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The Great Pyramid at Giza

The Inside

Although we have known about the outside of the pyramid since it was built, it wasn’t until the ninth century that we learned anything about the inside. How did anyone find a way in and when they did, what did they find exactly?

The entrance to the pyramid is in the North side, just to the east of the center. This entrance leads to a passage, sloping downwards, known as the descending passage. The passage ends in an underground chamber, which was never completed.

It appears that after they had started to build the pyramid they changed their minds about where exactly the King was going to be buried. Unlike all of the Pharaohs before him, King Khufu was not going to be buried underground; instead he was to be buried in the center of the pyramid itself. Because they had already built the entrance and descending passage, they built an ascending passage from the roof of the descending one. The ascending passage is very narrow and has a low roof. At the bottom of the passage are three large granite stone blocks. Granite is extremely hard, and difficult to cut, so it was hoped that these stones would stop grave robbers from breaking into the tomb. The outside entrance was hidden by a large limestone block, similar to all the other blocks in the pyramid, so for over 3,000 years nobody knew how to get into it.

Who discovered the entrance?

In the ninth century an Arab ruler, Caliph El Ma’moun, heard stories about treasures hidden inside the pyramid. Among the things believed to be inside were metal that wouldn’t rust and glass that could be bent. He was a very curious fellow, and decided that he had to see these things for himself, so he set off to explore. Well, he didn’t actually set off himself, instead he sent other people to do it for him.

His men had a very hard time finding an entrance. They seemed to know it was on the North side, but not where. Thinking that the Egyptians were very neat, they decided that it was in the middle, and they started to dig. Of course, since it was east of the middle, they were in the wrong place, and couldn’t find a way in. They had dug about 100 feet through solid rock and were getting fed up. They were just close enough, though for all their digging to pay off. Somehow the digging caused a stone in front of the granite blocks at the entrance to the ascending passage to fall. They heard the sound and started digging towards it. Eventually they reached the descending passage. The next day they went into the pyramid again, that is when they found the fallen stone and saw the three granite stones blocking the entrance to the ascending passage. The Ancient Egyptians were right, and the men couldn’t dig through the hard granite. That didn’t stop them, though, they just dug around them.

Up We Go

At the top of the ascending passage two things happen. First there is a horizontal (flat) passage, leading off into another unfinished room. This room is right in the center of the pyramid. El Ma’moun’s men called this the Queen’s Chamber. They thought that it was a room for the Queen to be buried in. This can’t be right though. We know that as soon as a King was buried his tomb was sealed and the entrance was kept secret, so robbers wouldn’t break in. So unless the poor Queen was killed straight after her husband, or worse still, buried alive, then she couldn’t be buried in his tomb. We know the Ancient As Egyptians didn’t kill their Queens or bury them alive we know this room wasn’t meant for her, so Queen’s Chamber isn’t a very good name for it. Since it isn’t finished it is quite likely that the King, or his designers, changed their minds yet again.

Immediately above the entrance to the Queens passage is another passage leading upwards. This passage is much wider than the lower part and is known as the Grand Gallery. It slopes at the same angle as the ascending passage but the roof is higher and more elaborate. Instead of having straight sides, the sides narrow as they go up to the roof, making a sort of an arch. At the top of the grand gallery we finally reach the King’s Chamber, the room in which he was eventually buried.

Inside the room is a large, pink granite sarcophagus. A sarcophagus is the container they put the actual coffin into. The room is covered in smooth granite, and there are two ventilation shafts in the roof, which lead to the outside of the pyramid. The roof of the chamber has five other “rooms” above it. Each is supported by a giant slab of granite. No one is quite sure why they are there, but it is thought that they were built to support the weight of the pyramid, and stop it collapsing into the chamber.

How Do We Know All This?

Nothing was ever written about the inside of the pyramid, or if it was, it has never been found, Everything we know is from looking and measuring and guessing. Some of the interesting theories that have been thought up so far are:
It is possible that the designers intended for the King to be buried in the top chamber all along. However, being cautious, they built other chambers along the way, so that if the King died before the pyramid was completed, there would be a burial place ready for him.
The sarcophagus must have been placed in the pyramid before it was completed, since it is wider than the ascending passage.
The granite stones protecting the entrance must also been placed and stored at the top of the grand gallery, before it was completed, because they are wider than the descending passage. They must have been dropped into place after the King was buried.

Now that brings us to an interesting theory. If someone had to stay behind to drop the stones, how did they get out?
There is another small passage leading from the ascending passage to the descending passage. We think that the workmen who dropped the stones, must have used this to escape from the pyramid, so it is called the escape shaft.

