Why were the pyramids built?

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alex

The Pyramids of Egypt are among the largest structures ever built[1] and constitute one of the most potent and enduring symbols of Ancient Egyptian civilization. Most were built during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.[2]
Contents
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* 1 Historic development
* 2 Pyramid symbolism
* 3 Number and location of pyramids
o 3.1 Abu Rawash
o 3.2 Giza
o 3.3 Zawyet el-Aryan
o 3.4 Abu Sir
o 3.5 Saqqara
o 3.6 Dahshur
o 3.7 Mazghuna
o 3.8 Lisht
o 3.9 Meidum
o 3.10 Hawara
o 3.11 el-Lahun
o 3.12 Construction dates
* 4 See also
* 5 Notes & references
o 5.1 References
o 5.2 External links

Historic development

By the time of the early dynastic period of Egyptian history, the pyramids were built by the horde, buried in bench-like structures known as mastabas.[3][4]

The first historically documented Egyptian pyramid is attributed to the architect Imhotep, who planned what Egyptologists believe to be a tomb for the pharaoh Djozer. Imhotep may have been the first to conceive the notion of stacking mastabas on top of each other â€” creating an edifice comprised of a number of "steps" that decreased in size towards its apex. The result was the Step Pyramid of Djozer â€” which was designed to serve as a gigantic stairway by which the soul of the deceased pharaoh could ascend to the heavens. Such was the importance of Imhotep's achievement that he was deified by later Egyptians.[5]

The most prolific pyramid-building phase coincided with the greatest degree of absolutist pharaonic rule. It was during this time that the most famous pyramids, those near Giza, were built. Over time, as authority became less centralized, the ability and willingness to harness the resources required for construction on a massive scale decreased, and later pyramids were smaller, less well-built and often hastily constructed.

Long after the end of Egypt's own pyramid-building period, a burst of pyramid-building occurred in what is present-day Sudan, after much of Egypt came under the rule of the Kings of Napata. While Napatan rule was brief and ceased in 661 BC, the Egyptian influence made an indelible impression, and during the later Sudanese Kingdom of Meroe (approximately in the period between 300 BCâ€“AD 300) this flowered into a full-blown pyramid-building revival, which saw more than two hundred indigenous, but Egyptian-inspired royal pyramid-tombs constructed in the vicinity of the kingdom's capital city.

Pyramid symbolism

The shape of Egyptian pyramids is thought to represent the primordial mound from which the Egyptians believed the earth was created. The shape is also thought to be representative of the descending rays of the sun, and most pyramids were faced with polished, highly reflective white limestone, in order to give them a brilliant appearance when viewed from a distance. Pyramids were often also named in ways that referred to solar luminescence. For example, the formal name of the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur was The Southern Shining Pyramid, and that of Senwosret at el-Lahun was Senwosret is Shining.

While it is generally agreed that pyramids were burial monuments, there is continued disagreement on the particular theological principles that might have given rise to them. One theory is that they were designed as a type of "resurrection machine"[6]

The Egyptians believed the dark area of the night sky around which the stars appear to revolve was the physical gateway into the heavens. One of the narrow shafts that extends from the main burial chamber through the entire body of the Great Pyramid points directly towards the center of this part of the sky. This suggests the pyramid may have been designed to serve as a means to magically launch the deceased pharaoh's soul directly into the abode of the gods.

All Egyptian pyramids were built on the west bank of the Nile, which as the site of the setting sun was associated with the realm of the dead in Egyptian mythology.[7]

Number and location of pyramids

The number of pyramid structures in Egypt today is reported by most sources as being between 81 and 112[citation needed], with a majority favoring the higher number. In 1842 Karl Richard Lepsius made a list of pyramids, in which he counted 67, but more have been identified and discovered since his time. The imprecise nature of the count is related to the fact that as many smaller pyramids are in a poor state of preservation and appear as little more than mounds of rubble, they are only now being properly identified and studied by archaeologists. Most are grouped in a number of pyramid fields, the most important of which are listed geographically, from north to south, below.

Abu Rawash

Main article: Abu Rawash

Abu Rawash is the site of Egypt's most northerly pyramid (other than the ruins of Lepsius pyramid number one)[2]â€” the mostly ruined Pyramid of Djedefre, son and successor of Khufu. Originally it was thought that this pyramid had never been completed, but the current archaeological consensus is that not only was it completed, but that it was originally about the same size as the Pyramid of Menkaure, which would have made it among the half-dozen or so largest pyramids in Egypt.

Its location adjacent to a major crossroads made it an easy source of stone. Quarrying â€” which began in Roman times â€” has left little apart from a few courses of stone superimposed upon the natural hillock that formed part of the pyramid's core. A small adjacent satellite pyramid is in a better state of preservation.

