Everything about Egyptian Pyramids totally explained
The
Pyramids of Egypt are among the largest structures ever built and constitute one of the most potent and enduring symbols of
Ancient Egyptian civilization. Most were built during the
Old and
Middle Kingdom periods.
Historic development
By the time of the early dynastic period of Egyptian history, those with sufficient means were buried in bench-like structures known as
mastabas.
The first historically documented Egyptian pyramid is attributed to the architect
Imhotep, who planned what Egyptologists believe to be a tomb for the pharaoh
Djozer. Imhotep may have been the first to conceive the notion of stacking mastabas on top of each other — creating an edifice comprised of a number of "steps" that decreased in size towards its apex. The result was the
Step Pyramid of Djozer — which was designed to serve as a gigantic stairway by which the soul of the deceased pharaoh could ascend to the heavens. Such was the importance of Imhotep's achievement that he was deified by later Egyptians.
The most prolific pyramid-building phase coincided with the greatest degree of absolutist
pharaonic rule. It was during this time that the most famous pyramids, those near
Giza, were built. Over time, as authority became less centralized, the ability and willingness to harness the resources required for
construction on a massive scale decreased, and later pyramids were smaller, less well-built and often hastily constructed.
Long after the end of Egypt's own pyramid-building period, a burst of pyramid-building occurred in what is present-day
Sudan, after much of Egypt came under the rule of the Kings of
Napata. While Napatan rule was brief and ceased in 661 BCE, the Egyptian influence made an indelible impression, and during the later Sudanese Kingdom of
Meroe (approximately in the period between 300 BCE–300 CE) this flowered into a full-blown
pyramid-building revival, which saw more than two hundred indigenous, but Egyptian-inspired royal pyramid-tombs constructed in the vicinity of the kingdom's capital city.
Pyramid symbolism
The shape of Egyptian pyramids is thought to represent the primordial mound from which the Egyptians believed the earth was created. The shape is also thought to be representative of the descending rays of the sun, and most pyramids were faced with polished, highly reflective white limestone, in order to give them a brilliant appearance when viewed from a distance. Pyramids were often also named in ways that referred to solar luminescence. For example, the formal name of the
Bent Pyramid at
Dahshur was
The Southern Shining Pyramid, and that of Senwosret at el-Lahun was
Senwosret is Shining.
While it's generally agreed that pyramids were burial monuments, there's continued disagreement on the particular theological principles that might have given rise to them. One theory is that they were designed as a type of "resurrection machine"
The Egyptians believed the dark area of the night sky around which the stars appear to revolve was the physical gateway into the heavens. One of the narrow shafts that extends from the main burial chamber through the entire body of the Great Pyramid points directly towards the center of this part of the sky. This suggests the pyramid may have been designed to serve as a means to magically launch the deceased pharaoh's soul directly into the abode of the gods.
All Egyptian pyramids were built on the west bank of the Nile, which as the site of the
setting sun was associated with the realm of the dead in Egyptian mythology.
Number and location of pyramids
The number of
pyramid structures in Egypt today is reported by most sources as being between 81 and 112, with a majority favouring the higher number. In 1842
Karl Richard Lepsius made a
list of pyramids, in which he counted 67, but more have been identified and discovered since his time. The imprecise nature of the count is related to the fact that as many smaller pyramids are in a poor state of preservation and appear as little more than mounds of rubble, they're only now being properly identified and studied by archaeologists. Most are grouped in a number of pyramid fields, the most important of which are listed geographically, from north to south, below.
Abu Rawash
Abu Rawash is the site of Egypt's most northerly pyramid (other than the ruins of Lepsius pyramid number one) The site which is in the vicinity of the oasis of
Fayyum, midway between
Dahshur and
Meidum, and about 100 kilometres south of
Cairo, is believed to be in the vicinity of the ancient city of
Itjtawy (the precise location of which remains unknown), which served as the capital of Egypt during the
12th Dynasty.
Meidum
Sneferu's Pyramid at Meidum; the central core structure remains, surrounded by a mountain of rubble from the collapsed outer casing.
The pyramid at
Meidum is one of three constructed during the reign of
Sneferu, and is believed by some to have been started by that pharaoh's father and predecessor,
Huni. However, this isn't very likely, as his name doesn't appear on the site. Some archaeologists also suggest that the Meidum pyramid may have been the first unsuccessful attempt at the construction of a "true" or smooth-sided pyramid.
The pyramid suffered a catastrophic collapse in antiquity, and today only the central parts of its stepped inner core remain standing, giving it an odd tower-like appearance that's unique among Egyptian pyramids. The hill that the pyramid sits atop isn't a natural landscape feature — it's the small mountain of debris created when the lower courses and outer casing of the pyramid gave way.
Hawara
Amenemhet III was the last powerful ruler of the 12th Dynasty, and the pyramid he built at Hawarra, near Faiyum, is believed to post-date the so-called "Black Pyramid" built by the same ruler at
Dahshur. It is the Hawarra pyramid that's believed to have been Amenemhet's final resting place.
el-Lahun
The pyramid of
Senusret II at
el-Lahun is the southernmost royal-tomb pyramid structure in Egypt. Its builders reduced the amount of work necessary to construct it by ingeniously using as its foundation and core a 12-meter-high natural limestone hill.
Construction dates
The following table lays out the chronology of the construction of most of the major pyramids mentioned here. Each pyramid is identified through the pharaoh who ordered it built, their approximate reign and its location.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Egyptian Pyramids'.
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