Included with a Kindle Unlimited membership.

Read with Kindle Unlimited

Buy new:

$8.64

List Price: $9.99

Save: $1.35 (14%)

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Monday, October 31 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon. Order within 1 hr 31 mins

Select delivery location

In Stock.

As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is included with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Learn more.

[{"displayPrice":"$8.64","priceAmount":8.64,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"64","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"k2KLAWyk2IX8Pg6TFb%2Bn4NdBqWnAwg7Yk9es2UM6sEPXIF9nzw%2Fe6Tw1zEQaN5hVqTNVN7Py9QFbsK5c%2BgrmLPnJ8%2BAuW%2FTowe%2Flk6XX3vUh64S7z7%2FQ3Qv8f4g%2B2XLJqWGBrDa4N6pGCq5LZ79z9w%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"}]

$$8.64 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Return policy: Returnable until Jan 31, 2023

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Share <Embed>

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See this image

Follow the Author

Charles River Editors

The Pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza: The History and Mysteries Behind Ancient Egypt's Famous Monuments Paperback – September 22, 2013

by Charles River Editors (Author)

18 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$4.99

—

Paperback

"Please retry"

$8.64

—

Kindle
$0.00 Read with Kindle Unlimited to also enjoy access to over 1 million more titles $4.99 to buy
Paperback
$8.64

1 New from $8.64

Enhance your purchase

*Includes pictures of the Sphinx and the pyramids.
*Discusses the theories about their age, construction, and purpose.
*Covers the archaeological and cultural history of the Sphinx and the pyramids.
*Includes footnotes and a Bibliography.
“When we find something new at Giza, we announce it to the world. The Sphinx and the Pyramids are world treasures. We are the guardian's of these treasures, but they belong to the world.” – Zahi Hawass, Egyptologist
The pyramids of Egypt are such recognizable symbols of antiquity that for millennia, people have made assumptions about what they are and why they exist, without full consideration of the various meanings these ancient symbolic structures have had over the centuries. Generations have viewed them as symbols of a lost past, which in turn is often portrayed as a world full of romance and mystery. This verbal meaning has become associated with the structures through the tourism industry, where intrigue obviously boosts ticket sales. In fact, the Egyptian pyramids are so old that they were also drawing tourists even in ancient times. In antiquity, the Great Pyramid of Giza was listed as one of Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, and it is the only one still surviving today.
The age and structural integrity of the pyramids also make them symbols of longevity and power, which is only fitting because those are two purposes the ancient pharaohs who commissioned these works intended them to serve. For the pharaohs, the construction of these large monuments presented an opportunity for them to showcase their influence and become something to be remembered by, both in the society they ruled and in the annals of history that would follow. Even as new dynasties came and went, and even as Egypt was subjected to foreign domination and rulers from across the world, the pyramids have continued to stand as a prominent testament to Ancient Egypt’s glorious past.
The famous “Riddle of the Sphinx”, told by Sophocles in his play Oedipus Rex in the 5th century B.C., characterized the sphinx as a clever and powerful creature, and even today young kids learn about the story. But the mysteries of the Egyptian statue were discussed even among the ancient Romans; Pliny the Elder, the famous Roman author and philosopher killed in Pompeii during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., wrote in his Natural Histories that contemporary Egyptians considered the Sphinx a “divinity” and "that King Harmais was buried in it".
Nearly 2,000 years later, people still wonder about the origins of the statue, but most believe it was constructed around the middle of the 3rd millennium B.C. As anyone who has seen the statue is now aware, it has suffered weatherization damage, and even the sources of the damage has been debated and turned into the stuff of legend, as evidenced by the story of Napoleon’s French soldiers shooting off the Sphinx’s nose. In conjunction with that, there are mysteries over the archaeological history of the statue, including whether the ancient Egyptians themselves attempted to excavate the Sphinx and clear the sands that were beginning to cover it up.
This book comprehensively covers the facts, mysteries, and theories surrounding the pyramids and the Sphinx. Along with pictures and a bibliography, you will learn about them like never before.

Print length

96 pages
Language

English
Publication date

September 22, 2013
Dimensions

6 x 0.22 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1492760323
ISBN-13

978-1492760320
See all details

Frequently bought together

The Pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza: The History and Mysteries Behind Ancient Egypt's Famous Monuments

$8.64

Get it as soon as Monday, Oct 31

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

The Great Sphinx of Giza : The Pharaohs' Eternal Guardian - History Kids Books | Children's Ancient History

$12.99

Get it as soon as Monday, Oct 31

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Choose items to buy together.