Giza

Main article: Giza pyramid complex

Map of Giza pyramid complex.
Map of Giza pyramid complex.

Giza is the location of the Pyramid of Khufu (also known as the "Great Pyramid" and the "Pyramid of Cheops"); the somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre (or Kephren); the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure (or Mykerinus), along with a number of smaller satellite edifices known as "Queen's pyramids"; and the Great Sphinx.

Of the three, only Khafre's pyramid retains part of its original polished limestone casing, near its apex. This pyramid appears larger than the adjacent Khufu pyramid by virtue of its more elevated location, and the steeper angle of inclination of its construction â€” it is, in fact, smaller in both height and volume.

The Giza Necropolis has been a popular tourist destination since antiquity, and was popularized in Hellenistic times when the Great Pyramid was listed by Antipater of Sidon as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Today it is the only one of those wonders still in existence.

Zawyet el-Aryan

See also: Zawyet el'Aryan

This site, halfway between Giza and Abu Sir, is the location for two unfinished Old Kingdom pyramids. The northern structure's owner is believed to be the Pharaoh Nebka, whilst the southern structure is attributed to the Third Dynasty Pharaoh Khaba, also known as Hudjefa, successor to Sekhemkhet. Khaba's four-year tenure as pharaoh more than likely explains the similar premature truncation of his step pyramid. Today it is approximately twenty meters in height; had it been completed it is likely to have exceeded 40.

Abu Sir

Main article: Abusir

There are a total of seven pyramids at this site, which served as the main royal necropolis during the Fifth Dynasty. The quality of construction of the Abu Sir pyramids is inferior to those of the Fourth Dynasty â€” perhaps signaling a decrease in royal power or a less vibrant economy. They are smaller than their predecessors, and are built of low-quality local limestone.

The three major pyramids are those of Niuserre (which is also the most intact), Neferirkare Kakai and Sahure. The site is also home to the incomplete Pyramid of Neferefre. All of the major pyramids at Abu Sir were built as step pyramids, although the largest of them â€” the Pyramid of Neferirkare Kakai â€” is believed to have originally been built as a step pyramid some 70 metres in height and then later transformed into a "true" pyramid by having its steps filled in with loose masonry.

Saqqara

Main article: Saqqara

The Step Pyramid of Djozer
The Step Pyramid of Djozer

Major pyramids located here include the Step Pyramid of Djozer â€” generally identified as the world's oldest substantial monumental structure to be built of finished stone â€” the Pyramid of Merykare, the Pyramid of Userkaf and the Pyramid of Teti. Also at Saqqara is the Pyramid of Unas, which retains a pyramid causeway that is one of the best-preserved in Egypt. This pyramid was also the subject of one of the earliest known restoration attempts, conducted by a son of Ramesses II. Saqqara is also the location of the incomplete step pyramid of Djozer's successor Sekhemkhet, known as the Buried Pyramid. Archaeologists believe that had this pyramid been completed it would have been larger than Djozer's.

South of the main pyramid field at Saqqara is a second collection of later, smaller pyramids, including those of Pepi I, Isesi, Merenre, Ibi, Pepi II and Shepseskaf. Most of these are in a poor state of preservation.

Dahshur

Main article: Dahshur

Snofru's Red Pyramid
Snofru's Red Pyramid

This area is arguably the most important pyramid field in Egypt outside Giza and Saqqara, although until 1996 the site was inaccessible due to its location within a military base, and hence was virtually unknown outside archaeological circles.

The southern Pyramid of Sneferu, commonly known as the Bent Pyramid is believed to be the first (or by some accounts, second) attempt at creating a pyramid with smooth sides. In this it was only a partial â€” but nonetheless visually arresting â€” success; it remains the only Egyptian pyramid to retain a significant proportion of its original limestone casing, and serves as the best example of the luminous appearance common to all pyramids in their original state. The northern, or Red Pyramid built at the same location by Sneferu was later successfully completed as the world's first true smooth-sided pyramid. Despite its relative obscurity, the Red Pyramid is actually the third largest pyramid in Egypt â€” after the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre at Giza. Also at Dahshur is the pyramid known as the Black Pyramid of Amenemhet III.

Mazghuna

Main article: Mazghuna

Located to the south of Dahshur, this area was used in the First Intermediate Period by several kings who constructed their pyramids out of mud brick. Today these structures are obscure and unimpressive.

Lisht

Main article: el-Lisht

The ruined Pyramid of Amenemhet I at Lisht
The ruined Pyramid of Amenemhet I at Lisht

Two major pyramids are known to have been built at Lisht â€” those of Amenemhat I and his son, Senusret I. The latter is surrounded by the ruins of ten smaller subsidiary pyramids. One of these subsidiary pyramids is known to be that of Amenemhat's cousin, Khaba II. [8] The site which is in the vicinity of the oasis of Fayyum, midway between Dahshur and Meidum, and about 100 kilometres south of Cairo, is believed to be in the vicinity of the ancient city of Itjtawy (the precise location of which remains unknown), which served as the capital of Egypt during the 12th Dynasty.

