The Egyptian pyramids are architectural masterpieces that still fascinate people today. These monumental buildings have existed for around 4000 years, but what exactly are these ancient tombs all about?
Pyramids – profile
as «Pyramid» one calls a building, the one square Floor space, has four upturned sides and a point.
Figure 1: The Pyramids of Giza. Source: wikipedia.org
Pyramidal Structures but were not only built in Egypt, but also on other continents and in other countriesfor example in Central America and China.
different companies so developed independently of each other similar buildings, which are also similar functions had. Thus pyramids were predominantly made religious or ceremonial reasons built.
Pyramids – Importance in Ancient Egypt
The monumental building «pyramid» served in ancient Egypt multiple purposes.
Pyramids as status symbols
The pyramids were status symbols, with which to be the pharaoh god kingship and the associated Makes as well as his influence and his riches put on display. Only the rulers of ancient Egypt were able to undertake such building projects at all Afford and they were the only ones Pyramids reserved as tombs.
«God-kingdom» here means the belief of the ancient Egyptians that the pharaoh was a son of the gods. Through this divine descent, the pharaoh justified his dominion over the kingdom and the people worshiped him as a living deity.
Pyramids as part of the cult of the dead
In Egypt, the pyramids were a significant Part of the religious cult of the dead – they served the pharaohs as burial places. It was the task of the pyramids «never ending silence» of the king in the afterlife protection.
But why use it special shape the pyramid?
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For one, the pyramid shape embodied the «Fan of rays of the sun». The sun god re was considered supreme deity in Ancient Egypt and the pyramid shape was a symbol of his life-giving power.
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On the other hand, it was believed that the pharaoh Beyond its rightful place at the side of the gods would take. The pyramid was one Symbol of «ascension»be it in the form of «Stairs» (step pyramids) or in the form of the «ramp». The pyramid let the king in ascend the sky and made him immortal.
Incidentally, most Egyptian pyramids were built during the «Old Kingdom» (approx. 2707-2216 BC), which is why this historical period is also called «Wedding» or «Pyramid Age».
Also during the «Middle Kingdom» (c. 2137–1781 BC) and the «New Kingdom» (ca. 1550–1070 BC) pyramids were built, but most of them were never completed.
If you’re interested in learning more about the history of Ancient Egypt, check out the Egyptian Empire and Ancient Egypt explanations here on !
pyramid complex
The funerary pyramids of the great rulers were part of a pyramid complex. That means it’s next to the main pyramid often a few more other buildings were, which were built together with this.
For example the «sub-pyramids»so smaller pyramids, which are in the immediate vicinity to the main pyramid. These served as resting places for the Pharaoh’s family – for his wife and often also for his children.
Also firmly part of the pyramid complex was the mortuary temple. In this place the Pharaoh after his death worshiped and it was given to him offerings offered. Demonstrably such ritual acts of worship in some temples up to 100 years after death performed by the king.
Some pharaohs also left so-called «necropolis» (translated as «Cities of the Dead») create, in which the graves of close confidant of the king (Relatives, important officials, etc.) were located.
Figure 2: The mortuary temple of Hatshepsut. Source: wikipedia.org
pyramid building
Looking at the monumental pyramids, one inevitably wonders how ancient society was could erect these huge structures at all without modern tools. In the following, the pyramid construction and the people involved are examined in more detail.
Pyramid building – people involved
Were building a pyramid several thousand people involved, from the pharaoh himself down to the humble workers.
client
client for pyramid building was always the pharaoh or pharaoh. Already closed lifetime of the king or the queen began building his funerary pyramid began, because he could 20 years last. The then Life expectancy was with average 32–35 years a lot of lower than today’s, so construction had to start early enough to completion at the time of death of the ruler to guarantee.
construction manager
the site management was mostly in the hand it viziersi.e. the highest royal official and confidant of the king or queen.
In ancient Egypt there was actually already something like a «building authority», which the vizier also took over.
Specialized Workers
In addition to the site manager himself, there was a group of specialized workers, the the all year about building on the pyramid. This included the trained ones stonemasonswho took care of the processing of the building material on site.
worker
However, the bulk of those involved were simple workers. Often these were (forced recruits) farmerseither due to drought or Nile flood (flood) could not till their fields. In exchange for their work, the local workers were Pharaoh or the pharaoh provided with the essentials. Once the fields though could be ordered again the farmers left the pyramid construction site. Unlike many of the specialized workers, the peasants worked not the whole year about at the tomb.
