When the ancient Greek poet, Antipatr of Sidon, listed the Great Pyramid as one of the seven wonders of the (ancient) world in 2nd century BC, the monument was already c. 2,400 years old. And despite being vandalised through ages (for stone, burial equipment etc.), it is the only of the seven wonders to survive largely intact to date.

While famous on a standalone basis, the Pyramid is a symbol of a vaster mystery, ancient Egypt. Of the six known cradles of civilisation, i.e. places where transition from hunting-gathering to farming began, Egypt is unique in its continuity with the Pharaonic era (unification of Egypt and rule by native dynasties until conquest by Alexander the Great in 323 BC) alone lasting over 3,000 years. Hence, it offers great insights into the early development of human societies. Farming freed many people to become warriors, priests, craftsmen etc. and paved the way for hierarchisation.  Settlement led to tremendous gains for the few at the top (and massive losses for the majority), but still it didn’t change the biggest reckoning of the living: death (only that one now had more time to wonder about it). Hierarchisation and mortuary cult reached a high point in ancient Egypt. For example, the Great Pyramid is made of stones cumulatively weighing the equivalent of 2 million African Elephants (2.3mn blocks x 2.5 tonnes/block). It took > 20 years to build. Such a grand project must have consumed significant population and the kings themselves spent a substatial part of their lives preparing for their death (/afterlife). The risk of a king dying early was to die with an incomplete pyramid (though not all kings made pyramids and they were in vogue only for a period of time; as pharaohs saw the pyramids get vandalised by tomb raiders, the preferred burial method changed, leading to the emergence of the fascinating Valley of the Kings). The pyramids were more than a tomb. They had mortuary temples, courts and chapels to commemorate the reign of Pharaoh (the kings) and celebrate jubilees etc. Such elaborate and dramatic mortuary cult established the king’s authority over the subjects. Bodies were mummified and the accompanying funeral ceremonies were impressively dramatic. Priests wore leopard skin and jackal heads in order to give strength to the dead. After rituals such as opening the mouth (so as to enable the mummy to eat and drink from within coffin), the coffin containig pharaoh’s mummified body would be left in the pyramid (or another form of tomb) along with treasures, mummified food and servants etc. Remains of strangled slaves suggest initially real humans were burried along with the king but later shabti dolls (small figures) were deemed sufficient to look after the king in afterlife. While robbers and scholars vandalised the ‘ever after’ setups of the pharaohs, their efforts didn’t go totally waste as these elaborate burials are a key reason we know so much about the ancient history.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the epitome of all the fascinating tombs (there are many) in ancient Egypt. Built by the 2nd Pharaoh of the 4th dynasty, Khufu, it is part of the wider Giza pyramid complex. It takes about ½ day to explore the complex at a leisurely pace. A plan of the necropolis is below (Image 1).

The Great Pyramid is surrounded by cemeteries on two sides containing tombs of high officials and royal relatives. There are two other large pyramids in the complex belonging to Khufu’s 2nd son Khafre (and this pyramid is also fascinating, almost as tall as the Great Pyramid) and Khafre’s son, Menkaure. In addition, there are a few subsidiary pyramids. Also, the site is home to the Great Sphinx of Giza. Of course, my first stop was the Great Pyramid and I climbed up to the King’s room (from within the Pyramid).

The Great Pyramid not only stands out from the outside, but also has the most intriguing internal structure of all pyramids. It has a series of interconnected rooms and passages. The grand gallery is unique to the Great Pyramid. One can go inside the King’s chamber though not from the original entrance (which was blocked originally with huge stone plugs), but via a lower robber’s tunnel. I found it a bit challenging mainly because I am claustrophobic (and I think this was a test of my limit). Physically also it is tough to get into the King’s chamber because one has to ascent while kneeling down for quite some distance. 

After visiting the Great Pyramid, the ideal way to cover the rest of the site is via a carriage or camel, though I decided to walk in the desert (in Aug heat) because I wanted to take my time and also see various tombs etc. That choice meant I had to forgo reaching a faraway point called panorama which captures the 3 pyramids and the subsidiary pyramids in one shot. I deem the tradeoff worthy because I had a chance to closely inspect the mastaba tombs (Image 4) and visualise various things from my study of the history of ancient Egypt. 

My final stop was the Great Sphinx, a colossal statue with the head of a human and body of a lion. The head most likely represents King Khaefre or his father King Khufu. The evidence is conflicting as it is aligned with Khaefre’s Pyramid (see Image 1) but is built in an area where stone was quarried in Khufu’s time. Regardless of which king it actually represents, it is an epic expression of royal power depicting the king as a supernatural being. I am including a picture I took, but you have to be there to appreciate the magnificence of it. 

After a long toil in the desert, I was very hungry and was in a mood for anything authentic Egyptian. But as I came out of the complex, I noticed only 2 choices by the exit: KFC & Pizza Hut (I went for the latter). We have come a long way in last 5 millenniums in the art of capturing value, from spending a lifetime making a 6mn tonnes monument to create the iconography projecting royal power (and enabling taxation of masses) to franchise business models that create royalty income without an iota of capital investment (I love investing in franchise models though not an investor in Pizza Hut).