Meidum

Main article: Meidum

Sneferu's Pyramid at Meidum; the central core structure remains, surrounded by a mountain of rubble from the collapsed outer casing.

The pyramid at Meidum is one of three constructed during the reign of Sneferu, and is believed by some to have been started by that pharaoh's father and predecessor, Huni. However, this is not very likely, as his name does not appear on the site. Some archaeologists also suggest that the Meidum pyramid may have been the first unsuccessful attempt at the construction of a "true" or smooth-sided pyramid.

The pyramid suffered a catastrophic collapse in antiquity, and today only the central parts of its stepped inner core remain standing, giving it an odd tower-like appearance that is unique among Egyptian pyramids. The hill that the pyramid sits atop is not a natural landscape feature â€” it is the small mountain of debris created when the lower courses and outer casing of the pyramid gave way.

Hawara

Main article: Hawara

The Pyramid of Amenemhet III at Hawarra
The Pyramid of Amenemhet III at Hawarra

Amenemhet III was the last powerful ruler of the 12th Dynasty, and the pyramid he built at Hawarra, near Faiyum, is believed to post-date the so-called "Black Pyramid" built by the same ruler at Dahshur. It is the Hawarra pyramid that is believed to have been Amenemhet's final resting place.

el-Lahun

Main article: el-Lahun

The Pyramid of Senusret II. The pyramid's natural limestone core is clearly visible as the yellow stratum at its base.
The Pyramid of Senusret II. The pyramid's natural limestone core is clearly visible as the yellow stratum at its base.

The pyramid of Senusret II at el-Lahun is the southernmost royal-tomb pyramid structure in Egypt. Its builders reduced the amount of work necessary to construct it by ingeniously using as its foundation and core a 12-meter-high natural limestone hill.

I love you!

They were built as tombs for the kings or the time and the wombs were meant to hold the kings body and all of his possesions...

Simon Legree

The pyramids were built to inclose the tombs of the deceased pharoahs.

If you want to know more about Egyptian pyramids, see this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_pyramids

Here's some trivia, the Great Pyramids of Giza were constructed in 2560 BC and are one of the few remaining landmarks that are considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Tim

as burial tombs for pharoahs

sistablu...Maat

The pyramids were constructed to serve one purpose that of tombs. Meant as the eternal resting places of the deceased Egyptian pharaohs and other royalty.
While pyramid building occurred predominately during The Old Kingdom there are several among the 133 pyramids recognised as man made constructions by International bodies and the S.C.A. that belong to later eras.
But these were not on the size and eternal grandeur of those built at Giza Saqqara and Dashur from circa 2.600BCE.The is considerable evidense to show the time that "The Pyramid Builders" began thier strive for perfection in the buildong of thier pyramids.
Occationally there are untrained theorist such as West, who come out with a lot of jargon mixed with a pile of fantasy and a dash of fact to compile a tall tale about the pyramids being built by aleins or a log lost civilation usually from Atlantis, around 150.000 yrs prior to any known settlement in Egypt. The earlist being dated to circa 7.500 BCE approx.
Dr Hawass has labled these people who are basically after media attention as "pyramididiots" a title I feel that describes them rather welll
Pyramid building proved to be an immense drain on the economic resource and manpower of ancient Egypt.
For a time a cenotaph or small obelisk set in a mortuary temple with a pyramidion top sufficed.
Then as the capitol and power base of Egypt became centered in ancinet Waset, later renamed Luxor by the Greeks, the priests of Amun encouraged a new form of burial.With this commenced the tntroduction of the intricate rock hewn tombs in cliff faces of The Valley of the Kings ,The Valley of the Queens and the many necropolis where the tombs of nobles and those renowned in their time are to be found.

NAB

A tomb for their leaders when they die. Where they can be entombed with their belongings.

hfrankmann

They are tombs, the Pharaohs got buried with their possessions including slaves.

Jason L

Not only for pharohs & Kings but also their wives, harlets, servants, animals, belongings, and the pyramids also served as many other interesting things such as sacrificial platforms, some pyramids were constructed in honor of the solar system and act as a calendar.

There are people that believe the pyramids were originally from other planets, then more were constructed in similarly.

Anonymou$

To place their mummified leaders.

Helmaroc

They served as tombs for the royalty of Egypt, and they stored the treasure of the deceased. They were often filled with traps to keep out theives. They took a VERY long time to build, some starting as soon as the owner was born, and finishing when the owner was an adult or elderly.

