Hi guys.

I hope you enjoyed looking at all the facts about pyramids as much as I did. There was a lot to discover, wasn't there?

But here's what I made of it. See if you agree.

First, here are the key ideas:

1. The pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom, the earliest part of Egyptian times.
2. The first pyramid belonged to King Djoser. It was built in steps.
3. One pyramid has a sphinx in front of it. It has the face of King Khafre.
4. A royal boat was buried next to the pyramid to get the king to heaven.
5. Dead people were mummified because the Egyptians believed the dead person would need their body in the afterlife.

Pyramids are enormous buildings that were built to hold the tombs of very powerful kings, called pharaohs.

Most of the really famous pyramids were built during one of the earliest parts of Ancient Egyptian history, called the Old Kingdom.

We still sometimes build special buildings containing tombs today. They are called mausoleums, and you may have seen one in a cemetery.

But the Egyptian pyramids were gigantic.

In fact, the Great Pyramid was the tallest building made by humans for thousands of years.

So why did the Egyptians build pyramids?

Well, the idea seems to have grown gradually.

The earliest Egyptians could bury a dead person in the sand. But Egyptians came to believe very strongly in life after death. They believed the dead person would need their body in the afterlife.

So it became important to preserve the body.

That's why important dead people were made into mummies.

Important people were also buried in tombs made from mud brick or stone.

Then an adviser to Pharaoh Djoser, called Imhotep, had a much grander idea.

A powerful ruler ought to have a great monument.

So Djoser's tomb was built upwards in a series of huge steps.

That's why we call it the Step Pyramid.

And pyramids are actually a very clever shape for building something enormous. Most of the weight presses down and inwards. But the angle matters. Make the sides too steep and the pyramid can become unstable.

Once pharaohs began building pyramids, each ruler could try to build something even more impressive.

Eventually we get to Khufu.

Khufu ordered the building of the Great Pyramid at Giza.

By this time the pharaoh was an enormously powerful ruler with an important religious role. Khufu had the power and resources to organise a project on an astonishing scale.

His pyramid required millions of stone blocks and a huge organised workforce.

Then came Khafre, who ordered another great pyramid at Giza.

Near it is one of the most famous monuments in the world — the Great Sphinx.

It has the body of a lion and the head of a man. The face may represent Khafre, although after thousands of years it has been badly damaged, so we cannot be completely certain.

And remember that Egyptians believed death was not the end.

Pharaohs needed to continue into the afterlife.

That helps explain another amazing discovery.

Royal boats were buried near the pyramids. Boats had an important religious meaning and could help the pharaoh on his journey in the next world.

Some pyramids also contain narrow shafts pointing outwards. Some of them point towards important stars.

Isn't that amazing?

So, just to remind you, here are the key ideas again:

1. The pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom, the earliest part of Egyptian times.
2. The first pyramid belonged to King Djoser. It was built in steps.
3. One pyramid has a sphinx in front of it. It has the face of King Khafre.
4. A royal boat was buried next to the pyramid to get the king to heaven.
5. Dead people were mummified because the Egyptians believed the dead person would need their body in the afterlife.

Now, everything you need for the questions is in what I've just told you.

You can listen to me again, or read my story while you answer.