A well developed pyramid complex of the

Old Kingdom consisted of four main

architectural components.

These separate structures had a symbolic

meaning as a representation of life (and
death): 1. The valley temple; 2. The
causeway; 3. The mortuary or pyramid
temple; 5. The pyramid containing the body
of the king-pharaoh

What are Egyptian Pyramids?

• The most famous form of late Prehistoric art, the pyramids of Ancient Egypt are the
world's largest funerary edifices or tombs. Developed from the mastaba tomb, they
are one of the most enduring symbols of Egyptian art in general and Egyptian
architecture in particular.
• Ancient Egyptians believed in an eternal afterlife, and the purpose of the pyramids
was to safeguard the Pharaoh's body and all the belongings he would need after
death, in order to facilitate his passage into the after-life.
• each pyramid routinely contained a wide variety of Egyptian sculpture, mural
painting, jewellery and other types of ancient art necessary to sustain the deceased
in his after-death existence. So far, about 140 pyramids have been discovered in
Egypt, most of which were built as burial tombs for the country's Pharaohs and their
consorts, during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods (2650-1650).
• The oldest known Egyptian pyramids are located at Saqqara, near Memphis, just
south of the Nile delta. The earliest among these is the Pyramid of Djoser
(constructed about 2630 at Saqqara) which was designed during the third dynasty by
the famous architect Imhotep (active c.2600-2610 BCE).
• The tallest one was The Great Pyramid of Giza (c.2565), which was designated one of
the Seven Wonders of the World by Antipater of Sidon, and is now the sole surviving
member. Exactly how many paid labourers were required to cut, transport and erect
the stone megaliths from which each pyramid was constructed, is unknown,
although estimates vary from 30,000 to 300,000. .
How Did Egyptian Pyramid Architecture Evolve and Develop?
 • The architectural design of the pyramids was a reflection of both politics and
religious custom. Until about 3,000 BCE, Ancient Egypt was effectively two countries
with two traditions of burial. In Lower Egypt (to the north) the country was wet and
flat, and the dead were buried under their family house which was usually built on
higher ground.
• In Upper Egypt (to the south) the dead were buried away from settlements, in dry
sand at the edge of the desert. A mound was usually erected over the grave. When
the people and burial customs were united, during the period 3000-2700, it became
customary for nobles to be interred in a simple tomb called a mastaba.
• This was a simple tomb consisting of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure, made from
mud-bricks, with slightly sloping walls, inside which, a deep burial chamber was dug
into the ground and lined with stone or bricks.
• After a while, the flat roof of the surface building was replaced by a pyramid design.
Finally, came the idea - conceived by Imhotep - of stacking mastabas one on top of
another, forming a series of "steps" that decreased in size towards the top, thus
creating the familiar design of the step pyramid.
• Not all pyramid designs were successful. Architects employed by King Snefru
constructed three pyramids: the first of these, the Pyramid at Meidum, collapsed in
antiquity; the second, the Bent Pyramid, had its angle dramatically altered mid-way
through its construction; only the third, the Red Pyramid proved to be successful.

What is the History of the Egyptian Pyramids?

• The early Egyptian architecture of the Old Kingdom witnessed the construction of all
the largest pyramids, including The Great Pyramid of Giza (c.2565), also known as The
Pyramid of Khufu/Cheops; The Red Pyramid at Dahshur, and The Pyramid of
Khafre (c.2545) at Giza.
• Other pyramid tombs were erected at Giza by King Menkaure (c.2504); at Sahure by
King Sahure (c.2477); at Abu Sir by King Neferirkare Kakai (c.2467) and King Nyuserre
Ini (c.2392). After this, during the era of Egyptian Middle Kingdom architecture (2055-
1650) - a time of political uncertainty - Pharaonic pyramids were typically smaller and
less substantial, as exemplified by King Amenemhat I's pyramid at Lisht (c.1962), King
Senusret II's at el-Lahun (c.1878), and King Amenemhat III's at Hawara (c.1814). See
also: Mesopotamian Art.
• The next building phase, which occurred during the aubsequent era of Egyptian New
Kingdom architecture (1550-1069), focused on temple-building. Egyptian Pharaohs
were no longer buried in pyramids but in mortuary temples situated in the Valley of
the Kings on the west bank of the Nile opposite Thebes.
• A revival of pyramid construction took place during the subsequent period of Late
Egyptian architecture (c.664-30 BCE). During the Napata era in neighbouring Sudan
(c.700-661 BCE), a number of pyramids were constructed under the influence of
Egyptian architects.
• Later, during the Sudanese Kingdom of Meroe (c.300 BCE – 300 CE) over two
hundred more pyramid burial vaults were built. For more about the Hellenistic period
 (323-27 BCE), see: Greek Art. For information about building techniques in ancient
Rome, please see: Roman Architecture (c.400 BCE - 400 CE).

What Were the Main Characteristics of a Pyramid?

