We already established the purpose of the pyramids – to guide the kings’ and pharaohs’ souls into the afterlife. Egyptians seemed to have been obsessed with the afterlife. Therefore, they considered that life after death entailed returning to our origins.
However, unlike life on Earth, the ancient Egyptians maintained that life in the next world would be free from suffering and anguish of any kind.
The Tombs of the People
Mastabas were small tombs with flat tops that contained their hidden chambers underground. However, it was not pharaohs who were buried in these tombs, but their loyal subjects. They were not as important to have their own pyramids, but they were given a place to rest in the flat-topped Mastabas.
Pharaohs wanted to bury their loyal subjects because they believed they would help and tend to them in the next world. Another popular Egyptian belief was that the dead needed to be guided so that their soul could move on to the afterlife.
The First Pyramid Architect
Many people are familiar with Imhotep, the famous character from the acclaimed movie, "The Mummy." And it was Imhotep who designed the first Egyptian pyramid. Imhotep was one of the most notable architects of his time, and he was also the chief minister of Djoser.
Imhotep outlined and planned the pyramid from the first blocks to the top. Because of this, King Djoser appreciated him so much that he authorized a statue to present Imhotep's name in the King's court, which was an honor like no other at the time.
The Hieroglyphics
We often associate hieroglyphics with the Egyptian pyramids, even though hieroglyphics were never encountered inside the pyramids. But there are chambers that are so small that only tiny robots can enter and explore them and a recent finding by one of these robots presented evidence of what seemed to be hieroglyphics.
The robot with a camera attached was able to capture footage of what looked like the first-ever hieroglyphics found within a pyramid. Maybe these symbols could explain and clarify some of the mysteries attached to these ancient remains.
Could the Pyramids Tell Time?
The pyramids' incredible design was also planned in such a way that it wouldn't cast any shadows at noon. In other words, the Great Pyramid was not only an immemorial tomb but also a sundial, and it is one of the most complicated sundials ever built.
Sundials were used as one of the earliest objects to tell time. These age-old clocks would cast a shadow based on the sun's position and tell the time as accurately as the contemporary clocks we have today. What is positively startling is that ancient people succeeded in building such a large pyramid and using it as a sundial.