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2. These monuments celebrated the divinity of the kings of Egypt,
linking the people with the great gods of earth and sea.
3. The world’s first large-scale monument in stone is Zoser’s necropo-
lis at Sahara, built it 2766 B.C.

4. During the prosperous period known as the Middle Kingdom for-
tresses were built to defend the southern and western borders.
5. Features characteristic of the ancient Egyptian architecture also in-

clude the obelisk, the steeply battered pylon, the symbolical lotus column,
and incised relief decoration without any structural relevance.

VI. It is interesting to know…

The pyramids were not built by slaves. The life of a pyramid builder
certainly wasn’t easy-skeletons of workers commonly show signs of arthri-

tis and other ailments - but evidence suggests that the massive tombs were
built not by slaves but by paid laborers. These ancient construction
workers were a mix of skilled artisans and temporary hands, and some

appear to have taken great pride in their craft. Graffiti found near the
monuments suggests they often assigned humorous names to their crews
like the “Drunkards of Menkaure” or the “Friends of Khufu.” The idea that

slaves built the pyramids at the crack of a whip was first conjured by the
Greek historian Herodotus in the fifth century B.C., but most historians
now dismiss it as myth. While the ancient Egyptians were certainly not
averse to keeping slaves, they appear to have mostly used them as field

hands and domestic servants.

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