352   Route  4.     THE  PYRAMIDS  OF  GIZEH.  Environs

In  order  to  remove  the  bodies  of  the  dead  from  the  influence  of  the
inundation  of  the  Nile ,  they  were  huried  in  the  dry  rocky  soil  of
the  desert.  Wealthy  persons  caused  tomb-chambers  (p.  379 )  to  be
excavated  for  themselves,  while  the  kings,  who  wished  to  maintain
their  royal  pre-eminence  even  in  death,  were  specially  anxious  to
ensure  the  durability  and  permanence  of  their  tombs.  The  burial-
place  of  a  king  was  worthy,  in  their  opinion,  of  being-  distinguished
by  its  situation  and  its  magnitude  ;  they  desired  that  it  should  sur-
pass all  others  in  magnificence,  and  that  the  tomb-chamber  should
be  least  capable  of  violation.  It  was  probably,  therefore,  at  first
customary  to  cover  the  rock-tomb  of  a  king  with  blocks  of  stone,  or
to  raise  a  mound  over  it,  if  sand  and  earth  were  procurable  in  the
vicinity.  The  violent  winds  from  the  desert,  however,  rendered  it
necessary  to  consolidate  these  mounds  by  covering  them  with  stones.
The  sepulchral  mounds  thus  acquired  a  definite  form ;  they  became
square  structures,  tapering  upwards,  and  gradually  assumed  the
pyramidal  shape,  ensuring  the  utmost  strength  and  durability.
