who really built the pyramids?

Answer 1

The pyramids of Egypt, among the largest constructions ever built by man, [1], constitute one of the most potent and enduring symbols of Ancient Egyptian civilization. It is generally accepted by most archaeologists that they were constructed as burial monuments associated with royal solar and stellar cults, and most were built during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods[2].

Contents [hide]
1 Historic development
2 Construction
3 Pyramid symbolism
4 Pyramid sites
4.1 Abu Rawash
4.2 Giza
4.3 Zawyet el-Aryan
4.4 Abu Sir
4.5 Saqqara
4.6 Dahshur
4.7 Mazghuna
4.8 Lisht
4.9 Meidum
4.10 Hawarra
4.11 el-Lahun
5 See also
6 Notes
7 External links



[edit]
Historic development

The Great Pyramid of Giza in a 19th century photoBy the time of the early Dynastic period of Egyptian history, those with sufficient means were buried in visually unremarkable bench-like structures[3] known as mastabas.[4]

The first historically documented Egyptian pyramid is attributed to the architect Imhotep[5], who in constructing what Egyptologists believe to be a tomb for the pharaoh Djozer, it is theorised first conceived the notion of stacking a number of mastabas on top of each other — thereby creating an edifice comprised of a number of steps that decreased in size towards its apex. The result was the Step Pyramid of Djozer — 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.[6].

Each of the pyramids had its own name, such as the Pyramid of Teti was known as Teti's cult places are enduring, later the pyramid complexes surrounding the main structures had separate names. Most pyramids have since been given Arabic names by the locals, which usually reflect their appearance.

The most prolific pyramid-building phase coincided with the greatest degree of absolutist pharaonic rule, during the early part of the Old Kingdom. Over time, as the exercise of pharaonic authority became less centralised and more bureaucratised, the ability and willingness to harness the resources required for construction on a massive scale was reduced, 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. Whilst Napatan rule was brief and ceased in 661 BCE, the Egyptian influence made an indelible impression, and during the later Sudanese Kingdom of Meroe (approximately in the period between 300 BCE–CE 300) this flowered into a full-blown pyramid-building revival, which saw more than two hundred uniquely indigenous, but strongly Egyptian-inspired royal pyramid tombs constructed in the vicinity of the Meroitic capital city.

[edit]
Construction
Main article: Egyptian pyramid construction techniques
The techniques used to construct Egypt's pyramids are thought to have initially been developed by trial and error[7], and then further evolved based on local economics, resources, and other considerations, over the thousand year pyramid-building phase of Egyptian civilization. At first, what we now know as pyramids were actually step pyramids, which eventually became more complex by filling the empty steps. This created the sloped sides.

Recently-discovered worker's tombs have shown how pyramids were made and how important workers were: the pyramid workers were paid craftsmen, not slaves, and they had their own city at Giza. Egyptologists also have presented several pieces of evidence showing this, including proof that many laborers worked on the Pyramids during periods of Nile flooding when farming and harvesting were impossible. Contributing to the Pyramid construction was, religiously, a very good deed for them.

During the earliest period, in the Third and Fourth Dynasties, pyramids were constructed wholly of stone. In the Fifth Dynasty the physical scale of pyramids was much reduced, and poor quality limestone replaced granite as the chief building material. In–filling with loose rubble was also used for the first time. This enabled pyramids to be built with fewer resources over much shorter periods.

During the Middle Kingdom pyramid construction techniques changed again. Most pyramids built at this time were little more than mountains of mud brick encased in a veneer of polished limestone.

The materials and methods of construction used in the earliest pyramids have ensured their survival in a generally much better state of preservation than is the case with the pyramid monuments of later pharaohs.

[edit]
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 made reference 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 that has gained a degree of acceptance is that they were designed as a type of "resurrection machine";[8] the Egyptians believed the dark area of the night sky around which the stars appear to revolve was the physical gateway into the heavens, and one of the narrow shafts that extends from the main burial chamber through the entire body of the Great Pyramid points directly towards the centre 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.

