pattern. Nearly every sculpture from the Third and Fourth Dynasties has the bold facial features, the vacant eyes, and the emotionless face. They were never intended to impress, but to simply be a devotion to a higher power or ruler. While each statue is always slightly different than the next, they seem to all fall into the same category and have the same style, always very modest and usually religious. Egypt is a land of dazzling buried treasure and quiet tomb secrets. Only the dead can experience these treasures however, for they were gifts from the living for the afterlife. The Egyptians, like so many other cultures, were polytheistic and firmly believed in life after death. To make the transition from life to death, the Egyptians would bury their dead with some of their favorite items to take with them to the afterlife. Some of these treasures were very extravagant and valuable. It seemed almost as if the afterlife was more important than actually living. They spent their existence preparing for what came next. Whole temples and enormous statues were constructed as dedication to the deceased. The Stepped Pyramid of King Zozer, measuring three hundred ninety-four feet by three hundred sixty feet, was just one of the many pyramids built in honor of a pharaoh or ruler. The term "Pharaoh" comes from the bible. When we hear this word we think of government, religion, and a way of life. The scriptures used this name to designate rulers in Egypt. It was also used to describe the "Great House", the royal palace where all orders affecting the civil and religious life of the Egyptians were issued. Eventually, the king began being referred to as the "Great House" or Pharaoh and it soon became customary to combine this name with the king's personal name. From then on, Egypt always had a pharaoh ruling over them. By doing this, Egypt had developed one of the first great civilizations that was literate, bureaucratic, and t...
