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There
are no more famous ancient sites
within Egypt, or for that matter
elsewhere in the world, than the
Great Pyramids at
Giza.
They are, without question, the
icon most associated with the
Egypt. They have been both the
main destination for tourists,
and a source of imaginative
thought to the world for over
three thousand years.
However, there are actually over
100 pyramids in Egypt, many of
which are relatively unknown to
anyone who is not an ancient
Egypt enthusiast. All but a very
few are grouped around and near
the City of
Cairo,
just south of the Nile Delta.
Otherwise, only one royal
pyramid is known in southern
Egypt (at Abydos), that being
the one built by
Ahmose,
founder of the
18th
Dynasty and Egypt's
New
Kingdom. It may have
also been the last royal pyramid
built in Egypt.
Hence,
major pyramids were not built
throughout Egypt's ancient
history. The Pyramid Age began
with a burst of building,
starting with the
3rd
Dynasty reign of
Djoser.
Some of the early kings, most
specifically
Snefru,
built more than one pyramid.
Almost all of the
kings
added to their number through
the end of the
Middle
Kingdom, with the
possible exception of the
First
Intermediate Period
between the
Old
and
Middle
Kingdoms. After the
first Pharaoh of Egypt's
New
Kingdom,
Ahmose,
royal pyramid building by
Egyptians ceased entirely.
Somewhat abruptly the kings of
the New Kingdom chose, rather
than making their tombs
completely obvious, to hide them
in the hills of the
West
Bank of
Thebes
(modern
Luxor).
However, smaller pyramids were
constructed, for example in the
Deir
el-Medina necropolis,
by private individuals. The
Late
Period Nubians who
ruled Egypt also built
relatively small pyramids with
much steeper sides, though these
were in fact constructed in
Nubia
itself. This tradition was
carried on in Nubia after these
southern rulers lost control of
Egypt, and eventually, more
pyramids were actually built in
Nubia than Egypt, though on a
much smaller scale.
Other
pyramids in the world certainly
exist, but their purpose, for
the most part, was different
than those of ancient Egypt. The
most famous outside Egypt are
probably those located in Mexico
and to the south of Mexico, but
these appear to have been built
more as temples. In Egypt, all
but a select few of the pyramids
were built as tombs, sometimes
to hold the physical body of a
pharaoh (as well as other
individuals), or to hold the
soul of the deceased (as in the
case of the small cult pyramids
built next to the larger ones).
Otherwise, the purpose of only a
few small, regional stepped
pyramids remains elusive.
While
pyramids were, for the most
part, tombs for the
Pharaohs of Egypt,
one must nevertheless question
the reason that Egyptian rulers
chose this particular shape, and
for that matter, why they built
them so large. Today, we believe
that they chose the shape in
order to mimic the Benben, a
pyramid shaped stone found in
the earliest of temples, which
itself is thought to symbolize
the primeval mound from which
the Egyptians believed life
emerged. This also connected the
pyramid to
Re,
the Sun God, as it was he,
according to some of the ancient
Egypt mythology, who rose from
the primeval mound to create
life.
As far
the great size of many of the
pyramids in Egypt, we can really
only surmise that the Pharaohs
were making a statement about
their own power and perhaps,
about the glory and strength of
their country. However, it
should also be remembered that
many of the latter pyramids were
not nearly as large as the Great
Pyramids at
Giza
(and elsewhere).
Pyramids evolved. The first of
them was not a perfectly formed
pyramid. In fact, the first
Pyramid we believe that was
built in Egypt, that of
Djoser,
was not a true pyramid at all
with smooth sides and a point at
the top. Rather, its sides were
stepped, and the top of the
pyramid truncated with a flat
surface (as best we know). As
the Egyptian pyramids evolved,
there were failures as well
glorious failures until finally,
they got it right with what was
probably the first smooth sided
true pyramid built
at
Meidum. In fact,
pyramids continued to evolve
throughout their history,
perhaps not always in outward
appearances, but in the way that
they were built and in the
theology surrounding their
construction. For example,
towards the latter part of
Egypt's Pyramid Age, Osirian
beliefs seem to have had more
and more impact on the
arrangement and layout of the
subterranean chambers.
However, soon after the first
pyramids were built, their form
became somewhat standardized.
Royal pyramid complexes included
the main pyramid, a courtyard
surrounding the main pyramid, a
much smaller cult pyramid for
the king's soul, a mortuary
temple situated next to the main
pyramid, an enclosure wall and a
causeway that led down to a
valley temple. Some pyramid
complexes included subsidiary,
smaller pyramids for family
members, and most were
surrounded by some sort of tombs
for family members.
Our
thinking on pyramids has evolved
considerably over the years.
Many of us who are a bit older
were taught that the pyramids
were built using Jewish slave
labor, which is a fabrication of
immense proportions. Most of the
pyramids were built long before
the Jews made their appearance
historically and currently, many
if not most scholars believe
they were not built using slave
labor at all (or perhaps a
nominal number of slaves).
Otherwise, we can also dismiss
offhand alternative theories
related to aliens or some lost
culture being responsible for
pyramid building. There is just
far too much evidence, including
tools, drawings, evolutionary
changes, and even worker
villages that rule these
farfetched ideas obsolete.
However, some mysteries remain,
even in some of the best well
known Pyramids. The most famous
of them all, the
Great
Pyramid of
Khufu,
continues, year after year, to
give up a few more secrets, and
there doubtless remains much to
learn from these Egyptian
treasures. There may even be one
or more pyramids yet to be
discovered. |