Most Egyptian pyramids were built (with the exception of the small step pyramid at Zawyet el-Maiyitin, near Al Minya) on the west bank [9] of the Nile, which as the site of the setting sun was associated with the realm of the dead in Egyptian mythology.

[edit]
Pyramid sites
The number of pyramid structures in Egypt today is reported by most sources as being between 80 and 110, with a majority favouring the higher number. In 1842 Lepsius made a list of pyramids, in which he counted 67, although more have been identified and discovered since his time [10]. The reason for the imprecise nature of the count appears 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.

[edit]
Abu Rawash
Main article: Abu Rawash
Abu Rawash is the site of Egypt's most northerly pyramid [11] other than the ruins of Lepsius pyramid number one[12]— the mostly ruined Pyramid of Djedefre, the 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 — the third largest of the Giza pyramids. On this basis Djedefre's edifice would have claimed the title of the fourth or fifth largest pyramid in Egypt.

Unfortunately its location adjacent to a major crossroads made it an easy source of stone, and quarrying — which began in Roman times — continued until as recently as the early 20th century. Today little remains apart from a few courses of stone superimposed upon the natural hillock that formed part of the pyramid's core — although a small adjacent satellite pyramid is in a better state of preservation.

[edit]
Giza
Main article: Giza pyramid complex

The Giza pyramid field, viewed from the south-west. Dominating the picture from foreground to background are the Pyramids of Menkaure, Khafre and Khufu.Giza, on the southern outskirts of Cairo 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), and the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure (or Mykerinus), along with a number of smaller satellite edifices, known as "queens" pyramids, and the Great Sphinx.

Of the three, only Khafre's pyramid retains part of its original polished limestone casing, towards its apex. Interestingly 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 — it is, in fact, smaller in both height and volume.

The Giza Necropolis has arguably been the world's most popular tourist destination since antiquity, and was popularised 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 the ancient Wonders still in existence.

Pyramids of Giza colour satellite imagery
[edit]
Zawyet el-Aryan
See also: Zawyet el'Aryan
This site, half way 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 metres in height; had it been completed it is likely to have exceeded forty

[edit]
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 — perhaps signalling 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 — the Pyramid of Neferirkare Kakai — is believed to have originally been built as a step pyramid some seventy metres in height and then later transformed into a "true" pyramid by having its steps filled in with loose masonry.

[edit]
Saqqara
Main article: Saqqara

The Step Pyramid of DjozerMajor pyramids here include the Step Pyramid of Djozer — the world's oldest monumental stone building — the Pyramid of Userkaf and the Pyramid of Teti. Also at Saqqara is the Pyramid of Unas, which retains a pyramid causeway that is amongst the best-preserved in Egypt. This pyramid was also the subject of one of antiquities' earliest restoration attempts, conducted under the auspices of one of the sons 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.

[edit]
Dahshur
Main article: Dahshur
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 — but nonetheless visually arresting — 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 — after the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre at Giza. Also at Dahshur is the pyramid known as the Black Pyramid of Amenemhet III.

[edit]
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 mudbrick. Today these structures are obscure and unimpressive.

[edit]
Lisht
Main article: el-Lisht

The ruined Pyramid of Amenemhet I at LishtTwo major pyramids are known to have been built at Lisht — those of Amenemhat I and his son, Senusret I. The latter is surrounded by the ruins of ten smaller subsidiary pyramids. 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.

[edit]
Meidum
Main article: Meidum

Sneferu's Pyramid at Meidum; the central core structure remains, surrounded by a mountain of rubble from the collapsed outer casingThe pyramid at Meidum is one of three constructed during the reign of Sneferu, and is believed by some to have been commenced 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 — it is in fact the small mountain of debris created when the lower courses and outer casing of the pyramid gave way.

One face of the pyramid at Meidum collapsed and was shorn off around the year 2600 BC, during the placement of its outer walls. The Meidum pyramid was a true pyramid, a tetrahedron, whereas Djoser's pyramid was a step pyramid, made of stacked rectangular mastabas. At the Meidum pyramid, the buttresses were not extended to include the structurally significant outer casing.