Hourly History
277
Paperback
4 offers from $12.99
Franck Monnier
59
Hardcover
11 offers from $15.34
Bob Brier
124
Hardcover
28 offers from $1.99

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 22, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 96 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1492760323
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1492760320
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.22 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,491,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,881 in Ancient Egyptians History

Customer Reviews:
18 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Charles River Editors

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Charles River Editors is a digital publishing company that creates compelling, educational content. In addition to publishing original titles, we help clients create traditional and media-enhanced books.

To sign up for our mailing list, which offers weekly specials and free books, please visit http://charlesre.wufoo.com/forms/charles-river-editors/

Customer reviews

5 star		58%
4 star		28%
3 star		10%
2 star		4%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Interesting Tidbits about the Construction of the Pyramids and the Sphinx

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 27, 2021

Verified Purchase

The Egyptians were obsessed with the afterlife and their place in it. This book explains how the Egyptians experimented with different designs in creating pyramids for their exalted leaders. Over the generations, they changed their funerary rites of passage.

It was fascinating to learn that the Pharoah kept his farmers busy in the off-seasons by hiring them to construct his final resting place. This helped with keeping citizens employed and provided monuments and statuary for future generations to admire.

It is shocking to see how much damage was done to the pyramids by later Pharaohs and builders. Limestone exteriors were stolen wholesale to build the next generation of burial sites, without respect to the majesty of the previous Pharaohs.

The Sphinx has the body of the lion and the head of a human. Mostly, it comes from Greek mythology. The Sphinx (a she-creature) stood outside Thebes and asked riddles. If the traveler answered correctly, entry to the city was allowed.

Questions about the time of the Sphinx's building are vague, but many believe that Pharaoh Khafre built it around 2500 BCE. It is thought to show his face (not a female's face). Besides the missing nose, it is thought that at one time, there was a beard on the lion's face.

A fascinating tidbit is that the Romans even spent time and money, trying to shore up the Sphinx. In 1798 CE, Napoleon's army also had 167 artists and scientists, who worked to preserve the ancient sites in Egypt.

Then, the text goes into some bizarre directions. They evaluate the variety of archaeology disciplines and their differing goals and ambitions. Then, pop culture and Hollywood's actions regarding the Pyramids and Sphinx are analyzed. Finally, tourism, from ancient times to current habits is explored. There is a trade-off between increased tourism and degradation of the historic sites.

By 2008, it was noticed that there were problems with the water table around the Sphinx and water pump machines were installed to protect the Sphinx. The array of photos and drawings added so much to the text in this book.

Helpful

Jack Balog

Interesting history of the Sphinx and the Pyramids

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 19, 2013

Verified Purchase

I loved this book, which is two short books together. The first part is about the pyramids and their history, not just the Giza pyramids, but about their history. It tells how they have been broken into and looted as well as the structures themselves being taken to build other things.
The second part is about the Sphinx. This part of the book is a little more sparse, but does give a history of what we think we know about it.
We visited Egypt and touched the Sphinx years ago and have been in love with it since.
This is a good book for anyone interested in ancient history and real art that has lasted for thousands and thousands of years.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Dori Ladd

Pyramids & Sphinx

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 29, 2013

Verified Purchase

This was a good book! It gave history of the Pyramids and the Sphinx that I did not know about! It talked about the measurements of the different Pyramids and the history of the Sphinx. If you want to read the behind the scenes on these two subjects this is the book!!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Vincent

SPHINX' SMELLS NOSE

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 8, 2016

Verified Purchase

"History repeats itself because no one was listening the first time" (Anonymous).

What no nose has smell, nor eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor dimension of humanity's stone heart thought about, what the Universe Creator's has prepared for those who love Him" (confer Isaiah 64:3; I Corinthians 2:9).

Helpful

Ricky Kimsey

The Sphinx And The Pyramids

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 15, 2014

Verified Purchase

This book about the Great Sphinx of Giza and the pyramids corrected me about one misconception I had about the Great Sphinx. I always thought the reason for the missing nose was due to centuries of being exposed to the elements. No so as I found out.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Frank D

Wonderful!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 5, 2013

Verified Purchase

Beautiful and profusely illustrated book. Tells you all you wanted to know about the pyramids and sphinx in an easy-to understand, well written form. A keeper for my library.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 7, 2018

historical research.