• The early pyramids were built differently from the later ones. The monumental
pyramids of the Old Kingdom, for instance, were built out of stone blocks, while
those of the later Middle Kingdom were smaller and were typically made out of mud
brick cased in limestone.
• The early structures usually had a core of local limestone, cased in an outer layer of
better quality limestone, or occasionally granite. Granite was also traditionally used
for the royal chambers insided the pyramid. Up to 2.5 million limestone blocks and
50,000 granite blocks might be used to construct a single pyramid.
• The average weight might be anything up to 2.5 tons per block, with some very
large megaliths weighing up to 200 tons.
• The capstone at the top of the structure usually consisted of basalt or granite, and if
plated with gold, silver or electrum (a mixture of both), would dazzle observers with
its reflection of the sun.
• Deep inside each pyramid was the King's Chamber, which contained the mummified
body of the dead Pharaoh, placed inside a precious sarcophagus. In addition, as
noted, a huge number of artifacts were buried with the King to sustain him in the
afterlife, as well as monuments to the dead man himself: inside the Pyramid of
Khafre, for instance, there were over 52 life size statues of the dead Pharaoh. Also,
dummy passages were dug to prevent the later desecration of the tomb, and the
theft of valuables

• All Egyptian pyramids were constructed on the west bank of the Nile, where the sun
sets, in accordance with official religious doctrine concerning the realm of the dead.
(The pharaoh's soul supposedly joined with the sun during its descent before
continuing with it in its eternal journey.) Most pyramids were clad in polished, white
limestone (much of it now stolen), in order to give them a brilliant reflective
appearance from a distance. The Bent Pyramid at Dahshur, is one of the few that still
retains part of its original limestone covering. They were situated relatively close to
the Nile, to facilitate river transport of stone from the quarries near Heliopolis.

• A pyramid was never an isolated structure but always an integral part of a funerary
complex. Typically, this complex consisted of the pyramid itself and an adjacent
mortuary temple, both of which were connected by causeway to another temple or
pavilion, located close by the Nile, to which it was linked by a narrow waterway.

Great Pyramid of Giza

• The northernmost and oldest pyramid of the group was built for Khufu (Greek:
Cheops), the second king of the 4th dynasty. Called the Great Pyramid, it is the
largest of the three, the length of each side at the base averaging 755.75 feet (230
metres) and its original height being 481.4 feet (147 metres). The middle pyramid
was built for Khafre , the fourth of the eight kings of the 4th dynasty; the structure
measures 707.75 feet (216 metres) on each side and was originally 471 feet (143
metres) high.

• The southernmost and last pyramid to be built was that of Menkaure the fifth king of
the 4th dynasty; each side measures 356.5 feet (109 metres), and the structure’s
completed height was 218 feet (66 metres).

• All three pyramids were plundered both internally and externally in ancient
and medieval times. Thus, the grave goods originally deposited in the burial
chambers are missing, and the pyramids no longer reach their original heights
because they have been almost entirely stripped of their outer casings of smooth
white limestone; the Great Pyramid, for example, is now only 451.4 feet (138
metres) high.

• That of Khafre retains the outer limestone casing only at its topmost portion.
Constructed near each pyramid was a mortuary temple, which was linked via a
sloping causeway to a valley temple on the edge of the Nile floodplain. Also nearby
were subsidiary pyramids used for the burials of other members of the royal family.

• Khufu’s pyramid is perhaps the most colossal single building ever erected on the
planet. Its sides rise at an angle of 51°52′ and are accurately oriented to the four
cardinal points of the compass. The Great Pyramid’s core is made of yellowish
limestone blocks, the outer casing (now almost completely gone) and the inner
passages are of finer light-coloured limestone, and the interior burial chamber is
built of huge blocks of granite. Approximately 2.3 million blocks of stone were cut,
transported, and assembled to create the 5.75-million-ton structure, which is a
masterpiece of technical skill and engineering ability. The internal walls as well as
those few outer-casing stones that still remain in place show finer joints than any
ther masonry constructed in ancient Egypt.
•

• The entrance to the Great Pyramid is on the north side, about 59 feet (18 metres)
above ground level. A sloping corridor descends from it through the pyramid’s
interior masonry, penetrates the rocky soil on which the structure rests, and ends in
an unfinished underground chamber. From the descending corridor branches an
ascending passageway that leads to a room known as the Queen’s Chamber and to a
great slanting gallery that is 151 feet (46 metres) long.

• At the upper end of this gallery, a long and narrow passage gives access to the burial
room proper, usually termed the King’s Chamber. This room is entirely lined and
roofed with granite. From the chamber two narrow shafts run obliquely through the
masonry to the exterior of the pyramid; it is not known whether they were designed
for a religious purpose or were meant for ventilation. Above the King’s Chamber are
five compartments separated by massive horizontal granite slabs; the likely purpose
of these slabs was to shield the ceiling of the burial chamber by diverting the
immense thrust exerted by the overlying masses of masonry.