This addition of the limestone casing without sideways structural support proved fatal, and massive rubble mounds can still be seen beneath the base of the pyramid today. Following this disaster, the builders must have reevaluated their method. The success of Djoser's pyramid and the failure of the one at Meidum laid out a blueprint followed for the remainder of pyramid construction in Egypt.

It has been suggested that the collapse occurred while construction was underway on the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur (also built by Sneferu), and that this may have been one of the reasons for the design changes implemented during construction of the latter edifice. About 50 meters off the ground, the angle of ascent abruptly changes. Some experts have theorised that the builders of the Bent Pyramid changed their construction techniques after learning of the failure at Meidum. Since there are no known collapses of pyramids built after Meidum, we can surmise that innovations — and the disastrous results when these ideas were not followed — were effective lessons. When a structure fails it does so because of an error in design, and oftentimes this design flaw can be recognised and fixed; pyramids built later than Meidum demonstrate inward slanting of the outer casing. Later architects seem to have understood that the limestone covering of their pyramids held significance in structure as well as aesthetics.

[edit]
Hawarra
Main article: Hawara

The Pyramid of Amenemhet III at HawarraAmenemhet 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.

[edit]
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 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 metre high natural limestone hill.




Unsolved problems in Egyptology: What were the origins of the Egyptian pyramids? When and where were the concepts of pyramids conceived? What were the pyramids used for? How were the pyramids built? When and why did the era of pyramid building end?


[edit]
See also
Nubian pyramids
Mesoamerican pyramids
Chinese pyramids
Bosnian pyramids
Machu Picchu
Ancient mysteries
[edit]
Notes
^ The Great Pyramid of Khufu. Retrieved April 12, 2005. "The Great Pyramid of Khufu...is the largest pyramid in Egypt and was the tallest man-made structure in the World until 1888."
^ Michael Ritter (2003). Dating the Pyramids. Retrieved April 13, 2005. "Archaeologists have generally believed that the magnificent pyramids at Giza were the work of the Old Kingdom Dynasty 4 in Egypt" "The astronomical records as reported precisely fixes Middle Kingdom dates. But one cannot just count back the reigns of kings into the Old Kingdom, an Intermediate period occur between the Old and Middle Kingdom."
^ University College London (2001). Burial customs: mastabas. Retrieved April 14, 2005. "Egyptologist use the Arabic word 'mastaba', meaning 'bench', for the massive rectangular structures found above many tombs in Saqqara, Gizeh and other places"
^ University College London (2001). Burial customs in Early Dynastic Egypt. Retrieved April 14, 2005. "elite burials are in huge mud brick mastabas; poorer people are often simply buried in shallow holes in the ground"
^ Jimmy Dunn Imhotep, Doctor, Architect, High Priest, Scribe and Vizier to King Djoser. Retrieved April 24, 2005. "[Imhotep] was the world's first named architect who built Egypt's first pyramid"
^ ibid. "Imhotep is one example of the "personality cult" of Kemet, whereby a learned sage or otherwise especially venerated person could be deified after death"
^ Allen Winston. The Meaning of the Great Sphinx of Giza. Retrieved April 16, 2005. "This is certainly not the manner in which pyramids were developed in Egypt, through much trial and error."
^ Houghton Mifflin College. The Pyramids: "Resurrection Machines". Retrieved April 13, 2005. The three pyramids at Giza were built circa 2500 B.C.E. as “resurrection machines;”...The pyramids acted as way-stations in which kings would undergo transfiguration into an eternal spirit called akh."
^ The Discovery Channel (2002-2004). Hidden History of Egypt. Retrieved April 13, 2005. "They often buried their dead on the west bank of the Nile due to their conviction that the underworld was located in the west where the sun died each day."
^ [1] Lepsius-Projekt Retrieved June 07, 2006.
^ Alan Winston The Pyramid of Djedefre at Abu Rawash. Retrieved April 22, 2005. "Other than the ruins of Lepsius pyramid number one, Djedefre's pyramid is the northernmost of any pyramid in Egypt."
^ ibid.
[edit]
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Pyramids of EgyptPyramids of Egypt – Comprehensive site by an Egyptian archaeology enthusiast that includes spectacular photographs of dozens of pyramids.
Ancient Authors – A site that quotes descriptions of the "Labyrinth" of Amenemhet III's pyramid at el-Lahun by various ancient authors.
Ancient Egyptian History - A comprehensive & consise educational website focusing on the basic and the advanced in all aspects of Ancient Egypt
Pyramids of Nubia – A site detailing the major pyramid sites of ancient Nubia (Sudan).
www.great-pyramid.info – Photographs and information on Egyptian pyramids.
Pyramids of Giza colour satellite imagery (Wikimapia - Google maps)
NOVA: This Old Pyramid - Video documentary on how the Pyramids might have been built.
The digital archive of Erich von Däniken contains a unique photographs
diagram of an ancient pyramid from bbc.co.uk
Egypt Gallery at www.universalcat.org Striking images of the Giza Plateau at night, images can be enlarged to screen size.



