Description
The first Egyptian pyramid was built over 4,500 years ago as a burial monument for an Egyptian pharaoh, the then ruler of ancient Egypt. His successors followed this burial tradition, and like their predecessors, they were mummified after death and placed inside a pyramid along with valuables and personal belongings. A total of approximately eighty pyramids have been preserved, built over a period of about a thousand years. The earliest form of a pyramid is the mastaba, a box-shaped structure in which important figures were buried. The Step Pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser at Saqqara represents the first step toward the construction of true pyramids.
The shape of the pyramids likely had two meanings:
1. primordial mound: according to one of the cosmogonies, the primordial mound or tumulus was the first thing to emerge from chaos/water. The primordial mound represented creation, and the pyramid was said to symbolize the creation of rebirth after death.
2. staircase to heaven: a 'stairway to heaven': the pharaoh used the pyramid as a ladder to take his place among the circumpolar stars after his death.
Archaeological investigations are said to have shown that various elements in the architectural style and positioning of the pyramids are related to the worship of the gods (sun god) of the time, and that the position of celestial bodies was taken into account. However, this theory is controversial and is considered by Egyptologists to be pyramidology.
The construction site of pyramids was always carefully chosen. They were often built on a limestone foundation because it was a strong base. This was necessary given the weight of the pyramids, also because the limestone was used for building the pyramid itself, and it was convenient if the stone blocks could be quarried nearby. However, the Egyptians were not good at building pyramids from the start. Initially, the Egyptians did not know that a good foundation was crucial. For instance, the Pyramid of Meidum was built on sand. Consequently, it has not been well preserved; broken chunks of stone lie scattered all around the pyramid. After the construction site was chosen, the foundation was laid. The exact location and size of the pyramid were measured very precisely. The direction in which the corners faced was also taken into account. The Egyptians knew fairly accurately where north, east, south, and west were. They likely calculated this by studying the stars. Afterwards, they created a smooth plateau to provide a solid foundation for the enormous weight of the pyramid. The availability of sufficient material was also considered when determining the site for the pyramid. Consequently, pieces of stone were often quarried close to the pyramid and transported from the quarry. Sometimes, stones were sourced from further away, for example in the case of the pyramids at Giza. These stones were used only for the exterior because they were more aesthetically pleasing. Ordinary stone was used for the interior. Granite slabs weighing 500 tons have been found in the pyramids of Egypt. With modern lifting techniques, the maximum achievable weight is 200 tons. Nowadays, it is generally assumed that the construction of a pyramid was largely the work of professional builders and not of slaves, as Herodotus claimed. According to modern reconstructions, tens of thousands of people were required to build a single pyramid. The majority of these construction workers likely consisted of local Egyptian farmers who assisted with construction as a form of 'corvée labor' for the pharaoh, when work on the land was impossible during the periodic flooding of their fields by the Nile. Some years ago, the remains of a complete city for the builders were found near the Giza plateau. Remains of the kitchens showed that the workers lacked nothing and enjoyed a nutritious diet, which was certainly necessary for the heavy hauling of the stone blocks. The Egyptians of the Fourth Dynasty never wrote down how they built the great pyramids. Clues can be gleaned from some drawings, such as those from the Twelfth Dynasty, which show water being poured for a type of sled. This could demonstrate that the sled could be pulled over wet clay to transport the blocks. However, there are also other theories about how the pyramids were built. One is the theory of the straight ramp. This, however, is highly improbable. The slope was not allowed to be too steep, and therefore the ramp would become much too long. As a result, the ramp itself would eventually contain more material than the pyramid itself. A second theory is that of the spiral ramp. According to this theory, a spiral would be built around the pyramid, which would be dismantled after construction. Again, this theory is highly improbable. Firstly, not all parts of the pyramid could be reached in this way. Secondly, it is virtually impossible to get the large blocks around the bends. In 1989, Mark Lehner and his friend Zahi Hawass discovered the remains of an old bakery. Here they found remnants of tafla. Tafla is a type of clay; when wet, tafla is very smooth and could move large blocks of stone with the help of wooden rollers and a spiral ramp. In this way, it was possible to get the blocks around the bends. This theory was successfully executed once by NOVA, albeit on a smaller scale. The only problem with this theory is still that not all parts of the pyramid could be reached. The final theory is the sand theory. The idea is that there is a kind of wooden container on both sides of the pyramid, one for a block of stone and one for sand. Using ropes, the block is pulled up when there is enough sand in the container on the other side. The only problem with this theory is that the sand has to be brought up repeatedly; this is possible, but would take a great deal of time.
