[close] Egyptian pyramids From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search A view of the pyramids

at Giza from the plateau to the south of the complex. Fro m right to left are the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre and the Py ramid of Menkaure. The three smaller pyramids in the foreground are subsidiary s tructures associated with Menkaure's pyramid. Pyramid in hieroglyphs U23 G17 r O24 A view of the Pyramid of Khafre from the Sphinx. The Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid shaped masonry structures located in E gypt. There are over 100 pyramids in Egypt. Most were built as tombs for the country's Pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.[1][2] [3 ] The earliest known Egyptian pyramid is the Pyramid of Djoser which was built dur ing the third dynasty. This pyramid and its surrounding complex were designed by the architect Imhotep, and are generally considered to be the world's oldest mo numental structures constructed of dressed masonry. The best known Egyptian pyramids are those found at Giza, on the outskirts of Ca iro. Several of the Giza pyramids are counted among the largest structures ever built.[4] The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence. Contents [hide] * 1 Historic development * 2 Pyramid symbolism * 3 Number and location of pyramids o 3.1 Abu Rawash o 3.2 Giza o 3.3 Zawyet el-Aryan o 3.4 Abu Sir o 3.5 Saqqara o 3.6 Dahshur o 3.7 Mazghuna o 3.8 Lisht o 3.9 Meidum o 3.10 Hawara o 3.11 el-Lahun o 3.12 Construction dates * 4 See also * 5 Notes and references o 5.1 References * 6 Further reading o 6.1 External links Historic development The Mastaba of Faraoun, at Saqqara.

By the time of the early dynastic period of Egyptian history, those with suffici ent means were buried in bench-like structures known as mastabas.[5][6] The first historically documented Egyptian pyramid is attributed to the architec t Imhotep, who planned what Egyptologists believe to be a tomb for the pharaoh D joser. Amenhotep is credited with being the first to conceive the notion of stac king mastabas on top of each other creating an edifice composed of a number of " steps" that decreased in size towards its apex. The result was the Step Pyramid of Djoser which was designed to serve as a gigantic stairway by which the soul o f the deceased pharaoh could ascend to the heavens. Such was the importance of I mhotep's achievement that he was deified by later Egyptians.[7] The most prolific pyramid-building phase coincided with the greatest degree of a bsolutist pharaonic rule. It was during this time that the most famous pyramids, those near Giza, were built. Over time, as authority became less centralized, t he 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-bu ilding 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 BC, the Egyptian influence made an indelible impression, and during the later Sudan ese Kingdom of Meroe (approximately in the period between 300 BC 300 AD) this flow ered into a full-blown pyramid-building revival, which saw more than two hundred indigenous, but Egyptian-inspired royal pyramid-tombs constructed in the vicini ty of the kingdom's capital city. Pyramid symbolism Diagram of the interior structures of the great pyramid. The inner line indicate s the pyramid's present profile, the outer line indicates the original profile. 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 t o be representative of the descending rays of the sun, and most pyramids were fa ced with polished, highly reflective white limestone, in order to give them a br illiant appearance when viewed from a distance. Pyramids were often also named i n ways that referred to solar luminescence. For example, the formal name of the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur The Southern Shining Pyramid, and that of Senwosret at e l-Lahun was Senwosret is Shining. While it is generally agreed that pyramids were burial monuments, there is conti nued 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."[8] The Egyptians believed the dark area of the night sky around which the stars app ear to revolve was the physical gateway into the heavens. One of the narrow shaf ts that extends from the main burial chamber through the entire body of the Grea t Pyramid points directly towards the center of this part of the sky. This sugge sts the pyramid may have been designed to serve as a means to magically launch t he 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 mythol ogy.[9] Number and location of pyramids In 1842 Karl Richard Lepsius produced the first modern list of pyramids, in whic

