Pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops. History of the Egyptian pyramids. Egyptian pyramids. Great architecture of antiquity What is a pyramid in history

Where are the most famous Egyptian pyramids located?

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One of the outstanding mysteries of humanity are the pyramids. Engineers are still amazed by the scope and complexity of the work, and historians cannot understand what exactly prompted the ancient peoples to build these structures. There is also still debate about the true purpose of these monuments of ancient architecture. Some believe that the structures of Yucatan and Egypt are related, but this is not so. This is indicated by both the age of the pyramids and the aspects of their construction.

Egypt

The Great Pyramid, located on the Giza plateau in Egypt, has long captured the imagination of all researchers and ordinary tourists. In general, the same can be said about her “sisters”. Despite the seismic activity of the construction site and the past thousands of years, these amazing and bizarre monuments ancient culture surprisingly well preserved.

Scientists suggest that in the past there were many more pyramids, but... But then the Romans came. The first rule of Rome is more good roads! After all, it’s so convenient to transfer new legions along them! So a considerable part of the “medium-sized” pyramids turned into material for Roman road builders. Today tourists and local residents who still use ancient roads, “knead” the remains of ancient structures with their feet!

The first of the pyramids and its age

It is impossible to discuss without talking about the time when the first such structure was erected in Egypt. It is believed that this happened about five thousand years ago, and construction began on the initiative of Pharaoh Djoser. It is in these five thousand years that the total age of the pyramids in Egypt is estimated. By the way, the famous Imhotep supervised the construction. He was such a good “contractor” that in later centuries, grateful Egyptians even deified him.

Caring for relatives

At that time, the area of ​​the building was huge - 545 by 278 meters. The perimeter of this structure was protected by a wall ten meters high, in which 14 gates were made at once... of which only one was real. In addition to himself, Djoser ordered to take care of the afterlife of his family members: for this, the builders prepared 11 additional smaller burial chambers.

The Pyramid of Djoser is not only considered the oldest in Egypt, but also the most unique, since its sides represent a “staircase”, which can be seen on structures in the center of Yucatan. There is no need to look for mystical coincidences here, since in both cases such a design had a sacred meaning, implying the ruler’s ascension to heaven.

How old are the structures on the Giza Plateau?

It is believed that the age of the Egyptian pyramids on the Giza plateau is 4.5 thousand years. But difficulties arise with the dating of many structures, since they were partially rebuilt and restored, and therefore even radiocarbon analysis cannot give absolutely accurate answers. The remaining pyramids were presumably built during the Old Kingdom - around 2300 BC. e.

To this day, 80 pyramids have survived in Egypt, and the most beautiful are those that remained after the fourth dynasty. But since ancient times, only three have been considered real Wonders of the World. Their names are known to everyone - the pyramid of Cheops, Khafre and Mikerin. The age of the Cheops pyramid and the other two is about four thousand years, which cannot but surprise.

Pyramids of Mexico

The Mexican pyramids are an equally impressive and majestic monument to human architecture and incredibly hard work. To this day they amaze everyone who sees them, and even at the time of their first discovery the impression was tenfold greater!

They were erected by the Aztecs, Toltecs, Mayans and some other South American peoples. It is sometimes very difficult for scientists to understand all this “vinaigrette”, since almost all written sources of these cultures were destroyed during the Spanish conquest. But what about the age of the pyramids that were built by the ancestors of modern residents? Latin America? First you need to familiarize yourself a little with the history of the peoples who lived here.

The Cuicuilco civilization flourished most brightly here. The peak of its maximum power occurs from 1500 to 200 BC. Why are we all saying this? The fact is that the largest and most impressive pyramid of Cuicuilco was built precisely at this time ( southern part Mexico City). Moreover, this structure is unique, since its cross-section is... round, perfectly fitting into the surrounding landscape.

How did the Pyramid of Cuicuilco end up forgotten?

