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It was only during the time of the Old
Kingdom that the ancient Egyptians built pyramids to
hold the royal tombs of their kings. Pyramids were huge structures.
Pyramids had storage rooms, courtyards, secret passageways, and all
kinds of fancy traps designed to catch robbers who tried to break into
the pyramid to rob it.
Pyramids were full of treasures. The
average person created grave
goods to take with them to their afterlife. Imagine the
treasures a pharaoh might feel were necessary to bring along!
The first pyramid, the Step Pyramid,
was built around 2700 BCE, nearly 5000 years ago! Pyramid construction
was abandoned after the time of the Old Kingdom. It was simply too
easy to find a pyramid. Grave robbers knew exactly where the pharaohs
were buried, and thus knew exactly where to find riches and wealth. If
you were caught, the penalty for grave robbing was death.
The ancient Egyptians did not simply
build a pyramid, bury a pharaoh, and walk away. A whole city grew up
around a pyramid during its construction. These cities were called
pyramid cities.
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