fect as he so far has been able to even dream about. This was the golden age. Sadly enough for the race of man, it ended all too soon, rather more than 4000 years ago. (Rice, 1)
             How Egypt was governed portrays an important role in the construction and the function of the pyramids. The sheer size and unbelievable engineering that went into the creation of the pyramids shows the power of the king and the Egyptian state and the highly centralized administration that controlled Egypt at that time. Egyptians of the Old and Middle kingdoms were ruled by divine kingship, which meant that the king was one of the gods and superior to the people. Only the king himself was allowed to speak to the other gods. The king is considered to be the good god (Trigger, 71). The king therefore is considered to be the son of Re (or Ra), the sun god. The king must, during his lifetime, create a tomb to prepare for his duties in the heavens. After the kings death he is promised a place of honor in the barge of Re, where he may assist the sun gods daily voyages across the sky. Therefore when the king dies, he becomes Re, the sun god. It is the duty of the king and his people to prepare for his afterlife. The significance of the pyramid is proven by the resources and time used to create these monuments.
             The Egyptians honored several gods, some good and some bad. The gods of Heaven: Hathor - cow goddess of love, music, and women, who was symbolized in the Egyptian pyramids of the women; Horus - ruler of the day; Nut - Mother of the sun, moon and heavenly bodies; and Re (Ra) - the sun god, who was born every morning and died every night. Some of the earth gods were: Osiris - the water god, who was god of agriculture and the afterlife; Ptah - the creator god, who was the creator of all living things; Ma'at - the god of order and balance, who was in charge of truth and justice; Seth - Egyptian god of chaos, who was the god in charge of thunder, li...