But scientists did not find it right away. When the massive eruption of the Shitle volcano occurred at the beginning of our era, this unique one was completely buried under a layer of ash, lava and tuff. Only in 1917, during archaeological research, scientists discovered this pyramid completely by accident.

The eruption of the same volcano put an end to the development of civilization in this region, and therefore no other magnificent architectural monuments were found here. If we talk about modern ideas, the inhabitants who left these places became the “foundation” of the Teotihuacan people, who also built their pyramids.

Pyramids of other nations

The civilization of Teotihuacan dates back to 200 BC. The same approximate age of the pyramids in that region. This people existed until 700 AD. The place they chose for themselves is today known throughout the world. Teotihuacan. By the way, this name was given by the Aztecs, who came here a thousand years later. Today we do not know what this area was originally called. So when were the majestic pyramids erected here, which still amaze the imagination today?

Today it is not entirely clear who exactly built them: either the Teotihuacan people themselves, or the Aztecs who came to take their place. The latter had a legend that the three great pyramids were actually built by giants. So, three buildings. Three pyramids: Solar, Lunar and Quetzalcoatl. The latter, by the way, is the most beautiful and majestic. It is believed that they were built somewhere around 500 BC. e.

Why was the city abandoned?

So the age of the pyramids at Giza is much older. Most likely, initially there were much more ancient architectural monuments in these parts, but the whole thing was spoiled by volcanoes. A lot of interesting things are probably hidden under a thick layer of solidified lava, but it is unlikely that we will ever see it. The ongoing excavations clearly indicate that the construction of the city was carried out according to a very strict and logically completed plan. Scientists suggest that around 200 thousand people lived in the city! And this is even before the beginning of our era!

The destruction of the city and part of the pyramids today is “blamed” on both some natural disasters and a social split, when numerous poor people were simply tired of enduring the ever-increasing tyranny on the part of the highest nobility. The city of Teotihuacan was barbarically plundered and destroyed. But both hypotheses are very controversial, since no evidence of violence was found, and as for the looting, anyone could have done it. If the city was abandoned for some reason, then neighboring nations can also be blamed. They obviously would not have passed by such a “tidbit” piece.

How are Egyptian and Mexican pyramids different?

Many believe that they are almost identical, and due to this they put forward various (in terms of the degree of absurdity) theories about Atlanteans and “heavenly descendants” who fled from the cataclysm, but this is not so. The pyramids of Egypt and Mexico are similar only in appearance (and even then relatively), but in everything else they have a lot of differences.

Firstly, in Egypt these buildings were absolutely smooth, while the Aztecs, Toltecs and Mayans originally built them in steps. Secondly, the pharaohs considered the pyramids solely as a place of rest from earthly anxieties, and in Mexico the pyramids were used exclusively as temples, and even carried out very bloody rituals of sacrifice there.

Other differences

Thirdly, the tops of the structures in South America- completely flat, since it was there that the priests did their bloody work. Moreover, there is also an additional building there, which actually served as a temple and a “slaughterhouse” part-time. In principle, you can also climb to the top of the Egyptian pyramid, but it is impossible to do anything there due to the banal lack of space.

Fourthly, the age of the Mayan and Egyptian pyramids. In Mexico, almost all of these buildings were erected literally at the beginning of our era, while the tombs of the pharaohs were built three to four thousand years BC.

Fans of conspiracy theories may argue that all this is nothing, because the main characteristic of these structures, that is, the pyramidal shape, is the same in all cases. But this is not an argument, since similar forms are found in nature, and a gap of several thousand years fully suggests that the Toltecs or Mayans themselves reached the most convenient form for their temples.

How is the age of the pyramids determined?

So what about the science of the Egyptian pyramids and their Mexican “relatives”? Based on radiocarbon dating, which began to be actively used only in 1984. At that time, Egyptologists examined at least 64 samples of organic matter from the pyramids. Measurements have shown that many of the structures on the Giza Plateau are 400 years older than previously thought. However, some of them were “only” 120 years older, but in some cases this may also be significant.

