Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-09-17
How the Pyramids Were Built.

From the far distance you see the
giant forms OF the pyram IBIS, AS if they
We're regularly crystuilized mountains,
which the eVer-creatiDg nature has
called focth from the rock, to lift them
selves up towards the vaalt of heaven.
And yet they are bat to;nbs built by
the hands of men. which hive been
the admiration aud astonishnent alike
of the ancient and modern world.
Perfectly adjusted to the cardinal
points Of the horizon, they differ in
breadth and height, as shown by the
measurement of the three Oldest, AS fol-
lows: /. The pyramid of khufa,
height, l5J Is IT,. breadth, TAG 1t. 2.
Pyramid of Khafra. height, 447.5 it,,
breadth, go 10 fl. 3. Pyramid of Ne, :
kara, height BOB feet, breadth 352.7S
feet.
The construction of these enormous
masses has long been an insOluble mys-
terry, but later generations have sue
ceeded in solving tue problem. Ac
cording to their ancieAt usages and
customs, the Egyptians, while they
still soiourned IN health and spirits,
were 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, we'll
concealed, at length found rest, to rise
again to new existence, after All ap.
pointed time OF long, long years; while
the soul, though bound to the body,
was at liberty to leave the grave and
return to it during the daytime, in any
form it chose.
In such belief, it was the custom
betimes to dig the grave in the form
Of II deep shaft in the rock. and above
this eternal dwelling to raise super
structure Of sacrifcial chambers,
sometime only hall, sometimes sever
al apartments, and to adOrn them richly
with colored writings and painted
sculptures, as was becoming to house
of pleasure aud Joy.
The King began to work from his
accession. As Soon as he mounted the
throne, the sovereign gave orders tC q
nobleman, the master Of all the build
ings OF his land, to plan the work and
cnt the stone. The kernel of the fu
ture cditice was raised on the lime
stone soil of the desert, in the form of
small pyramid built in steps, of
which the weil-constructed and flash
cd interior formed the Kings eternal
dwelling, with his stone snrcOphagus
lying iu the rocky floor.
Let us suppose that this first build
ing was finished while the Pharaoh
still lived in the bright sunlight. a
second covering was added, stone by
stone, on the outside of the kernel; u
third to this second, and To this even a
fourth; and the mass of the giant build
ing grew greater the longer the King
enjoyed existence. And then, ut last,
when it became almost impossible to
extend the are a 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 u
gigantic triangle on each of its four
faces.
More than seventy such pyramids
once rose on the margin OF the desert,
each telling Of IL king of whom it was
at once the tomb and monument. Had
not the greater number of these sepul.
chres of tho Pharaohs been destroyed
almost to the foundation, and had the
names of the builders Of these which
still stand been accurately preserved,
it would have been easy for the inquir
er to prove and make clear by calcu-
lation what WAS originally and of
necessity the proportion between the
masses Of the pyramids and the years
of the reigns of their respective build
ers. --Brugsch's Egypt.