Is there anything more symbolic of Egypt than the three famous pyramids Menkaure, Khafre, and Khufu? These massive monuments of historical greatness were built between the years of 2551 BC and 2472 BC and recent studies have revealed that these pyramids were actually built by skilled workers and not by slaves. The oldest and largest of the three was built for Khufu. It is 481 feet tall rising up from an exact square base oriented to the points of the compass. The smooth, shimmering surfaces of the pyramids at one time reflected the bright light of the sun and supposedly used to channel their life-giving rays. The pyramids directed your eyes upward towards the sky and the heavens and were considered a focal point of remembrance and framers of eternity. In addition, each pyramid has a temple in the bottom, connected to a long walkway to another temple on the bank of the Nile, which was located on the other side of the pyramids. Of course, these pyramids served an equally important task as headstones for the tombs of the kings after whom they were named.
Next, we have the Horned Female Figure from 8000-6000bc. This image is in a style called the Archaic, or Round Head, style. Characteristics of this style usually entail solid colors that are outlined in white or black. One specific rock painting is the Horned Female Figure, symbolically representing the cattle-headed goddess named Hathor, whom they called "the mistress of the western desert." Lines stemming down from the arms and hips are thought possibly to depict raffia garments. Another possibility is that they allude to rain and moisture. It is thought that this image, rhythmic in its dancing gestures, was made to represent or invoke a sacred horned being.