After this, the Giza pyramids, whose age turned out to be noticeably older than the “official” values, began to attract even more researchers from all over the world. However, this circumstance did not cool the heated debate about the nature of these structures.

Thus, it was reliably established that the Cheops pyramid was built no earlier than 2985 BC. e. This is five centuries more than previously thought! However, this is already enough to refute the version about “the Atlanteans who built these structures tens of thousands of years BC.” The age of the pyramids of the pharaohs turned out to be much more modest. It should be noted that he even posed several new questions to the researchers.

Thus, it is already known for sure that the Pyramid of Khafre was erected somewhere around 2960. This gives logical grounds to assume that its construction was carried out almost simultaneously with Cheops. It is also possible that it was a separate complex of two structures, the construction of which could have been carried out by the same pharaoh. It would be quite normal to assume that it was built somewhere in the next 50 years...

But radiocarbon dating showed that it was built no earlier than 2572 BC. e. This one is almost 400 years later than the expected date! Moreover, in 1984, scientists established that the famous Sphinx was built in 2416 BC. e. Simply put, a full five centuries after the pyramid of Khafre! But historians have long assumed that these two objects were built together...

The age of the Mayan pyramids was determined similarly. Moreover, in this case there were practically no problems, since the cities of these people were abandoned, no one was involved in completion or restoration, and therefore the result of radiocarbon analysis was much more accurate.

The magic of mysterious countries still exists. Palm trees sway in the warm wind, the Nile floats through the desert, surrounded by a green valley, the sun illuminates the Karnak temple and mysterious pyramids Egypt, and bright schools of fish flash in the Red Sea.

Funerary culture of Ancient Egypt

Pyramids are grandiose structures in the form of a regular geometric polyhedron. In the construction of funerary buildings or mastabas, this form, according to Egyptologists, began to be used because of its resemblance to a funeral pie. If you ask about how many pyramids there are in Egypt, you can hear the answer that to date about 120 buildings have been found and described, which are located in different areas along the banks of the Nile.

The first mastabas can be seen in Saqqara, Upper Egypt, Memphis, Abusir, El Lahun, Giza, Hawar, Abu Rawash, Meidum. They were built from clay bricks with river silt - adobe, in a traditional architectural form. The pyramid housed a prayer room and a funeral “dowry” for traveling to the afterlife. The underground part stored the remains. The pyramids had different appearances. They evolved from a stepped form to a true, geometrically correct form.

Evolution of the shape of the pyramids

Tourists are often interested in how to see all the pyramids of Egypt and in which city they are located. There are many such places. For example, Meiduma is the most mysterious point, where the oldest of all the great funerary buildings are located. When Sneferu came to the throne (c. 2575 BC), Saqqara had the only large, fully completed royal pyramid of Djoser.

The ancient locals called it "el-haram-el-kaddab", meaning "false pyramid". Because of its shape, it attracted the attention of travelers back in the Middle Ages.

The step pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara is known as the earliest form of funerary building in Egypt. Its appearance dates back to the period of the third dynasty. Narrowing passages from the north lead to the burial chamber. Underground galleries surround the pyramid on all sides except the south. This is the only completed building with huge steps that were lined with stone. But her form was different from the ideal. The first regular pyramids appeared at the beginning of the reign of the 4th dynasty of the pharaohs. The true form arose as a result of the natural development and improvement of the architectural design of the stepped building. The structure of a real pyramid is almost the same. The building blocks were laid to the required shapes and sizes of the object, and then they were finished with limestone or stone.

