The extraordinary mysteries of the pyramids - revealed From the development of monumental architecture around 3,000 BC to the fabulous edifices that rose up from the desert plains of Giza, these are amongst the most remarkable structures in world history. Their story has given rise to a set of incredible legends: spaceships, ley lines, mysterious goings on... Is it fact or fiction? Joyce Tyldesley, writer, lecturer and broadcaster on Ancient Egypt, cuts away modern myth and prejudice to reveal the truth behind these astonishing structures. The Old Kingdom pharaohs believed that death was the beginning of eternal life. To help them on their way they built pyramids; huge ramps or stairways charged with the most potent magic, leading directly to the sky. Pyramids chronicles how and why Egypt's pharaohs built on so grand a scale, and shows how the pyramids helped to build Egypt itself. ‘A fascinating survey... For anyone who wants to know about pyramids, this is required reading’ Spectator ‘Tyldesley sets out to fill the gap between Egyptologists’ reserve, the excesses of tour guides and misinformed traditions... [she] should be required reading.’ Sunday Times

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1840 Excerpt: ...writers, and to that contained in a book called "Morat-Alzeman," that they were built by Joseph, by Nimrod, by Queen Dalukah, or by kings of Egypt, to guard against the consequences of the flood; that they were the sepulchres of King Saurid, of King Hougib, and of Fazfarinoun, son of Hougib; or that, according to the Sabeans, the Great Pyramid was the sepulchre of Seth. In the third chapter, he considers more immediately for what purpose the Pyramids had been constructed, and states his belief that they were tombs; and he mentions, in support of this opinion, the testimonies of several antient and Arabian authorities, and cites, more particularly, the existence of a Sarcophagus in the Great Pyramid. The enormous magnitude of these buildings he conceives to have been intended for the security of the bodies entombed, whose preservation was supposed to have been connected with the existence of the soul: and in further support of this idea, he refers to the custom of embalming; and, amongst other quotations and references, to the assertion of Plato, that this connexion between the soul and the body, and the wonderful preservation of the latter by artificial means, prove how firmly a belief in the immortality of the former existed in the earliest ages. He then alludes to the different modes of embalming, and to the funeral rites performed by the Egyptians; and observes that embalming was evidently in use in the tim; of Joseph, and remarks that the Hebrews are said, by Tacitus, to have, in many respects, 7 The Third Pyramid could scarcely have been finished in seven years. imitated the Egyptians in these matters. He considers that, in a passage of that author, "condere" was inserted by mistake, instead of " condire;"8 and that embalm...

An army officer and politician, Richard William Howard Vyse (1784-53) also made his mark as an Egyptologist. This three-volume work, published in 1840-2, has remained an instructive resource in Egyptology up to the present day. Adopting the style of a journal, with illustrations and diagrams throughout, it narrates in detail his excavations at Giza, surveying and measuring the pyramids. Following Vyse's return to England, the work was continued by the engineer and surveyor John Shae Perring (1813-69). Vyse gives observations of his travels, and of the landscape, people and architecture he encountered, as well as details of the important work he carried out. Most notable was his discovery, using gunpowder, of four new chambers in the Great Pyramid containing 'quarry marks' - graffiti by the pyramid builders. Volume 2 (1840) contains detailed descriptions of the excavation of several pyramids and their contents, and appendices with extensive measurements.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1840.

The Israelites had lived in the shadow of the Pyramids for 400 years and the Exodus was supposed to liberate them from that shadow. Yet, Yahweh knew that the shadows cast were not simply physical, but spiritual, emotional and social. God’s instructions in Deuteronomy were designed to remove every trace of their slavery mindset. Our journey through Deuteronomy explores the liberation God offered, and how God’s freedom legislation reflects the wider redemption narrative of the Bible. As we stand with the Israelites at the cusp of the promised land, we’ll also reflect on the images that cast shadows over our hearts and how God’s 3000-year-old guidance may still emancipate our modern, unequal society.

How did a people who lived nearly five thousand years ago, who knew neither iron nor bronze and who lacked mastery of elementary rules of calculation, manage to construct enormous stone structures with a precision seldom matched even by modern architecture? By one of the world's leading Egyptologists, The Pyramids sets our knowledge of these unique, haunting and perennially fascinating edifices into the context of ancient Egyptian culture and politics.