Sweating under the hot sun. The heat coming down on your face, wishing you had shade and a bottle of water. That is what life was like for the Ancient Egyptian workers. Back about 4000 years ago, the Ancient Egyptians used their building and crafting skills to construct many great things for instance tombs, obelisks, pyramids, and houses. They are all different forms of architecture. The Ancient Egyptians used many different types of tools than we use today. In my opinion it doesn't matter what tools you use, it matters if you get the job done.
How were the pyramids built? Priests needed to study the stars to choose an appropriate building site for the pyramid. They made sure the ground was level. The workers dragged stones for the pyramid from quarries with sledges and ropes. The stones were shaped perfectly by experts who used copper tools for example a chisel. The workers the stacked the stones layer by layer. The workers built platforms that wound around the pyramid so they could drag the stone up them and they could stand on them. Once the pyramid was finished they would create false rooms so if robbers came in they would have a hard time getting to the burial chamber where all of the treasure was. The final touch to the pyramid was adding a layer of limestone on the outside of the pyramid.
What tools did the Ancient Egyptians use to build the pyramids? They used chisels to shape the rocks, mallets, dolerite balls to make holes or indents, hammers, polishing stones to make the pyramid look nice, trowel, level to make sure the stones were level, adze, poning rods, drills to drill holes, plumb rule, plumb line to measure things, carpenter's chisels to shape the gold treasures in the burial chamber, ands saws. Most of the tools were for cutting the stone. The handles for the tools were made out of wood. Metal workers were special types of workers the sharpen dull tools and create new ones.
What was the purpose of building all of the pyramids? A pyramid was a tomb (place that people got buried in Ancient Egypt) for a pharaoh. A pharaoh is a ruler of Ancient Egypt. The pyramids were built from 2700 B.C to 1750 B.C. At first the Ancient Egyptians used stone to build the pyramids but then they started to use mud bricks with a outer layer of limestone.
How did the Ancient Egyptians build the tombs? Just like pyramids, priests studied the stars to choose a tomb site. They had to make sure they didn't run into any of the old tombs that they already built. The workers dug away sand and loose rock with wooden mallets. When they ran out of mallets, other workers used baskets to tow away the scraps leftover from the people who used the mallets inside the work site. Their source of light was torches aflame. The rest of the workers smoothed the walls, floor, and roof following the stonecutters. After the workers that smoothed the walls had finished their job, painters would come in and paint the walls.
What did the houses look like that wealthy people lived in? They had many rooms. The houses were white. They were built around a courtyard filled with plants and sometimes a pond. On top of their housed decorations were painted. They had wooden doors and small windows that were placed high up. The windows had wooden shutters.
What did the houses look like that poor people lived in? The houses were white with four or five rooms. Instead of windows they had holes to let light in and cool off. The roofs were flat. The people spent most of their time on the roof. They would cook and eat on the roof. For shade they had awnings or plants grown over a frame.
What is an obelisk and how were they built? An obelisk is a four-sided structure mad out of only one piece of granite! Almost all of the Ancient Egyptian obelisks had inscriptions or hieroglyphics carved into them. The inscriptions on an obelisk were carved with a tool that looks something like a carving knife and a chisel put together. At the top of an obelisk there is somewhat of a small pyramid.
