Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-11-27
BOW THE PYRAMIDS WERE BUILT.
Brugsch Bey. the eminent Psychologist,

Brugsch Bsy, the eminent Psychologist,
says in his work on Egypt:
From the far distance you see the
! giant forms of the pyramids, as if they
were regularly crystallized mountains,
which the ever.creating nature has called
/ forth from the rock, to lift themselves up
| toward the vault OF heaven. And yet they
are but tombs, built by the hands of men,
which have been the admiration and aston.
ishment alike OF the ancient and modern
world. Perfectly adjusted to the cardinal
points of the horizon, they differ in breadth
and hight, as shown BY the measurements
of the three oldest, as follows l. The
Pyramid of Khufa-bight, $50 70 feet
breadth. 746 feet. 2. Pyramid of Khafra
hight. 447.5 feet breadth, G9075 feet.
| 3. Pyramid OF Menkara-hight, 203 feet
breadth, $50. IS feet.
! The construction of these enormous
masses has long been aninsoluble mystery,
| but later generations have succeeded In
solving the problem. according to their
ancient usages and customs, the Egyptians,
while they still sojourned in health and
spirits, where ever mindful to turn their
looks to the region where the departing Ra
took leave OF life. where the door of the
grave opened where the body, well con-
cealed, az length found rest, to rise again
to new existence, after an appointed Uime
of long, long years, while the soul, though
bound to TIE body, was at liberty TO leave
the grave and return to it in the day
time, in any form it chose. In such be.
lief, it was the custom betimes to dig
the grave III the form of deep shaft in
the rock, and above this eternal dwelling
to raise a snperstructure OF sacriGcial
chambers sometimes only hail, some.
times several apartments-and to adorn
them richly with colored writings and
painted sculptures, as was becoming to a
house of pleasure and joy. The king began
his work from his accession. As soon as
he mounted the throne, the sovereign gave
orders to q nobeman, the master OF all the
buildings OF his land, 20 plan the work and
cut the stone. The kernel of the future
edifce was raised on the limestone coil of
the desert, In the form Of small pyramid
built in steps, of which the well-con.
structed and finished interior formed the
kings eternal dwelling, with his stone sar-
copagus lying on the rocky floor. Let Us
suppose that this first building was finished
while the Pharaoh still lived in the bright
sunlight. A second covering was added,
stone by stone, on the outside of the kerr
mel third to the second, and to this even
fourth and the mass of the giant build
ing grew greater the longer the king en-
ioyed existence. Aud then, at last, when
it became almost impossible to extend the
area of the pyramid further, casing OF
hard stone, polished like glass, and fitted
accurately into the angles of the steps,
covered the vast mass of the sepulchre,
presenting gigantic triangle On each of its
four faces.
More than seventy such pyramids once
rose on the margin of the desert, each
telling of a King OF whom it was at once
the tomb and monument. Had not the
greater number of these sepulchres OF the
Pharaohs been destroyed almost to the
foundation, and had the names of the
builders of these which still stand been &C.
curately preserved, it would have been
easy for the inquirer to prove and make
clear by calculation what was originally,
and OF necessity, the proportion between
the masses of the pyramids and the years
of the reigns Of their respective builders.