Egyptian Pyramids

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Barbara J. Feldman

Egypt's pyramids were built 4,500 years ago as tombs for mummified pharaohs. The Egyptians believed the soul would live forever if the dead body was preserved. So they dried and embalmed their dead (mummification) and protected their mummified kings by burying them beneath colossal pyramids.

BBC: History: The Pyramid

5 stars

BBC has put together a fantastic collection of interactive games (Building the Ultimate Tomb and The Mummy Maker), multimedia galleries ( Gods, Animals, and a tour of Khufu's Pyramid Complex), and feature articles. Everything here is excellent, but here are three of my favorite clicks: the illustrated Egyptian timeline from 3100 BCE to 395 CE; The Short History of Pyramidology, which reveals some pretty wacky theories about who actually built the Pyramids; and hieroglyphic postcards to send to friends and family.

British Museum: Pyramids

5 stars

"The ancient Egyptians built pyramids as tombs for the pharaohs and their queens. The pharaohs were buried in pyramids of many different shapes and sizes from before the beginning of the Old Kingdom to the end of the Middle Kingdom." This British Museum exhibit for upper-elementary and middle-school students is divided into three sections: Story (about the building of the Great Pyramid built for pharaoh Khufu) , Explore (a reconstruction of the pyramid) and Challenge. The challenge is to find the height, area and weight of the Great Pyramid. Here's a hint. When estimating how many stacked buses would equal the height of the pyramid, keep in mind that the English ride double-decker buses!

National Geographic: Egypt Pyramids

5 stars

Laid out in a timeline from first pyramid to last, this National Geographic site is my pick of the day because of its excellent use of multimedia to explore the pyramids individually, and place them within historical context. When visiting each pyramid page, place your mouse over the photo of the pyramid to view a diagram of its internal structure. Most of the eight featured pyramids also have additional photos available on the Images button in the upper right-hand corner.

NOVA Online: Pyramids

5 stars

"Have you ever dreamed of exploring the pyramids of Egypt? If so, enter here, wander through the chambers and passageways of the Great Pyramid, and learn about the pharaohs for whom these monumental tombs were built. You can also follow the 1997 field season of a team of archaeologists as they excavated the bakery that fed the pyramid builders." This PBS site is graphically beautiful, but the fastest way to understand what's where is to use the Table of Contents at Text Pyramid Home.