Lina the dragon

Pyramids are tombs aren't they? I suppose pyramids were built for the burial grounds of the pharaohs. Well like Taj Mahal - it was built for the resting place of Mumtaz the Queen in India.

additional story:

Some just want to believe it was the landings grounds for aliens' spacecrafts - in their dreams I suppose. I watched Stargate like dutifully, I love the movie and I love the TV serial, but that was it.

Human if they want they can built something smashing be it then or now, but now human like nothing more than just to destroy, sad huh!

baserunner316

the pharohs were believed to be literal gods. ( at least thats what the made everyone believe) it was the duty of each pharoh to see that he had his route built to take him to the afterlife. they were always built under the locations of constellations so the stars would act as a sign for his spirit. on the outside, there is a staircase leading upward to the top of the pyramid, for the pharoahs spirit to walk up. each pyramid was also build bigger to show off their own status and to act as a "finger" to the predecessinig pharoah.

jedibill11

They tell us they were built as tombs for Pharaoh's

Neena <3

The purpose of the pyramids was to be a magnificent tomb for the pharaohs. The pharaohs would be placed in the pyramids with their belongings. If they had pleased the gods and goddesses they would go on to the afterlife with Osiris and live a life of ease and pleasure. =D

Hope I helped!

CGray99

they were burial grounds

80's kid

The pharoahs in ancient Egypt were thought of as Gods. Each pyramid was built during a pharoahs life as a temple and burial site for them when they passed to the other world (died). Unbelievable valuables, like gold, gems and other treasure was buried with them, as an honor to them.

amybee08

Burial place for kings in Egypt.Also shows of their hardwork,for all we know,These pyramids was built w/. their blood and sweat.

Rennezuela

They built them originally to house the dead pharoes and elite of ancient egypt, though, in modern times, they defended the egyptian middle to lower class during the 4th coming of Jesus.

mtchndjnmtch

Out of boredom. People needed something to do. They had no jobs, so the Pharaohs said, get every body together and lets build something! So they built homes for every one who worked on the Pyramids, and clothed and fed them. No one had the time or strength to make war or go against the Pharaohs. To busy, and well off. But really it was for the Pharaohs to be buried in, and it put them closer to the Gods.

Den

its was a tradition of egyptions to build a pyremid for every king they have so when he dies he has a grave basicly.

Michael R

tombs for the pharoahs, with the belief in Ka, a lifeforce that would come alive in the afterlife.

IWIU

They somehow thought that by aligning them up a certain way it would capture energy that would transport the dead body up to heaven

I can't believe they really thought that

You don't go to heaven without knowing Jesus

Sirius

They give the direct correlation to where Yahweh (God) lives and the angels. The Pyramids were built as a Sign of the Existence of Intelligent beings of other worlds.

The Giza Pyramid was used as a beacon for alien being men who look just like us space traveling, it was a space port that ended in the Sinai Deserts.

The Egyptians did not build it because they're is not hieroglyphics showing they did, Prophet Enoch modified the pyramids after receiving extraterrestrial contact from Yahweh the Phoenician Hebrew Creator.

The whole area of The Pyramids line up exactly with the belt's of Orion (you should go outside and look)

My other theory is that giants from Ancient tribes such as Atlantis,Sumer,Babylon and Ur all came together and build this by helping Enoch help out this alien being named Yahweh the creator.

The Pyramids were built in the 1st and 2nd dynasty. If a person around those times could live almost 1,000 years there is no telling what kind of advanced technology they possed on primitive man.

There is a chamber in the bottom of the sphinx and I beleive it leads to the lost civilization of Atlantis,

ut one thing I know is that it has something to do with giving the location where Yahweh (God) and the angels live meaning in constellation Orion and that people (giants) from other ancient lost civilization got with Enoch and built it as a sign of the existence of Yahweh.

I also heard that it was a star gate to travel to other worlds.

Sean

in tribute to Ramsys and other so called "Egyptian Gods"/leaders.

timothy_yeav

cement and diapers.

JOHN C

they're solar radiation shields used during that period on many continents

bigaustin1

for tombs to bury pharaohs and other dead people.

FTG!

To be tourist attractions.................

gobonzzo

The pyramids at Giza are in a separate class by themselves, and may be much more ancient than other pyramids in Egypt. No one really knows why they were built. There are lots of theories, but no one has a definite answer. The same situation exists with respect to the Great Sphinx, which occupies a space on the Giza Plateau not far from the Great Pyramid, and which may be tens of thousands of years older than the Egyptian Dept of Antiquities is willing to admit. There is evidence that the pyramids on the Giza plateau were built by an unknown people many thousands of years before the Egyptians came onto the scene. When the race of people we know as ancient Egyptians arrived in the land, the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid were already there. No one has ever been able to figure out exactly why these things were built or by whom.

crzy_girl90218

i know that they were used as tombs... thats a reason. =)

triviadude318

It was earliest known example of pork barrel spending.

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