A.J. Spencer, Death in Ancient Egypt (London: Penguin Books, 1982) and images have been assembled from a variety of sources. As you view the images bear in mind that the places and objects in the pictures are between 3,500 and 7,000 years old and it is only the luck of the dry Egyptian climate and the will of the Egyptian people to survive time that we are able to view them today.
This image shows the Great Sphinx and the Pyramids of Chephren at Giza illuminated from the front as the sun sets in the background.
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Last revised: Jan. 18, 1998