h he counted 67. A great many more have since been discovered. As of November 20 08, 118 Egyptian pyramids have been identified.[1] The location of Pyramid 29, which Lepsius called the "Headless Pyramid", was los t for a second time when the structure was buried by desert sands subsequent to Lepsius' survey. It was only rediscovered again during an archaeological dig con ducted in 2008.[10] Many pyramids are in a poor state of preservation or buried by desert sands. If visible at all they may appear as little more than mounds of rubble. As a conseq uence archaeologists are continuing to identify and study previously unknown pyr amid structures. The most recent pyramid to be discovered is that of Queen Sesheshet, mother of 6 th Dynasty Pharaoh Teti, located at Saqqara. The discovery was announced by Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, on 11 November 2008.[11][2] All of Egypt's pyramids are sited on the west bank of the Nile, and most are gro uped together in a number of pyramid fields. The most important of these are lis ted geographically, from north to south, below. Abu Rawash Main article: Abu Rawash The largely destroyed Pyramid of Djedefre Abu Rawash is the site of Egypt's most northerly pyramid (other than the ruins o f Lepsius pyramid number one)[3] the mostly ruined Pyramid of Djedefre, son and s uccessor of Khufu. Originally it was thought that this pyramid had never been co mpleted, but the current archaeological consensus is that not only was it comple ted, but that it was originally about the same size as the Pyramid of Menkaure, which would have made it among the half-dozen or so largest pyramids in Egypt. Its location adjacent to a major crossroads made it an easy source of stone. Qua rrying which began in Roman times has left little apart from about 15 courses of stone superimposed upon the natural hillock that formed part of the pyramid's c ore. A small adjacent satellite pyramid is in a better state of preservation. Giza Main article: Giza pyramid complex Map of Giza pyramid complex. Giza is the location of the Pyramid of Khufu (also known as the "Great Pyramid" and the "Pyramid of Cheops"); the somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre (or Kephren ); the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure (or Mykerinus), along with a number of smaller satellite edifices known as "Queen's pyramids"; and the Great Sphinx. Of the three, only Khafre's pyramid retains part of its original polished limest one casing, near its apex. This pyramid appears larger than the adjacent Khufu p yramid by virtue of its more elevated location, and the steeper angle of inclina tion of its construction it is, in fact, smaller in both height and volume. The Giza Necropolis has been a popular tourist destination since antiquity, and was popularized in Hellenistic times when the Great Pyramid was listed by Antipa ter of Sidon as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Today it is the only one of those wonders still in existence. Zawyet el-Aryan See also: Zawyet el'Aryan

This site, halfway between Giza and Abu Sir, is the location for two unfinished Old Kingdom pyramids. The northern structure's owner is believed to be the Phara oh Nebka, whilst the southern structure is attributed to the Third Dynasty Phara oh Khaba, also known as Hudjefa, successor to Sekhemkhet. Khaba's four-year tenu re as pharaoh more than likely explains the similar premature truncation of his step pyramid. Today it is approximately twenty meters in height; had it been com pleted it is likely to have exceeded 40. Abu Sir Main article: Abusir The Pyramid of Sahure at Abu Sir, viewed from the pyramid's causeway. There are a total of fourteen pyramids at this site, which served as the main ro yal necropolis during the Fifth Dynasty. The quality of construction of the Abu Sir pyramids is inferior to those of the Fourth Dynasty perhaps signaling a decr ease in royal power or a less vibrant economy. They are smaller than their prede cessors, and are built of low-quality local limestone. The three major pyramids are those of Niuserre (which is also the most intact), Neferirkare Kakai and Sahure. The site is also home to the incomplete Pyramid of Neferefre. All of the major pyramids at Abu Sir were built as step pyramids, al though the largest of them the Pyramid of Neferirkare Kakai is believed to have originally been built as a step pyramid some 70 metres in height and then later transformed into a "true" pyramid by having its steps filled in with loose mason ry. Saqqara Main article: Saqqara The Step Pyramid of Djoser Major pyramids located here include the Step Pyramid of Djoser generally identif ied as the world's oldest substantial monumental structure to be built of finish ed stone the Pyramid of Merykare, the Pyramid of Userkaf and the Pyramid of Teti . Also at Saqqara is the Pyramid of Unas, which retains a pyramid causeway that is one of the best-preserved in Egypt. This pyramid was also the subject of one of the earliest known restoration attempts, conducted by a son of Ramesses II. S aqqara is also the location of the incomplete step pyramid of Djoser's successor Sekhemkhet, known as the Buried Pyramid. Archaeologists believe that had this p yramid been completed it would have been larger than Djoser's. South of the main pyramid field at Saqqara is a second collection of later, smal ler pyramids, including those of Pepi I, Isesi, Merenre, Ibi and Pepi II. Most o f these are in a poor state of preservation. The Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Shepseskaf either did not share an interest in, or ha ve the capacity to undertake pyramid construction like his predecessors. His tom b, which is also sited at south Saqqara was instead built as an unusually large mastaba and offering temple complex. It is commonly known as the Mastaba of Fara oun.[12] A previously unknown pyramid was discovered at north Saqqara in late 2008. It is believed to be the tomb of Teti's mother, it currently stands approx 5m high, a lthough the original height was closer to 14m. The opening of the tomb is schedu led for early december 2008. Dahshur Main article: Dahshur Snofru's Red Pyramid