More Mysteries?

One of the things that makes the pyramid so fascinating is the fact that nothing was written about its construction. This means that every now and then somebody comes up with a new theory, and wants to investigate them all over again. Since they are so old they are important treasures, and the Egyptian Government doesn’t allow just anyone to go digging around them. However, if someone can come up with a good idea for investigating them, which doesn’t involve destroying them, the Government gives permission. Some of the most recent ideas have included one to do an ultrasound survey of the pyramid, to discover if there are anymore hidden passages. This hasn’t been done yet, since the experts can’t agree on whether or not it may damage the pyramid.

Who knows how many more secrets will be uncovered in the future?

Now take a 3D graphic tour of the inside of the pyramid.

Flags are used to symbolize many different things. Each of the elements in the flag represents something special. For example, each of the stars in the flag of the United States represents one of the States. The way a flag is displayed can also symbolize something special. A flag flown upside-down is a sign of great distress, and a flag flown at half-mast is a sign of mourning.

Mourning is when we show how sad we are for the death of someone important to us. Flags are normally flown at full-mast. This means that they fly right at the top of the flagstaff. Sometimes, they are flown at half-mast. They are flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning. That is a perfectly good answer to why we fly them at half-mast, but it doesn’t explain the reasons behind it.

When we talk about flying a flag at half-mast people think of flying them half way down the flagstaff. This is how we do it today. In some countries they still follow the old naval traditions from way back in the time of wooden sailing ships. That said that a flag flown at half-mast should be lowered until it is one flag depth below the top of the pole, mast or staff. The reason is that there is room to fly one flag above it. This is a symbol, the flag that should be above it is the “invisible” flag to represent that the person is ‘invisible” or no longer with us. Now in the United States there is a set of rules for exactly how to fly a flag, approved by Congress in 1942. They say that a flag at half-mast should be half way between the top and bottom of the flagstaff.

Another important thing to remember is that the flag represents our country. Our country is more important than any one person. So during the flag ceremony, when the flag is raised, it should be raised ALL the way to the top of the flagstaff, and then lowered to show respect for the dead person. When it is time to remove the flag, it should first be raised to the top of the flagstaff and then lowered and removed. This is to show respect for our country. Our country is more important than any one person or group of people.

The flag is a great symbol of national pride. It should be treated with respect. It should be flown correctly, and when raised and lowered, should not touch the ground. It should only be flown during daylight hours, and should not be flown during weather conditions that may tear or damage it. In special circumstances, and in order to show patriotism, the flag may also be flown at night, provided it is properly illuminated (lit up).

Flags can only be flown at half-mast to represent the death of an important government official. In order to fly it half-mast for any other reason, the President must give his approval. This week the President gave his approval for all flags to be flown at half-mast. It is being flown at half-mast to mourn the deaths of the people who died in New York, Washington, and in the airplane in Pennsylvania. Other countries around the world have also ordered their flags flown at half-mast this week. They want to show the American people that they care about what happened, too.

The
World is Not a Bad Place

Coming Together

Sometimes it seems like the world is a very bad place. Terrible things happen that
scare us and make us sad. When things like this happen, everybody in the
world is sad, not just the people it happened to. Just like at home,
when you are sad, and your Mom gives you a hug, when the world is sad,
everyone gives each other a big hug.

Of course it isn’t really everyone giving everyone a hug, people in England
can’t really hug people in America, their arms aren’t long enough! But people
all around the world are showing, in different ways, how sad they are about what
happened this week.

Countries have flown their flags at half-mast. they have held ceremonies to
show their feelings, and they have stood silent to think about all the other
people.

People all over the world have lit candles for each other, to let everyone
know they care, and they don’t want anyone to be scared. Over the past few days
something amazing has happened, the world has become a very small place. It is
almost as if the people all around the world have held hands together.

People in every continent have shown that they care. Some of the pictures on
the television have been very scary, and you probably haven’t seen too many of
them. You can see some pictures of people around the world showing
how much they care. (This page is VERY slow to load, and you may need to hit
refresh or reload several times to see all of the pictures). None of these
pictures are scary, although they may make you sad. They show you that people
everywhere care. The world is not a bad place; it is a place where people help
each other and where people care about family, friends and complete strangers.

Just like at school, or in the playground, there will always be a few bullies
around who want to make you scared. At school and in the playground you have
many, many friends to help you and to stop you being afraid. The world is just
like that, there are a few bullies who want to make people afraid, but there are
far more of us who are friends and will stick together, so we don’t need to be
afraid of the bullies. We are all friends and will look out for each other.

How about, today, you give a friend a hug and tell them you will look out for
them?

