Do I have to go to Egypt, Greece and Rome to discover ancient civilisations? No!
If ancient civilisations are your thing, then British Museum, Great Russell street,is the jewel in London’s crown. This is an amazing collection of historical objects dating from the prehistoric times onwards. You will see a preserved Iron Age Body, a collection of Egyptian mummies both human and anima, as well as Anglo-Saxon treasure. You will be stunned by objects from civilisations that you have not come across before and by the detailed craftsmanship and artwork.
The Great Sphinx, was it built by Djedefre or Khafre. Could it be a story of intrigue, murder, mystery and more? When one thinks of famous historical monuments to visit in the world, the Sphinx will always near the top of the list, especially when a visit to the Sphinx will take in the stunning pyramids nearby. At 245 feet long (75.5 metres) and 65 feet tall (20metres) it is a very large statue although it is somewhat belittled by the pyramids behind it. Who built the tallest pyramid? Khafre’s pyramid at first sight looks taller than Khufu’s Great Pyramid but this is an optical illusion, mainly because it was built on higher land.
The Great Pyramid should be on your "bucket list" but why not see it now? Great Pyramid, is the first and only existing one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”. It was originally 481 feet tall but now is only 451 ft due to losing its top 30feet. It was built by Pharaoh Khufu known as Cheops by the Greeks, who was the second king of the 4th dynasty, ruling from 2589-2566 BC. It was built to be Khufu’s monumental tomb and his vehicle to the afterlife but when his sarcophagus was opened it was empty. It was yet another robbed burial place.Oddly, when you see it next to his son, Khafre’s pyramid, it looks smaller but this is due to Khafre’s being built on a higher part of the plateau. Possibly, out of deference to his father, Khafre’s is smaller. Khufu’s pyramid was the highest building on the planet for the next 4000 years!
Pharaoh Sneferu, is seen by many as the greatest ever pyramid builder. He ruled Egypt from 2613-2589 and was the first pharaoh of the fourth dynasty. He went down in history as the man who built 3 pyramids, the “Medium Pyramid”, the “Bent Pyramid” and the “Red Pyramid”. Unfortunately, the first two presented Sneferu and Neferma’at, his eldest son, vizier and architect, with big problems but to their credit, they had a third attempt and constructed the Red Pyramid. This was the first “true pyramid” with straight sides and a square base. When people refer to a pyramid, this is what is envisaged.
The amazing stepped pyramid is a major turning point in Egyptian and arguably, world history. It is a turning point because it led to one hundred pyramids being built in Egypt and it is the first monumental stone building in the world. To build pyramids, required a huge workforce and an economic system to support the construction, the builders and to finance it all. When completed, it would have been stunning close up and being 60 m high, it could be seen for miles around and therefore, leave a lasting impression that this was a monument built for an awesome king. Today, when one thinks of Egypt, one thinks of pyramids and this was the first. Before it, pharaohs were buried in the ground and later on, in “mastabas”, small, low level, mud brick constructions, that lacked conveying any form of status. From now on pyramids were to be seen, not as a pharaoh’s last resting place but as a popular TV programme has put it, a resurrection machine.
In this post, you will see photos from Tutankhamen’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, an exact replica of his tomb at Howard Carter’s house, the tomb of Ay (also in in the Valley of the Kings), the next pharaoh who is believed to occupy the tomb that was meant for Tutankhamen and from the Cairo Museum, soon to be moved to the new and amazing, Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza. You will read about his tomb, his artefacts, his mummy and his brief life. The last section of the post will give you essential information to make your visit trouble free, comfortable and as awesome as possible.
Why you should go to see Rameses II at the British Museum. A concise account of key details on Rameses II, considered the greatest pharaoh of them all. Seeing key sculptures of Rameses II at the British Museum.
Your first view of Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple at Deer el-Bahari will leave you stunned. What an amazing place with some people believing that this is the most beautiful of all the Egyptian temples. Hatshepsut, was to become a royal princess, the “Great Royal Wife”, Queen of Egypt, Queen Regent of Egypt and finally, Pharaoh in her own right, despite not being male. She was to wear the royal kilt of a pharaoh, the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt, as well as a false beard just like all other Pharaohs. Many egyptologists believe that she was an astute and wise leader who had the ability to choose good advisers. To leave her mark, she did not only build her mortuary temple, she also erected 4 obelisks at the Karnak temple in Luxor. The red granite obelisks weighed up to 250 000 tons and had to use 27 boats to move them from Aswan in the south.