Pyramid
From Conservapedia
Pyramids, in the archaeological sense, refer to large, pyramidal monuments, most commonly associated with the Ancient Egyptian civilization, though were also a prominent part of Mesoamerican and Meroetic religious architecture.
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Egyptian Pyramids
History and Development
Pyramids in Egypt were built as royal funerary complexes, though miniature pyramids, often sitting atop small shrines, were also used in private burials, examples of which can be seen at Dier El Medina.
The first pyramid was a direct result of the development large scale all stone construction, pioneered by Imhotep, who used the new material to design a substantial mastaba for his royal master, Djoser, who reigned circa 2635 - 2610 BC. Upon realising the strength and potential of the new material, enlargements and elaboration were made to the design, until finally being completely redesigned to form a six stepped pyramid. As well as the idea of the pyramid itself, Imhotep's revolutionary design also created the pyramid complex.
The pyramid and it's complex evolved quickly in the following generations, and the complex soon came to compromise some standard architectural features, including the pyramid itself, a temple located immediately next to it (the "pyramid temple"), a long causeway leading down to a second temple ("valley temple", often nearer to, or beside the Nile) and often subsidiary burials for important members of the Pharaoh's court. Some pyramid complexes also included satellite pyramids for burials of other prominent royals.
The pyramid of Huni, the last ruler of the 3rd Dynasty, is the last constructed in the stepped style. Snefru, Huni's successor, appears to have completed the structure, modifying it to a true pyramid (smooth sided) by infilling the steps. Snefru went on to build the first true pyramid, designed as such from scratch. His Red Pyramid at Dashur is a testament to his design that can be seen today. After Khufu's Great Pyramid, and the Khafra's pyramid at Giza, it is the third largest stone pyramid.
Following these innovations the design of the pyramid's remained much the same, though varying in scale and quality of workmanship. From the 5th Dynasty onwards, some pyramids were built using rubble cores, reinforced with stone supporting structures, beneath a polished limestone exterior layer. Unas' pyramid at Saqqara, with some of it's original casing remaining alongside exposed rubble construction, is a good example of this. In the Middle Kingdom, with a wider range of building projects demanding attention, the labour saving method of having a brick built core was also widely adopted, a good example being the Black Pyramid of Amenemhat III.
The last royal pyramid was constructed by Ahmose I at Abydos. Following him, royal funerary architecture switch to richly decorated rocket cut tombs with separate mortuary temples which maintained the funerary cult of the Pharaoh that has previously been based at the pyramid complex.
Pyramid Texts and Sun Temples
During the 5th Dynasty, pyramids, previously devoid of internal decoration, were inscribed with the first of the great Egyptian funerary texts, the Pyramid Texts, detailing spells, hymns and incantations of the Pharaoh's journey to the heavens, and his becoming one of the celestial gods, and accompanying Ra in the solar barque. During this dynasty, sun temples were also added the design of pyramid complexes, though do not appear in those of late dynasties.
Solar Barques
The pyramid complexes of Khufu at Giza and Senusret III at Dashur have both been found to contain boats buried in pits nearby the pyramid itself. Two discovered around the pyramid of Khufu were both found dismantled in specially built and sealed pits, and six boats were found at Dashur. Boats were also found in the Early Dynastic royal tomb complexes at Abydos by David O'Connor in 1991. It is believed the boats were symbolic vessels, intended to aid the Pharaoh in his journey to unite with Ra, who was perceived as crossing the heavens in a celestial ship, though some scholars believe the boats were the actual vessels used to the carry body of the Pharaoh across the Nile for burial.
Meroetic Pyramids
Merotic pyramids were constructed from approximately 280 BC to the third century AD. Meroetic bliefs and styles borrowed heavily from the Egyptians, who had dominated the area for much of the Pharaonic era, and so it is unsurprising that Meroetic pyramids, like their earlier Egyptian counterparts, serve as funerary complexes for royalty. Meortic pyramids are built with smoothed stone casing over a rubble and sand core, and are much smaller than most Old Kingdom pyramids, and feature a much steeper angle. Unlike Egyptian pyramids, they contain no internal structure at all. Many were destroyed by European treasure hunters in the 19th century, who attempted to blast the tops off using explosives, believing there to be treasure inside.
Mesoamerican Pyramids
Mesoamerican pyramids were first built by the Teotihuacan culture, starting around 200 AD and were used until the collapse of native civilizations at the time of European colonisation. Later Mesoamerican civilizations adopted the design. Their design, construction and function were significantly different to the Egyptian pyramids. Mesoaemrcian pyramids were built to be stepped rather than smooth surface, allowing access to a flat top level, which often housed a small religious sanctuary. They were constructed using a much simpler earth fill technique, meaning much less quarrying and transport of stone was required. Some Mesoamerican pyramids, such as the Temple of the Feathered Serpent have been found to contain sacrificial burials beneath the main structure.
