Pyramids

Pyramids can be found in many parts of the world in a wide variety of contexts and functions (for example, tombs, temples), from remains in Egypt and Central America to modern reconstructions. When we think of pyramids, however, no better examples exist than those from ancient Egypt, especially the pyramids at Giza. The term pyramid is derived from the Greek pyramis, meaning “wheaten cake.” Although the ancient Egyptians knew pyramids as mer, they also referred to a pyramid capstone or the tip of an obelisk as ben-ben, which alternatively refers to a conical loaf of bread. The main age of the royal pyramid building occurred mainly from Dynasties 3–13, and as late as the early 18th dynasty (circa 2686–1550 B.C.), after which Egyptian royal tombs became mainly subterranean, rock-cut galleries, while many 18th- to 30th dynasty (circa1550–332 B.C.)elite private tombs adopted pyramidal chapels above subterranean burial chambers. An estimated 100 Old Kingdom to Middle Kingdom pyramids concentrate in an area focusing near present-day Cairo, while northern Sudan contains Egyptian-derived pyramids at Meroe and Napata, built by the Dynasty 25 Kushite and later Meroitic kings and royal families to the south of Egypt.

The classic Old Kingdom pyramids represent the personification of the deceased kings (and late Old Kingdom queens), along with their creation, rebirth, and connections with the daily rising and setting of the sun. The four sloping sides of the pyramid reflect the concept of the rising solar deity and the ascension of the king to the heavens using the sun's rays as a ladder or stairway. The pyramid existed as the eternal house of Pharaoh for his daily journey to and from the gods in the cosmos; it reflected aspects of creation by resembling the primeval mound rising from the waters of creation; the alignment of the entry passage with the circumpolar “imperishable” stars assisted the king's ascent to one of the potential destinations for his spirit in the afterlife.

Though Ancient Egyptian pyramids differ widely in their size, form, and construction techniques, they share many similarities. Pyramids contain subterranean tombs (sometimes associated with galleries),superstructures containing a mortuary temple, satellite pyramid for the king's spirit double (ka), an enclosure wall, a causeway, and a valley temple, where offerings could be made. The associated temples bore royal cult statues, scenes of offerings, storage magazines, and facilities for the royal funerary cult.