Pyramid Building – Material
When building the pyramids many different rock types for use. To the large part consisted of the monumental tombs limestone. while in core the pyramid Low quality limestone was installed, the «Facade» mostly made of high quality white limestone. The fine limestone was particularly popular the quarries of Tura (Tura Limestone), a region at east bank of the Nile.
For interior constructionsthe the stability of the pyramid guaranteed (columns, pillars, corridors, doors, etc.) were used very hard rock types, such as Granite.
Decorative accessory such as floor coverings, altars or smaller statues were often made alabaster made that looks similar to marble.
In the Cheops pyramid became around 2.3 million stone blocks with a Total weight of 6.5 million tons installed. One can only imagine how much work it was to extract all these stones from the quarries and transport them to the pyramid.
Can’t imagine how heavy 6.5 million tons is?
For comparison: an elephant weighs around 6 tons. This meant that the Cheops pyramid weighs about as much as 1 million elephants.
But maybe the Cologne Cathedral also tells you something? This weighs around 300,000 tons. In order to reach the weight of the Cheops pyramid, you would need about 20x the Cologne Cathedral!
Pyramid building – transport
But how exactly do they have it? aancient Egyptians actually done this huge stone blocksthat up to 3 tons could weigh to transport from A to B?
The most important Tool for this was the Nile! With the help of ships could the stone blocks on the river also about long distances be transported. And about the transport to simplify furtherhave been in advance artificial channels excavatedwhich led from the Nile in the direction of the building site.
But of course the flow was enough Not until foot of the pyramid – the last piece had to use the stone blocks over land return. For this were mostly Wooden sled used that on round trunks pads. The stones were loaded onto these and the worker then took them with me pure physical strength to the construction site.
Pyramid building – construction method
Pyramids are true wonders of architecture, considering that ancient Egypt no modern tools had to measure.
the sides of the pyramid became exact according to the four cardinal points North, East, West and South aligned. Today it is assumed that this orientation is based either on the sun or the stars was accomplished.
And also the angle of the side walls from bottom to top were nearly on all four sides identical. To this day, there is speculation as to what methods and tools the ancient Egyptians used in such a way accurate measurements could do.
After planning and the floor plan the pyramid became the floor space, on which the pyramid should later stand, leveled. Then the actual construction could begin. The pyramids became fundamental built as «step pyramids». That meant the stones gradually were superimposed and the Area of the individual «stone layers» always smaller became.
Figure 5: The Djoser step pyramid. Source: wikipedia.org
While one such «Step Pyramids» at the beginning of Old Kingdom just left them as they were, later the fashion came up that outer walls of the pyramids «smooth». These smooth blocks of stone then became plain on the steps the pyramid put on.
Figure 6: Combination of step pyramids and smooth outer wall stones. Source: wikipedia.org
Pyramid building – theories
You already know how the stones got to the construction site. Now the question arises as the stones on the pyramid came – because «simply» pick up could you see the heavy blocks of stone Not.
There are many for this different theories, as well as about the measurement of the pyramids. Many researchers assume that during the construction of the monumental tombs «ramps» or scaffolding structures were used – but opinions differ on exactly what they looked like:
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A ramp in the Zigzag up one of the pyramid sides.
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One straight ramp from the bottom straight towards the top.
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Or a ramp that «spiral» led around the pyramid.
It is also controversialwhether the ancient Egyptians already crane-like structures possessed to throw the stones into the air to lift.
Figure 7: Theories of stone transport on the pyramid. Source: wikipedia.org
Pyramid building – construction time
The construction of a pyramid or a pyramid complex took time many years.
On the one hand, that was due to the Lots of building materialsthat were needed. And on the other hand fluctuating number of workersbecause only proportionately few people worked that all year above at the pyramids.
As you already know, they were most of the workers, farmers. But the periods of drought and flooding during which they were shut down for construction were relatively short and often only lasted few weeks. Accordingly short they fell too «Working hours» in building the pyramid.
The completion of the Cheops pyramid, for example, took around 20 yearssince only round three months in the year active and with «full» workforce could be built on it.