This area is arguably the most important pyramid field in Egypt outside Giza and Saqqara, although until 1996 the site was inaccessible due to its location with in a military base, and was relatively unknown outside archaeological circles. The southern Pyramid of Snofru, commonly known as the Bent Pyramid is believed t o be the first Egyptian pyramid intended by its builders to be a "true" smooth-s ided pyramid from the outset; the earlier pyramid at Meidum had smooth sides in its finished state - but it was conceived and built as a step pyramid, before ha ving its steps filled in and concealed beneath a smooth outer casing. As a true smooth-sided structure, the Bent Pyramid was only a partial success al beit a unique, visually imposing one; it is also the only major Egyptian pyramid to retain a significant proportion of its original smooth outer limestone casin g intact. As such it serves as the best contemporary example of how the ancient Egyptians intended their pyramids to look. Several kilometeres to the north of the Bent Pyramid is the last and most succes sful of the three pyramids constructed during the reign of Snofru; the Red Pyram id is the world's first successfully completed smooth-sided pyramid. The structu re is also the third largest pyramid in Egypt after the pyramids of Khufu and Kh afre at Giza. Also at Dahshur is the pyramid known as the Black Pyramid of Amenemhet III, as w ell as a number of small, mostly ruined subsidiary pyramids. Mazghuna Main article: Mazghuna Located to the south of Dahshur, this area was used in the First Intermediate Pe riod by several kings who constructed their pyramids out of mudbrick. Lisht Main article: el-Lisht The pyramid of Amenemhet I at Lisht. Two major pyramids are known to have been built at Lisht those of Amenemhat I an d his son, Senusret I. The latter is surrounded by the ruins of ten smaller subs idiary pyramids. One of these subsidiary pyramids is known to be that of Amenemh at's cousin, Khaba II.[13] The site which is in the vicinity of the oasis of Fay yum, 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 l ocation of which remains unknown), which served as the capital of Egypt during t he 12th Dynasty. Meidum Main article: Meidum The pyramid at Meidum. The pyramid at Meidum is one of three constructed during the reign of Sneferu, a nd is believed by some to have been started by that pharaoh's father and predece ssor, Huni. However, that attribution is uncertain, as no record of Huni's name has been found at the site. It was constructed as a step pyramid, and then later converted into the first "t rue" smooth-sided pyramid when the steps were filled in, and an outer casing add ed. The pyramid suffered several catastrophic collapses in ancient and mediaeval tim es; mediaeval Arab writers described it as having 7 steps - although today only the three uppermost of these remain, giving the structure its odd, tower-like ap

pearance. The hill on which the pyramid is situated is not a natural landscape f eature it is the small mountain of debris created when the lower courses and out er casing of the pyramid gave way. Hawara Main article: Hawara The Pyramid of Amenemhet III at Hawarra Amenemhet III was the last powerful ruler of the 12th Dynasty, and the pyramid h e built at Hawarra, near Faiyum, is believed to post-date the so-called "Black P yramid" built by the same ruler at Dahshur. It is the Hawarra pyramid that is be lieved to have been Amenemhet's final resting place. el-Lahun Main article: el-Lahun The Pyramid of Senusret II. The pyramid's natural limestone core is clearly visi ble as the yellow stratum at its base. The pyramid of Senusret II at el-Lahun is the southernmost royal-tomb pyramid st ructure 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 lime stone hill. Construction dates The following table lays out the chronology of the construction of most of the m ajor pyramids mentioned here. Each pyramid is identified through the pharaoh who ordered it built, their approximate reign and its location. Pyramid / Pharaoh Reign Field Djoser c. 2630 - 2612 BC Saqqara Sneferu c. 2612 - 2589 BC Dashur Sneferu c. 2612 - 2589 BC Dashur Sneferu c. 2612 - 2589 BC Meidum Khufu c. 2589 - 2566 BC Giza Djedefre c. 2566 - 2558 BC Abu Rawash Khafre c. 2558 - 2532 BC Giza Menkaure c. 2532 - 2504 BC Giza Sahure c. 2487 - 2477 BC Abu Sir Neferirkare Kakai c. 2477 - 2467 BC Abu Sir Nyuserre Ini c. 2416 - 2392 BC Abu Sir Amenemhat I c. 1991 - 1962 BC Lisht Senusret I c. 1971 - 1926 BC Lisht Senusret II c. 1897 - 1878 BC el-Lahun Amenemhat III c. 1860 - 1814 BC Hawara See also * Pyramid * Egyptian pyramid construction techniques * Pyramidion List * * * * List of Egyptian pyramids List of megalithic sites Lepsius list of pyramids Timeline of three tallest structures in the world