Pyramids of Dahshur

Dahshur forms the southern area of ​​the Memphis necropolis and contains a number of pyramidal complexes and monuments. Dahshur has only recently been opened to the public. In the Nile Valley, south of Cairo, alone on the edge of the Western Desert, above the lush green fields of Meidum, lies a remarkable area where the transition from a stepped to a regular pyramid shape can be seen. The transformation occurred during the change from the third dynasty of pharaohs to the fourth. During the reign of the 3rd Dynasty, Pharaoh Huni organized the construction of the first regular pyramid in Egypt, using the stepped structures from Meidum as a base for construction. The funerary structure was intended for the son of Huni, the first pharaoh of the fourth dynasty, Snefru (2613-2589 BC). The heir completed work on his father's pyramids, then built his own - a stepped one. But the pharaoh's construction plans were scrapped because construction did not go according to plan. Reducing the angle of the side plane resulted in a diamond-shaped curved silhouette. This structure is called the Bent Pyramid, but it still has its outer shell intact.

Oldest pyramids at Saqqara

Saqqara is one of the huge necropolises ancient city, which is known today as Memphis. The ancient Egyptians called this place "White Walls". The pyramids of Egypt at Saqqara are represented by the first oldest step pyramid, Djosera. It was here that the history of the construction of these burial structures began. The first writing on the walls, known as the Pyramid Texts, was found in Saqqara. The architect of these projects is called Imhotep, who invented hewn stone masonry. Thanks to construction developments, the ancient architect was considered a deity. Imhotep is considered the son of the patron of crafts, Ptah. Saqqara is home to many tombs belonging to important ancient Egyptian officials.

A true gem represents the great pyramids of Egypt in the Sneferu complex. Dissatisfied with the Bent Pyramid, which did not allow him to go to heaven with dignity, he began construction about two kilometers to the north. This was the famous Pink Pyramid, so named because of the red limestone used in its construction. This is one of the oldest buildings in Egypt, which is created in the correct form. It has an inclination angle of 43 degrees and is the second largest, second only to the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was built by Sneferu's son in Khufu. In fact, the Great Pyramid is only 10 meters from the Pink Pyramid. Other major monuments at Dahshur date from the 12th and 13th dynasties and are not comparable in scale to the work of Huni and Sneferu.

Late pyramids in the Sneferu complex

There are later pyramids at Meidum. In Egypt, where are White pyramid Amenemhet II, Black Amenemhet III and the building of Senwosret III, are dominated by smaller monuments for funerary purposes for minor rulers, nobles and officials.

They talk about a fairly stable and peaceful period in Egyptian history. Interestingly, the Black Pyramid and the structure of Senwosret III were built not of stone, but of brick. Why this material was used is unknown, but in those days new methods of construction penetrated into Egypt from other countries, thanks to trade and international relations. Unfortunately, although brick was much easier to work with, compared to granite blocks, which weighed many tons, this material did not stand the test of time. Although the Black Pyramid is quite well preserved, the White Pyramid is very damaged. Tourists who are little aware of the huge number of pyramidal burials are confused. They ask: "Where are the pyramids in Egypt?" While everyone knows about the great funerary structures of Egypt, there are many lesser examples of similar structures. Scattered along the Nile from Selium on the edge of the oasis to the island of Elephantine in Aswan, in the village of Naga el-Khalifa, about five miles south of Abydos, in the city of Minya and many other unexplored places.

Pyramids of Giza and necropolis

For all tourists who come to Egypt, an excursion to the pyramids becomes almost a ritual. The buildings of Giza are the only surviving ones of the Seven Wonders Ancient World and the most famous attractions. This sacred place impresses with its antiquity, the scale of the necropolis, the unreality of the structures and the Great Sphinx. The mysteries of the construction and supposed symbolism of the Giza pyramids only add to the appeal of these ancient wonders. Many modern people still consider Giza a spiritual place. A number of fascinating theories have been proposed to explain the "mystery of the pyramids." The author of the project of the Great Pyramid in Egypt is called the adviser of Cheops and his relative - Hemiun. Giza is the most important place on earth for many researchers who are trying to unravel the geometric perfection of funerary structures in ancient sources. But even great skeptics are in awe of the great antiquity, scale and absolute harmony of the Giza pyramids.

