Pyramid

DK Eyewitness Books

by James Putnam

Looks at the secrets of these remarkable monuments of the ancient world, from the pyramid tombs of Egypt to Central America's majestic temples.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Egypt, Childrens, Reference, Science, Cultural

72 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2004

About the author

James Putnam (born 1955) has been a Visiting Scholar in Museum Studies at New York University and Curator of the Contemporary Arts and Cultures Program at the British Museum.

Reviews

[Tamra · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 8-year-old daughter and I share a love for Egypt. So she brought me home this book from the library.

I'm shocked at how much information they jammed into this 70-page book. Facts and measurements on the pyramids of Giza, plus lesser-known pyramids around the world (but mostly in Egypt, because that's where most of the world's pyramids are); facts about the men and women who commissioned them; general information about ancient Egyptian culture; and dates and general information surrounding the archeologists who discovered them. Each 2-page layout took me, I dunno, 10 - 15 minutes to get through. Fantastic!

I highly recommend this book for preteen kids interested in Egypt and/or pyramids. If they have a little bit of a geeky side (like my daughter), then they'll love the facts. If not, they'll skim those and love it anyway.

(Oh. If you or your kid would be squeamish (or too excited) about human sacrifice, then you might want to avoid this book. Or at least certain pages of this book. The Mayans used their temples for human sacrifices, and the book goes into mildly graphic detail about it. It was a little icky, even for me. Just FYI.)

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK I know these are supposed to be kid books but they are awesome! Great pictures and just enough text to make you want to learn more. Great choices for a beginning history reader or to start an older reader out in a new area. Every time I pick one of these up and read it I learn new things. Highly Recommended

[Zenny Dahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is also a research book from the children’s section in the library. I think you can also pick this up at any museum. The pictures were gorgeous. They showed pyramids from Egyptian, Mayan and Aztec, as well as grave decorations and other burial accouterments.

[MK · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book introduces many grave goods excavated around the pyramids.
It is assumed that they were made by the ancient Egyptians.

However, these questions will forever remain a mystery.
Even after reading this book, I can't solve the mystery at all.

▼Mystery still unsolved
・Were the pyramids really built by the ancient Egyptians?
・Why can't modern humans recreate the pyramids?
・Why has the technique of manually cutting stones at right angles not been elucidated?
・Are the pyramids really the tombs of kings?
・Why are pyramids so amazingly geometrically accurate?

The pyramids are geometrically perfect.
Even with the latest machines, it is impossible to create a pyramid.

I also cannot confirm the occult story that the Pyramid was created by aliens.

However, it is impossible to believe that humans 4,600 years ago took hundreds of years to create this perfect work of art, the pyramids.

I find it hard to believe that ancient Egyptian slaves cut the stone by hand and transported it from the Nile on rollers 4,600 years ago.

[Mehdi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pyramids are triangle-shaped constructions. Most of them are ancient but we can even find modern forms such as the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas or the glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Pyramids are famous for the symbol they have: on the one-dollar bill, they represent permanence and strength and the upper triangle represents the all-seeing eye of God.
However, the most famous pyramids are definitely those situated in Egypt and Mexico.
An Arab proverb refers to these strong and ever-lasting monuments, saying: “Time laughs at all things, but the pyramids laugh at time”.
Huge pyramids can be found in Mexico too. They were built by the Mayan people between the 3rd and the 9th centuries. The Mayans used these pyramids for different goals: they climbed to the flat top, to pray there and even to sacrifice people to give their souls to their Gods.
I really liked this book because it gives a very detailed description of the pyramids. I would recommend it to people that are interested in ancient and mysterious structures an people that like histury books.I will reacemmend it to a 11 year old person and to a 6th grader.

[Emily Sirota]

This is a historical fiction book with real pictures and artifacts from pyramids in Egypt. I starts out with what they are and where they are located around the world, it then goes into detail about how they are made and how old they are. This is a great informational book for kids in elementary mainly the older kids. This book is a good informational book to keep on your shelf's if you plan on reading about Egypt or pyramids in general. This book is longer but it contains a lot of information on pyramids and the history of Egypt, and has lots of explaining.

This book includes a lot of real photographs taken at the location of these pyramids. In this book there are lots of charts, bold text, headings, and fun facts. Each page is organized very well, and every two pages are revolved around one thing. Some of the pages are about the locations of the pyramid, and some of them are about who created them. They also talk about modern day pyramids and how the architecture is still being used today. This is a great informational book, but it is lengthy.

[Iran Carrillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book was very interesting, it showed pictures about Egypt artifacts and the pyramid cultural significance. It also explained the pyramid construction and art lessons using different materials to construct a pyramid. It was interesting because it did not only talk about the pyramids of Egypt, it also talked about Mayan pyramids, Aztec pyramids and the pyramid of Giza. It really delves into other civilizations histories which I thought was interesting. I really liked the historical and modern understanding of the uses of pyramids and their role in Egyptian culture. The photographs were beautiful full of detail and the explaining of the pictures was clear and well writtin, I recommend this book to people fascinated about the Egyptian pyramid and the Egyptian culture.

[Hava · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, a quality Eyewitness book. I have yet to find a book in this series that disappoints. If you're interested in Egyptian history (note: it does delve into other civilizations' histories too, which I thought was cool) then this is the book for you.

[Duane · Rating 3 out of 5]

DK books are always a favorite with our young readers and this book is sure to be a favorite. Focusing on Pyramids, readers will be able to see the artifacts that most book just talk about. Reading level is more for preteen and up readers, but all ages will enjoy the photographs and illustrations.

[Reenie Peppers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Themes: pyramid cultural significance, pyramid construction, ancient Egypt, Mayan pyramids, Aztec pyramids, modern pyramids
Activities: collaborative lesson with World History teacher, art lesson using different materials to construct a pyramid, find other pyramid inspired modern architecture

[Roshell Bissett · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 13 year old daughter and I loved reading this book. It's amazing how much information is jammed in there and with all the images it really helps to put thing in context. We will definitely read more from this series.

[Cool]

LIBRARY SHELVES

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

pyramids drawings and pictures of historical and modern understanding of the use of the pyramids, and thier role in egyptian culture

[AK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and clear fotographs, full of details and well written!

DK's pyramid book is a great resource for all kind of ages.

i have the latest print from 2011, hardcover.

[WSL Library]

X2

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good mainly for the pictures. The pictures were partnered with very basic information about the picture. A good basic book for the young researcher.