Notes and references

References Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pyramids of Egypt 1. ^ a b "Egypt says has found pyramid built for ancient queen". Reuters. htt p://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnJOE4AA0H1.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-18. "The pyramid, which Hawass said was the 118th found in Egypt, was uncovered near the world's oldest pyramid at Saqqara, a burial ground for the rulers of ancient Eg ypt." 2. ^ a b "In the Shadow of a Long Past, Patiently Awaiting the Future". New Y ork Times. 16 November 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/world/middleeast/ 17cairo.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-17. "Deep below the Egyptian desert, archaeol ogists have found evidence of yet another pyramid, this one constructed 4,300 ye ars ago to store the remains of a pharaoh s mother. That makes 138 pyramids discov ered here so far, and officials say they expect to find more." 3. ^ a b Michael Ritter (2003) [1] Dating the Pyramids. Retrieved 13 April 20 05 4. ^ Watkin, David (4th ed. 2005). A History of Western Architecture. Laurenc e King Publishing. pp. 14. ISBN 978-1856694599. http://books.google.com/books?id =39T1zElEBrQC&pg=PA14&dq=giza+pyramids+largest+structures&ei=_HVTSNTHHIP6sQPHnNm 5Cw&client=firefox-a&sig=m5gbKzP5bc1gh6aiLkgFpIc_KVo. "The Great Pyramid...is st ill one of the largest structures ever raised by man, its plan twice the size of St. Peter's in Rome" 5. ^ [2] Burial customs: mastabas. University College London (2001) Retrieved 14 April 2005 6. ^ [3] Burial customs in Early Dynastic Egypt. University College London (2 001). Retrieved 14 April 2005 7. ^ [4] Imhotep, Doctor, Architect, High Priest, Scribe and Vizier to King D joser (Jimmy Dunn). Retrieved 24 April 2005 8. ^ [5] The Pyramids: "Resurrection Machines". (Houghton Mifflin College) Re trieved 13 April 2005 9. ^ [6] Hidden History of Egypt (The Discovery Channel (2002-2004)) Retrieve d 13 April 2005 10. ^ [7] 11. ^ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081111-new-pyramid-egypt .html 12. ^ [8] The Mastaba of Shepseskaf 13. ^ Allen, James; Manuelian, Peter (2005), The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Text s (Writings from the Ancient World, No. 23), Brill Academic, ISBN 978-9004137776 Further reading * Edwards, I.E.S., The Pyramids of Egypt Penguin Books Ltd; New Ed edition ( 5 Dec 1991), ISBN 978-0140136340 * Lehner, Mark, The Complete Pyramids, Thames & Hudson, 1997, ISBN 978-05000 50842 * Mendelssohn, Kurt, The Riddle of the Pyramids, Thames & Hudson Ltd (6 May 1974), ISBN 978-0500050156 External links * PYRAMIDS OF GIZA Facts and Statistics. * Newsweek's Interactive Graphic on Djedefre's pyramid with Interactive Time line of the major pyramids of ancient Egypt * Ancient Authors A site that quotes descriptions of the "Labyrinth" of Amen emhet III's pyramid at el-Lahun by various ancient authors. * ANCIENT EGYPT - History & Chronology A site detailing the major pyramid si tes of ancient Egypt and Nubia (Sudan). * Pyramids in relation with the Noble Quraan (Quran) * diagram of an ancient pyramid from bbc.co.uk

* Pyramids World Heritage Site in panographies - 360 degree interactive imag ing * The Pyramids of Egypt - The meaning and construction of the Egyptian pyram ids by Egyptologist Professor Nabil Swelim. [hide] v d e Ancient Egypt topics All the Giza pyramids

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