Pyramid Texts

Examples of Pyramid Texts in the following topics:

• Tombs of the Middle Kingdom

  • Unlike the Old Kingdom, however, Middle Kingdom royal pyramids were not quite as well constructed, and so few of them remain as pyramid structures today.
  • In the Old Kingdom, the Pyramid Texts, which contained spells to help the dead reach the afterlife successfully, were only accessible to the elite.
  • Coffin Texts, as they are called by the scholars, expanded upon the Pyramid Texts, introducing new spells and incorporating slight changes to make them more relatable to the nobility.
  • In contrast to the Pyramid Texts, which focus on the celestial realm, the Coffin Texts emphasize the subterranean elements of the afterlife ruled by Osiris in a place called the Duat.
  • Spells in the Coffin Texts were intended to help the deceased contend with these impediments.

• The Book of the Dead

  • The Book of the Dead was a funerary text designed to assist a deceased person's journey through the underworld and into the afterlife.
  • Despite the word "book" in the common title, the Book of the Dead was actually printed on scrolls, as opposed to bound texts.
  • The Book of the Dead was part of a tradition of funerary texts which includes the earlier Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom and the Coffin Texts of the Middle Kingdom.
  • For instance, Pyramid Texts were written in an unusual hieroglyphic style, were exclusive to those of royal privilege, and saw the afterlife as being in the sky.
  • The text was written in both black and red ink from either carbon or ochre, respectively.

• Tombs

  • During the Old Kingdom, these royal mastabas eventually developed into rock-cut "step pyramids" and then "true pyramids," although non-royal use of mastabas continued to be used for more than a thousand years.
  • The Pyramids of Giza, massive stone-cut structures built from limestone quarried from the Nile River,are the most well-known example of pyramid tombs built during the Old Kingdom .
  • During the Old Kingdom, only the pharaoh had access to this material, which scholars refer to as the Pyramid Texts.
  • The Pyramid Texts are a collection of spells to assure the royal resurrection and protect the pharaoh from various malignant influences.
  • The Pyramids of Giza served as tombs to the Kings.

• The Pyramids of the Old Kingdom

  • In the following dynasties, the pyramid design changed from the "step" pyramid to a true pyramid shape as kings continued to build tombs for their kings.
  • The Necropolis includes three pyramid complexes: the Great Pyramid (built by King Khufu of the 4th Dynasty); the somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre (buit by Khufu's son); and the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure.
  • During the Old Kingdom, only the pharaoh had access to this material, which scholars refer to as the Pyramid Texts.
  • The Pyramid Texts are a collection of spells to assure the royal resurrection and protect the pharaoh from various malignant influences.
  • This view shows all three pyramid structures: the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure.

• Timeline

  • 2560 BCE: The approximate time accepted as the completion of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest pyramid of the Giza Plateau.
  • 2494 - 2345 BCE: The first of the oldest surviving religious texts, the Pyramid Texts, are composed in Ancient Egypt.
  • 1200 BCE: Olmecs build earliest pyramids and temples in Central America.
  • 950 BCE: The Torah begins to be written, generating the core texts of Judaism and foundation of later Abrahamic religions.
  • In the Mayan civilization, stepped pyramids are constructed .

• Architecture of the Middle Kingdom

  • It is one of the five remaining pyramids of the original eleven pyramids at Dahshur in Egypt.
  • Originally named Amenemhet is Mighty, the pyramid earned the name "Black Pyramid" for its dark, decaying appearance as a rubble mound.
  • Typical for Middle Kingdom pyramids, the Black Pyramid, although encased in limestone, is made of mud brick and clay instead of stone.
  • Workers' villages were often built nearby to pyramid construction sites.
  • Middle Kingdom pyramids consist of mud brick and clay encased in limestone.

• Art and Architecture in the Kingdom of Kush

  • The kings of Kush adopted the Egyptian architectural idea of building pyramids as funerary monuments.
  • However, Kushite pyramids were built above the underground graves, whereas the Egyptian graves were inside the pyramid.
  • The kings' tombs were lodged under large pyramids made of stone.
  • Ordinary citizens were buried in much smaller pyramids.
  • The most famous examples of Kushite pyramids are located in their capital Meroë.

• Architecture of the Maya

  • They built imposing pyramids, temples, palaces, and administrative structures in densely populated cities.
  • The Temple of the Inscriptions is a nine-level pyramid that rises to a height of about 75 feet.
  • One of Chichen Itza's most conspicuous structures is El Castillo (Spanish for the castle), a massive, nine-level pyramid in the center of a large plaza with a stairway on each side leading to a square temple on the pyramid's summit.
  • Temple of the Inscriptions (tomb pyramid of Lord Pakal), Palenque, Mexico, 7th century
  • Palace (right) and Temple of the Inscriptions, tomb-pyramid of Lord Pakal (left).

• Teotihuacan

  • Teotihuacan's principal monuments include the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon, and the Ciudadela (Spanish for fortified city center), a vast sunken plaza surrounded by temple platforms.
  • Its focal point was the pyramidal Temple of the Feathered Serpent.
  • Detail of pyramid, showing the alternating talud base and vertical tablero (left).
  • View from the Pyramid of the Moon down the Avenue of the Dead to the Ciudadela and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent.
  • The Pyramid of the Sun is at the middle left.

• Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Art

  • King Djoser's architect, Imhotep, is credited with the development of building with stone and with the conception of the new architectural form—the Step Pyramid.
  • Indeed, the Old Kingdom is perhaps best known for the large number of pyramids constructed at this time as pharaonic burial places.
  • For this reason, the Old Kingdom is frequently referred to as "the Age of the Pyramids."