pyramid

Examples of pyramid in the following topics:

• The Pyramids of the Old Kingdom

  • These tombs were built in the form of great pyramids, and for this reason, the Old Kingdom is frequently referred to as the "Age of the Pyramids."
  • 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.
  • This view shows all three pyramid structures: the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure.
  • Djoser's step pyramid was the first of the great pyramids built during the Old Kingdom in Eqypt.

• Tombs

  • During the Old Kingdom, mastabas and pyramids were built as tombs for the deceased in order to preserve their soul in the afterlife.
  • 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 .
  • As the pyramids were constructed for the kings, mastabas for lesser royals were constructed around them.
  • The Pyramids of Giza served as tombs to the Kings.

• 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.

• Tombs of the Middle Kingdom

  • Royal funerary practices in the Middle Kingdom remained much the same as in the Old Kingdom, with kings continuing to build pyramids for their burials.
  • 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.
  • Among the tombs built during this time are Amenemhat I's funerary monument at El-Lisht; Sesostris I's funerary monument; Amenemhat III's pyramid at Hawara, which includes an elaborate labyrinth complex; and Sesostris II's pyramid at Illahun.
  • The construction of pyramids declined toward the end of the Twelfth Dynasty, as instability led to the decline of the Middle Kingdom.
  • In the Old Kingdom, the Pyramid Texts, which contained spells to help the dead reach the afterlife successfully, were only accessible to the elite.

• 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.

• Timeline

  • 2635 - 2610 BCE: The oldest surviving Egyptian Pyramid is commissioned by pharaoh Djoser.
  • 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.
  • In the Mayan civilization, stepped pyramids are constructed .

• 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."

• Art of the Persian Empire

  • The load-bearing tomb, pyramidal-roofed, sits atop a geometric mound that resembles a stepped pyramid of Pre-Dynastic Egypt.