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.