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Jerania Roman

Professor Riccadonna Lewis

Art History I

February 13, 2021

Djoser vs Khafre

In any form of art it is inevitable that the artform will have any sort of

transformation, so to say the least I am not suprised that this is the case even in

ancient egyptian art. The pyramids became widely known and it became a symbol that

represents Egypt to this very day. The pyramid’s smooth surfaces symbolize the

sunrays which were designed to fulfill the purpose to help the king’s soul ascend to

heaven and join the gods. It also appears that these pyramids would serve the purpose

of storage for tombs of the early Egyptian kings, which the tombs would also be

referred to as mastabas.

In addition to the tombs, they would store the dead’s riches and most prized

posessions such as, gold vessels, food, furniture, and other offerings. This was done in

order for the spirit to be cared for and for them to have a swell continuation to the

after life. In addition to the storage for tombs, the later pyramids would also have

various rooms, passages and even a burial chamber of the king. The transition

between the Step Pyramid to the smooth surfaced sided pyramid occurred during the

reign of King Snefru, which this change serves to symbolize the sunrays. What puts

the Egyptian pyramids apart from other Egyptian art is that these pyramids were not
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worked on by slaves. They were built by Egyptian skilled craftsmen and laborers.

These pyramids allowed for tombs to be stacked on top of the other. The Great

Pyramid even falls under the catergory of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.

To build a pyramid it took up to 20 years! And it required the labor of 20,000

men. Nonetheless, the ancient Egyptian pyramids will forever be timeless and

continue to inspire.