Ancient Egyptians - Pyramid Texts
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Pyramid Texts
The ancient Pyramid Texts were created during the period of the Old Kingdom(2686 to 2181 B.C) and, together with the Coffin texts of the Middle Kingdom, evolved into the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead.

Ancient Egypt - Pyramid Texts Fact Sheet

Fact 1 on Pyramid Texts: The pyramid texts are versions of ancient religious compositions which the priests of the college or school of Annu at Heliopolis succeeded in establishing as the authorized version of the Book of the Dead in the first  of the dynasties in ancient Egypt.

Fact 2 on Pyramid Texts: The Pyramid Texts were inscribed on the walls of five pyramids at Saqqara, the ancient necropolis (burial ground) of Memphis in Lower Egypt. When these small pyramids were built and inscribed the age of the great pyramids of those at Giza, had passed.

Fact 3 on Pyramid Texts: The five pyramids at Saqqara with Pyramid texts are those of the Kings Unas of the 5th Dynasty, and King Teti, King Pepi I, King Merenre and King Pepi II of the Sixth Dynasty.

Fact 4 on Pyramid Texts: The five pyramids at Saqqara were constructed, and evidently inscribed, between the years about 2350 to 2175 B.C. However, it is likely that many of these texts came into existence before the final union of Upper and Lower Egypt, and possibly long before that date at about 3000 B.C.

Fact 5 on Pyramid Texts: The religious text was first written on papyrus rolls and then transcribed on to the walls of the pyramids, thus creating the 'Pyramid Texts'. 

Fact 6 on Pyramid Texts: The 'pyramid texts' were royal texts, and there is no evidence that the ancient Egyptians took them for themselves and used them in their own tombs.

Fact 7 on Pyramid Texts: The majority of the text related to solar and celestial subjects with comparatively little reference to the ancient Egyptian underworld, however the focus was on religious and funerary subjects.

Fact 8 on Pyramid Texts: Auguste Mariette (1821 – 1881) was the French Egyptologist who 'discovered' the inscribed pyramids at Saqqara.

Fact 9 on Pyramid Texts: In 1880 it was Gaston Maspero (1846 – 1916) another French Egyptologist, working under the direction of Auguste Mariette, who discovered the first set of writings in the Pyramid of Unas.

Fact 10 on Pyramid Texts: Further discoveries were made in 1920 and 1936, when the Swiss Egyptologist, Gustave Jequier (1868 - 1946), discovered sacred writings in the pyramids of the three queens of Pepi II: Oudjebten, Neit and Apouit and published his findings in 1894.

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Ancient Egypt - Pyramid Texts Fact Sheet

Picture of all of the Giza Pyramids

Pyramid Texts
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about the pyramid texts for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about the text on the Pyramids for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about the Pyramid texts for research, schools, students and kids of all ages.

Pyramid Texts
Learn about these ancient writings the fast and easy way via the following Fact sheet.

Ancient Egypt - Pyramid Texts Fact Sheet

Fact 11: The Pyramid Texts were inscribed onto the limestone walls, in vertical columns, in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic script.

Fact 12: Utterances: The text consist of approximately 759 utterances. The term 'utterance' is used to describe the spells which make up these texts because it is likely that they were uttered, or spoken, by priests during the royal mortuary and funerary rituals.

Fact 13: No one pyramid contained all of the 759 utterances or magical spells. Each pyramid contains a unique selection of the text.

Fact 14: The main focus in the Pyramid Texts is the resurrection of the king and his ascension to the Afterlife.

Fact 15: The text honors the sun god Ra and also Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god of the Underworld.

Fact 16: The only scientific edition of the hieroglyphic texts of the inscribed pyramids was made by the German Egyptologist Kurt Heinrich Sethe (1869 – 1934), in 1908-1910.

Fact 17: The oldest version of the text consists of 228 spells and comes from the Pyramid of Unas, the last king of the 5th Dynasty.

Fact 18: The content can be described in seven separate parts consisting of:
1) A funerary ritual of mortuary offerings, connected with resurrection of the deceased king
2) Magical formulae to ward against harm and evil
3) A ritual of worship
4) Religious hymns
5) Mythical formulae, identifying the deceased king with certain deities,
6) Prayers and petitions on behalf of the deceased king
7) The greatness and power of the deceased king in heaven

Fact 19: The Pyramid texts of the Old Kingdom combined with the Coffin Texts of the Middle Kingdom were combined and modified to form the Theban Book of the Dead of the New Kingdom.

Fact 20: The spells contained in the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead became available to any Egyptians wealthy enough to have a papyrus created that they could study before death and that could be entombed with the deceased to help him through the terrifying dangers he would encounter in the Underworld

Ancient Egypt - Pyramid Texts Fact Sheet

Pyramid Texts from the Pyramid of Teti I in Saqqara
The following picture shows the Pyramid Texts from the Pyramid of Teti I in Saqqara. The pyramid texts had no illustrations, unlike the Book of the Dead.

Pyramid Texts
Learning about the ancient Egyptians and Pyramid Texts inspires everyone to visit historical sites and undertake Egypt Travel and Tours to experience the wonders of this magical land at first hand. Many people choose to experience a tour of Egypt on a Nile Cruise stopping at the famous destinations and sites of Egypt such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. The information and facts about Pyramid Texts will provide you with a great insight into Egypt and the legacy of the ancient Egyptians.

Pyramid Texts