• To the south of the Great Pyramid near Khafre’s valley temple lies the Great Sphinx.
Carved out of limestone, the Sphinx has the facial features of a man but the body of
a recumbent lion; it is approximately 240 feet (73 metres) long and 66 feet (20
metres) high.
• In 1925 a pit tomb containing the transferred burial equipment of Khufu’s mother,
Queen Hetepheres, was discovered near the upper end of the causeway of Khufu. At
the bottom of a deep stone-filled shaft was found the queen’s empty sarcophagus,
surrounded by furniture and articles of jewelry attesting to the high artistic ability
and technical perfection of the 4th-dynasty craftsmen.

• Surrounding the three pyramids are extensive fields of flat-topped funerary

structures called mastabas; arranged in a grid pattern, the mastabas were used for
the burials of relatives or officials of the kings. Besides the core mastabas of the 4th
dynasty, numerous mastabas from the 5th and 6th dynasties (c. 2465–c. 2150 BCE)
have been found around and among the earlier structures.
The bent pyramid of Dahshur
• About The Bent Pyramid
The Bent pyramid is a fascinating structure which raises as many questions
as it answers about the evolution of the pyramid. Mysteriously this pyramid
started at one angle (approx. 52 degrees) and then suddenly changes to a
more gradual angle of 42 degrees. This odd arrangement provides this
pyramid with a distinctive and unique appearance.
 • Evidence suggests that this pyramid was actually started as a smaller
pyramid with an angle of about 60º. At a height of about38.14 m (112 ft)
signs of structural instability were noticed by the builders when cracks
appeared in the casing and in the chambers.

• At this point a supporting girdle was added to the bottom courses resulting
in a new base length of 188.98 m (620 ft) and new angle of 54º
27’44”. With this angle the pyramid was then built up to about a height of
approx. 49.38 m (162 ft). Within this lower segments the blocks were laid
with the blocks sloping inward as in previous pyramids.

• At this height a curious change occurred. The angle of the pyramid was
reduced to 43º 21’ and the blocks from this point up were laid on a
horizontal plane. This resulted in a marked bend and its present day
appearance. Some experts contend that this change in angle was due to
continuing structural problems as evidenced by additional cracking and
displacement.

• Within some of the chambers there are cedar wooden beams which may
have been placed to support the chamber from instability. Others
speculate that the sudden death of the king may have been the motivation
for this sudden change. This pyramid boasts of the most intact casing of
any pyramid in Egypt.

Material Limestone

104.71 metres (344 ft; 200 cu) 47.04 metres (154 ft; 90 cu) beneath bend 57.67 metres
Height
(189 ft; 110 cu) above bend

Base 189.43 metres (621 ft; 362 cu) at base 123.58 metres (405 ft; 236 cu) at bend
Temple architecture
Two principal kinds of temple can be distinguished—cult temples and funerary or
mortuary temples. The former accommodated the images of deities, the recipients
of the daily cult; the latter were the shrines for the funerary cults of dead kings.

Cult temples

It is generally thought that the Egyptian cult temple of the Old Kingdom owed most
to the cult of the sun god Re at Heliopolis, which was probably open in plan and
lacking a shrine.
Sun temples were unique among cult temples; worship was centred on a cult object,
the benben, a squat obelisk placed in full sunlight.

Among the few temples surviving from the Old Kingdom are sun temples of the 5th-
dynasty kings at Abū Jirāb (Abu Gurab).

That of Neuserre reveals the essential layout: a reception pavilion at the desert edge
connected by a covered corridor on a causeway to the open court of the temple high
on the desert, within which stood the benben of limestone and a huge alabaster
altar.

• Fine reliefs embellished the covered corridor and also corridors on two sides
of the court.

• The cult temple achieved its most highly developed form in the great
sanctuaries erected over many centuries at Thebes.

• Architecturally the most satisfying is the Luxor Temple, started by

Amenhotep III of the 18th dynasty.

• The original design consists of an imposing open court with colonnades of

graceful lotus columns, a smaller offering hall, a shrine for the ceremonial
boat of the god, an inner sanctuary for the cult image, and a room in which
the divine birth of the king was celebrated.

• The approach to the temple was made by a colonnade of huge columns with
open papyrus-flower capitals, planned by Amenhotep III but decorated with
fascinating processional reliefs under Tutankhamun and Horemheb.

• Later Ramses II built a wide court before the colonnade and two great pylons
to form a new entrance.

The necessary elements of an Egyptian temple, most of which can be seen at

Luxor, are the following:

• an approach avenue of sphinxes leading to the great double-towered

pylon entrance fitted with flagpoles and pennants;

• before the pylon a pair of obelisks and colossal statues of the king;
within the pylon a court leading to a pillared hall, the hypostyle,

• beyond which might come a further, smaller hall where offerings

could be prepared; and, at the heart of the temple, the shrine for the cult
image.
• In addition, there were storage chambers for temple equipment and,
in later periods, sometimes a crypt.

• Outside the main temple building was a lake, or at least a well, for the
water needed in the rituals; in later times there might also be a birth house
(mammisi) to celebrate the king’s divine birth.

• The whole, with service buildings, was contained by a massive mud

brick wall.