History of the Pyramids of Giza

Situated on the west bank of the Nile River, approximately 12 miles southwest of downtown Cairo, Giza (el-Gizah in Arabic) is the third largest city in Egypt with a population of almost 3 million. It is a famous necropolis on the Giza Plateau and contains the most popular monuments in Egypt. The Great Pyramids of Giza were built in 2500 BC as burial grounds for the pharaohs. Together they make up the only ancient miracle of light still existing today. Many tourists are attracted by Egypt (Hurghada). They can see the Pyramids of Giza in half an hour, which it takes to travel. You can admire this wonderful ancient sacred place to your heart's content.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu, or Cheops as the Greeks called it (it is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids at Giza), and the necropolis bordering Cairo have remained virtually untouched by time. It is believed that the pyramid was built as a tomb for the fourth dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs Khufu. The Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years. It was originally covered with casing stones, which created a smooth outer surface. Some of them can be seen around the base and at the very top. There are different scientific and alternative theories about how the pyramids of Ancient Egypt were built, and about the methods of construction of the Great itself. Most accepted theories of construction are based on the idea that it was built by moving huge stones from a quarry and lifting them into place. It covers an area of ​​just over 5 hectares. The original height was 146 m in height, but the pyramid is still an impressive 137 m high. The main losses are due to the destruction of the smooth limestone surface.

Herodotus on Egypt

When the Greek historian Herodotus visited Giza, around 450 BC, he described the pyramids in Egypt. He learned from Egyptian priests that the Great Pyramid was built for Pharaoh Khufu, who was the second king of the Fourth Dynasty (c. 2575-2465 BC). The priests told Herodotus that it was built by 400,000 people over 20 years. The construction employed 100,000 people at a time to move the blocks. But archaeologists consider this implausible and tend to think that the labor force was more limited. Perhaps 20,000 workers, with accompanying support staff of bakers, doctors, priests and others, would be sufficient to complete the task.

The most famous pyramid was carefully laid out using 2.3 million processed stone blocks. These blocks had an impressive weight from two to fifteen tons. After completion of construction, the burial structure was amazing in weight, which was approximately 6 million tons. All the famous cathedrals in Europe combined have this weight! The Pyramid of Cheops has been recorded for thousands of years as the tallest structure in the world.

Only the graceful spiers of the unusually majestic Lincoln Cathedral, built in England, 160 m high, were able to break the record, but they collapsed in 1549.

Pyramid of Khafre

Among the pyramids of Giza, the second largest is the structure built for the afterlife journey of Khafre (Khefre), the son of Pharaoh Khufu. He inherited power after the death of his elder brother and was the fourth ruler in the fourth dynasty. Of his high-born relatives and predecessors on the throne, many were buried in penny tombs. But the grandeur of Khafre’s pyramid is almost as striking as the “last house” of his father.

The Pyramid of Khafre visually reaches towards the sky and seems higher than the first pyramid of Giza - the funerary building of Cheops, because it stands on a higher part of the plateau. It is characterized by a steeper slope with a preserved smooth limestone surface. The second pyramid had each side measuring 216 m and was originally 143 m high. Its limestone and granite blocks weigh about 2.5 tons each.

The ancient pyramids of Egypt, for example Cheops, like the building of Khafre, each include five burial pits connected by passages. Together with the mortuary, the Valley of the Temples and the connecting causeway, it is 430 meters long, carved into the rock. The burial chamber, which is located underground, contained a red granite sarcophagus with a lid. Nearby there is a square cavity where the chest with the entrails of the pharaoh was located. The Great Sphinx near Khafre's pyramid is considered to be his royal portrait.