A History of the Pyramids and Great Sphinx

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 10, 2020

Book Review Written January 10, 2020
The Egyptian Pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza: The History and Mysteries Behind Ancient Egypt’s Famous Monuments, By Charles River Editors
Kindle Edition (97 Pages)

This is a historical study of Ancient Egypt's most famous monumental structures, the pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza. It descrihe's the provenance, appearance, construction techniques, and mysteries of a number of the most acclaimed Old Kingdom pyramids located at Saqqara and Giza, as well as the Great Sphinx of Giza. The narrative is scholarly in style and well written. It is augmented with images of important people, places, and events associated with the subject matter. The text is extensively footnoted, includes expert testimony from many noted Egyptologists, as well as contemporary translated excerpts from ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic writings, all of which aid in ensuring the accuracy of the narrative. In addition, an extensive bibliography is provided to aid readers seeking additional information. However, it is important to that the author included an unseemly attack and mistaken characterization of the work on these structures performed by Eric Von Danikan, that detracted from the quality of this book's content. The author's snug rejection and failure to investigate new theories is symptomatic of the rigid, insular, and defensive thinking that seems to plague Egyptology. This is particularly the case because so much of the work of Egyptology is on many occasions little more than an educated guess.

The pyramids of Egypt and the Great Sphinx are such recognizable symbols of antiquity that for millennia, people have made assumptions about what they are and why they exist, without full consideration of the various meanings these ancient symbolic structures have had over the centuries. Generations have viewed them of as symbols of a lost past, which in turn is often portrayed as a world full of romance and mystery. The meaning has become associated with the structures through the tourism industry, where intrigue obviously boosts ticket sales. In fact, the Egyptian pyramids are so old that they were also drawing tourists even in ancient times. In antiquity, the Great Pyramid of Giza was listed as one of Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, and it is the only one still surviving today. The age and structural integrity of the pyramids make them symbols of longevity and power, which is only fitting because those are two purposes the ancient pharaohs who commissioned these works intended them to serve. For the pharaohs, the construction of these large monuments presented an opportunity for them to showcase their influence and become something they were remembered by, both in the society they ruled and in the annals of history that would follow. Even as new dynasties came and went, and even as Egypt was subjected to foreign domination and rulers from across the world, the pyramids and the Great Sphinx have continued to stand as a prominent testament to Ancient Egypt’s glorious past. A major factor in the power and mystic of these monumental structures is the unsolved mysteries surrounding their origins and the constitution techniques used to create them. The orthodox explanations attested by Egyptologists regarding their genesis, the technologies, and the construction techniques available to the Ancient Egyptians have increasingly proven farfetched. For example, the Great Pyramid of Giza, covers 13.5 acres at the base and contains an estimated 2.3 million stone blocks weighing 5,000 pounds each on average, with the largest granite blocks weighing nearly 100,000 pounds. Egyptologists assert that it was constructed in 20 years, using copper and stone hand-tools, sand ramps as scaffolds, and wooden sledges slid on muddy surfaces to move the stone blocks. Further, they say that ,to accomplish the task on schedule required the organization and manpower necessary to ensure that an average of ten, five ton stone blocks were cut, shaped, transported, and placed every hour, twenty-four per day, for twenty years. Such archaic explanations have repeatedly been demonstrated as ludicrous, yet they still linger, in much of the academic community, and more knowledgeable explanations are either rejected out of hand or, at best, not widely accepted. Until and unless Egyptology becomes willing to think outside of the box regarding the mysteries of Ancient Egypt we will never be able to discover their true secrets.

This book attempts to provide a balanced, factual narrative regarding the pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza, which stand as testimony to the greatness and mystery of the Ancient Egyptian Civilization It provides a fascinating glimpse at the culture and people of Ancient Egypt. Readers who appreciate ancient history in general, and Ancient Egyptian history in particular may enjoy this book.

Helpful

Buy new:

$8.64

Follow the Author

The Pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza: The History and Mysteries Behind Ancient Egypt's Famous Monuments Paperback – September 22, 2013

Enhance your purchase

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Product details

Videos

About the author

Charles River Editors

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Buy new: $8.64

Follow the Author

The Pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza: The History and Mysteries Behind Ancient Egypt's Famous Monuments Paperback – September 22, 2013

Enhance your purchase

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Product details

Videos

About the author

Charles River Editors

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Buy new:

$8.64