 

A colony is a place ruled by a foreign country. When we think of colonies
we generally think of the colonies ruled by the Europeans, like America,
Australia and Canada. The beginning of these European colonies happened
during a time known as “The Age of Discovery”. Long before
this though, the Romans had colonies as far away as the Middle East.

Roman Colonies

I expect you know all about some Roman colonies. Take for instance the Middle
East. At the time of Jesus it was ruled by the Romans. That is why Jesus was
taken before Pontius Pilate to be tried. Pontius Pilate was the ruler at that
time. They also ruled a great deal of Europe, and you can see many ancient Roman
ruins throughout places like Great Britain. When the Roman Empire was at it’s
strongest, it stretched all the way from England, in the West, to the Persian
Gulf in the East. Considering that they didn’t have firearms, or cannons, and
that they used sailing ships, that was an amazingly large chunk of land for them
to control. Most Historians will agree that it was too big, and that is one of
the main reasons the Roman Empire eventually lost all its power.

European Colonies

Muslims of the Middle East used to send trading caravans to the Far East and
India. They brought back things like exotic spices, perfumes, silk and other
precious items. These caravans weren’t motor homes, of course. A caravan is the
name used to describe a group of people traveling together on a long journey in
search of things to trade. The Muslims used to take camels and horses with them,
in order to carry the goods and themselves. The caravan was the whole thing,
people, horses camels and everything else they took with them.

By the 1400’s the Spanish and Portuguese had a fairly good idea about
navigation, and sailing. They had seen what the Muslims had, and they wanted
some for themselves. They decided that if they could trade directly with the
people of the Far East, they could save money. So they set out to explore. They
had to go by ship, since the Muslims controlled the land routes, and they
weren’t going to give them up without a fight.

Unfortunately, the Europeans didn’t know quite as much about navigation as
they thought. Instead of finding India and the Far East, they found parts of
Africa, and the America’s. When they landed at these places, they tried to do
trade, but finding that they had much better weapons than the native
inhabitants, they became greedy. They decided to take everything, instead of
trading for it.

They weren’t entirely successful in their takeovers, and in some places they
set up trading posts. In the places that they gained control they took what they
wanted, without payment, and ruled over the people there. Not only did they take
goods, but they also took people, as slaves, to work for them.

The Portuguese must have been better at navigation than the Spanish, because
they set up trading posts in South Asia and India as well as Africa and they
took control of parts of South America. The Spanish took control of parts of
North America, and most of Central America.

Once the Spanish and Portuguese started coming home, and boasting of their
riches, the rest of the Europeans thought they had better see if they could do
it, too. Pretty soon the Dutch, the British, and the French had established
colonies and trading posts throughout the world. The countries ruling the
colonies tried to force the people living there to become like them, and adopt
the same religion and customs as the ruling country.

In the beginning the colonies were just a way of getting rich quickly. Once
everyone had colonies, and the industrial revolution began, colonies became far
more important. Having a colony meant you had, more materials for making things,
more people to rule over and more power. So, in the 1800’s they started grabbing
even more land. Everyone wanted to have the biggest and best colonies.

With this increase in colonies, came the dividing up of almost all of Africa,
with everybody getting a little bit. The British took control of India and
Australia. The Dutch took the East Indies (now Indonesia), and the French moved
into Indochina (now Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos). Even the Americans, who had by
then won their independence from Britain, took over the Philippines.

Now read part #2 The
Reasons for Colonization

The Big Dipper was used by escaping slaves to point the way northwards to freedom. The slaves traveled along the underground railway. The Big Dipper can be seen in the Northern Hemishpere and is used to locate the North Star, or Polaris.

The Big Dipper has been used by sailors and travelers, for centuries, to point the way north. It is part of the constellation known as Ursa Major, or the Big Bear. The short arm of the dipper points to the North Star. Sailors in the Southern Hemisphere use the Southern Cross to locate the North Star. This is because they cannot see the Big Dipper.

You can make your own glow in the dark poster of the Big Dipper by following these simple instructions.

Materials:

Black construction paper

A glow-in-the-dark marker

Stick-on glow-in-the-dark stars (optional)

Directions:

Check picture below to see what the Big Dipper looks like.

Copy the shape onto your construction paper. Mark each of the major stars
with the glowing marker, or stick a star on them.

Trace a thin line connecting each of your points.

The end product should look like the picture at the top of this page.

If you cannot get glow-in-the-dark markers, make a trail of glue between the stars, and sprinkle glitter on it, while it is still wet. Excess glitter can be brushed off after the glue dries.

To learn more about the underground railway and what it meant to the slaves, read this article.