Pyramid of Mikerin

The last of the pyramids of Giza is the pyramid of Mikerin, located to the south. It was intended for the son of Khafre, the fifth king of the fourth dynasty. Each side measures 109 m, and the height of the structure is 66 m. In addition to these three monuments, small pyramids were built for Khufu's three wives and a series of flat-topped pyramids for the remains of his beloved children. At the end of the long causeway, small tombs of the courtiers were lined up, the temple and morgue were built only for the mummification of the pharaoh's body.

Like all the pyramids of Egypt, created for the pharaohs, the burial chambers of these buildings were filled with everything necessary for the next life: furniture, statues of slaves, niches for canopic jars.

Theories about the construction of the Egyptian giants

The centuries-old history of Egypt conceals many mysteries. The pyramids, built without modern devices, only increase curiosity about these places. Herodotus assumed that the foundation was laid from huge blocks weighing about seven tons. And then, like children’s cubes, all 203 layers were lifted up step by step. But this cannot be done, as evidenced by the Japanese attempt in the 1980s to duplicate the actions of Egyptian builders. The most plausible explanation is that the Egyptians used ramps to pull stone blocks down a ramp using sleds, rollers, and levers. And the base was a natural plateau. The majestic structures withstood not only the crushing work of time, but also numerous attacks by grave robbers. They robbed the pyramids in ancient times. The burial chamber of Khafre, discovered by the Italians in 1818, was empty; there was no longer any gold or other treasures there.

There is a possibility that there are still undiscovered pyramids of Egypt or are now completely destroyed. Many people express fantastic theories about extraterrestrial intervention from another civilization, for which such construction is child's play. The Egyptians are only proud of the perfect knowledge of their ancestors in the field of mechanics and dynamics, thanks to which the construction business developed.

Pyramids of Ancient Egypt They have been delighting, surprising, and exciting the imagination for more than a millennium. Heated debate continues over when Egypt's ancient pyramids were built, who built them, and why they were built. Each disputing side has its own compelling arguments. This article provides a largely undisputed official point of view on these issues.

History of the pyramids of Egypt

The history of the pyramids of Egypt from the construction of the first pyramid of Ancient Egypt - the step pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser. It was built at Saqqara around 2600 BC. This was the pharaoh of the third dynasty.

Before him, the tombs of the pharaohs were built from dried bricks. Subsequently they received the name – mastaba. A similar mastaba was built for Djoser.

But the pharaoh did not use this tomb, but, together with his talented architect Imhotep, undertook the grandiose construction of a mastaba in Saqqara, which is now called the pyramid of Djoser or the “step pyramid”. Above this lower mastaba, five more mastabas were built, each of smaller size. Construction took place in six stages, according to the number of steps. As a result of the superstructures, the base of the pyramid reached dimensions of 125x115 meters, and its height was 61 meters (the height of a modern twenty-story building).

Here, for the first time, stone, rather than baked brick, was used as a building material. The Pyramid of Djoser is considered the world's first stone architectural structure.

Undoubtedly, these small pyramids that decorated the upper part of the tomb were associated with the cult of the sun god. On the eastern slope of the pyramid there was a small niche in which there was a cult statue of the inhabitant of the tomb. She looks away rising sun. Above the burial chamber, carved into the rock, there was a small courtyard. It was surrounded by a stone wall. In its western part a small chapel was built in the form of a terrace with columns. Above all this towered a small pyramid with a base 3X3 m, 4 m high. The angle of inclination to the horizon plane was much more vertical than that of the huge pyramids of the Ancient and Middle Kingdoms, it reached 68 °.

The pyramids were revived in the 8th-7th centuries BC. e., but not in Egypt, but on the territory of the Nubian kingdom of Napata and in the 4th century BC. e. in Meroe. None of these pyramids had a base length of more than 12-13 m and a height of more than 15-16 m. The angle of inclination of the faces was 68 °, as on the graves of the Theban masters. They were built mainly of stone, only the later ones were built of bricks.