unit the great pyramid of giza 1 -...
TRANSCRIPT
Unit
1The Great Pyramid of Giza
Located in Egypt
1616
q The Great Pyramid of Giza, completed around 2551 BC after twenty
years of labor by thousands of workers, is a tomb. For thirty-eight
centuries, it was the tallest and arguably1 the most impressive structure
on Earth. It was built to protect the dead body of one man. His name
was Khufu.
w Who was Khufu and what did he do to deserve such a big tomb?
Khufu, also known as Cheops, was a pharaoh.2 He ruled ancient Egypt
during the years 2589 to 2566 BC. It was a big job. Khufu had lots of
power and lots of responsibilities. Then he died.
e When you’re dead, are you done?
Not according to the ancient Egyptians.
They believed in life after death. But
crossing over to the afterlife3 was not an
easy process. For starters, the body had
to be preserved.4 Poor Egyptians had
themselves buried in the sand and hoped for the best. Rich Egyptians
spared5 no expense. They had themselves mummified.6
r Special workers made the mummies.7 They knew how to use a hook8
1. arguably `3rgj8EbyI adv.
2. pharaoh `f5ro n.
3. afterlife `æft/la6v n.
4. preserve prI`z-v v.
5. spare sp5r v.
6. mummify `m9mIfa6 v.
W O R D L I S T
Track 02
Unit 1 The Great Pyramid of Giza 17
1Partto remove the brain through the nose.
Brains got thrown away—the ancient
Egyptians figured they were a waste of
space. Other organs were salted and stored
in spec ia l ja rs . The hear t was more
important. Considered the source of
emotion and wisdom, it was left in the body.
After the body dried out, it was treated with
special oils and wrapped in cloth. Rich
Egyptians built special tombs to protect their mummies. Everything that
might come in handy9 in the afterlife—food, furniture, salted organs,
games—was placed in the tomb.
t For his tomb, Khufu built the Great
Pyramid of Giza. His pyramid was the
biggest of the big, bigger even than his
father Sneferu’s pyramid, if only by ten
meters (you can be sure that was
intentional). Polished10 white stones
covered the entire pyramid. It was
spectacular.11
Unit 1 The Great Pyramid of Giza 17
7. mummy `m9mI n.
8. hook hUk n.
9. handy `hændI adj.
10. polished `p3lISt adj.
11. spectacular sp5k`tækjEl/ adj.
18
y Everything up until that point—building the tomb, the funeral,
mummification,12 even life itself—all led up to the next and most
important step. After an Egyptian mummy was sealed13 within its tomb,
Osiris, the god of the dead, appeared with 43 helpers. It was time for the
ceremony of judgment known as the Weighing of the Heart. Osiris
weighed the heart on a scale.14 If the heart was pure and light—if it
balanced against a feather—then Osiris opened the way to the afterlife.
But if the heart was not pure—if it was heavy with the weight of bad
deeds—then the demon15 Ammit would come. Ammit had the head of a
crocodile. It was her job to eat impure16 hearts.
u Nobody knows what happened to Khufu’s heart. His mummy has
never been found.
18
W O R D L I S T
12. mummification m9m4f4`ke]En n.
13. seal sil v.
14. scale skel n.
15. demon `dimEn n.
16. impure Im`pjUr adj.
Unit 1 The Great Pyramid of Giza 19
1Part
q 20 2551
38
w
2589 2566
e
r
t
y
20
43
u