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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_pyramids"
Categories: Ancient Egyptian pyramids | Lists of structures

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hope this helps

Answer 2

In the belief system of ancient Egypt the pyramid was a resurrection machine for the Pharaoh. If Pharaoh was resurrected then the people he ruled over were also resurrected. Great attention was paid to every detail of the burial process as the fate of the society was dependent upon it. So the people had a vested interest in the construction process and devoted much of their time to the project. Slaves and paid employees were only use on some of the projects, the vast bulk of the worker were volunteers. The first recorded strike in human history occurred at a pyramid site, and it ended when Pharaoh sent in the chariots. The technology of pyramid construction was built up over time and the builders sometimes made mistakes. There is one pyramid with two different angles because the builders got it wrong and the stone cap was too heavy for the base. The Egyptians were a river culture and moved the stone blocks on raft like sleds, not free rollers as was originally thought. Ramps were used to pull the blocks into place and removed afterwards. The pyramids were coated in decorated material and painted, but this has long vanished. In Egypt they say, man fears time, but time fears the pyramids.

Answer 3

Dont you hate it when people leave a HUGE posting copied and pasted directly out of Wikipedia?? And then they sign off with "Hope that helps!" like they wrote it! Sheesh.....

No one knows who made the pyramids. I can tell you one thing though - the modern archelogical explanation cannot be correct, they could not have been built within the last 4000 years, as Egyptologists state currently.......If they were, then there is a huge anomoly....

For some reason, if we are to beleive that the egyptians built the pyramids, then we must beleive that this is the first society ever to experience a reversal of technology and knowledge... This reason is that the oldest pyramids are the Great Pyramids, and all of the other (smaller, falling apart pyramids) are younger. So, for some reason, the Egyptians got building pyramids down pat the first few times they tried it, but everything thereafter could not stand the test of time..... this is akin to Henry Ford building a Ferrarri in the 1920s, and everyone today drivbing Model A cars.....it doesnt make sense.

Why are these oldest pyramids still standing, while younger ones are piles of rubble? There can be an explanation - when the Egyptians first came to Egypt, they FOUND the pyramids already built, formed their society and religion around them, and attempted to recreate them - without success.

Yes, I know, wild speculation - however, in the 1980's. A gentleman conducted a study on the Sphinx, and concluded that it had horizontal fissure marks...erosion marks that are only induced by high amounts of rainfall. The Giza plateau is in a desert - currently! However, approx. 12000 years ago, this area was a rainforest.......So, perhaps the pyramids were built 12000+ years ago, by an advanced civilization unknown to currrent man....

Answer 4

The Egyptians had a man to design the pyramids, but it was the slaves who built the pryamids.

Answer 5

Egyptians, whose heritage is south to Nubia and the Sudan -the Kingdom of Kush, where the world's oldest Pyramids exist.

Answer 6

Egyptians

Answer 7

Egyptians

Answer 8

Ancient Egyptian humans.

Really.

Answer 9

The little green people from outer space came in on their space ships and built the pyramids and left us to wonder about it for the rest of our lives.

Answer 10

The Israelites slaves of the Egytians.

Answer 11

The Goa'uld.