Of all the monumental vestiges that bequeathed us the Egyptians of Antiquity, the pyramids , and in particular the three large pyramids of Gizeh, are at the same time most impressive and emblématiques of this civilization.

Tombs of the kings, the queens and the large characters of the State, whose construction goes up for the great majority with the whole beginning of the ancient Egypt, the pyramidal stone shape accommodates one or more internal rooms connected by corridors.

The Large pyramid of Gizeh, built by Khéops, belonged to the seven wonders of the world ancient.

Mastabas with the pyramids

The Mastaba, quasi-rectangular construction, was the burial of the sovereigns of the Ancient Empire.

The reasons of the passage of the mastabas to the pyramids are not clearly established, but one generally evokes the wish to reach increasingly important heights to express the importance and the power of the late Pharaon. The first Mastaba S, on single floor, first of all evolved to mastabas on two floors making it possible to accommodate new funerary structures, the second stage being less broad and less higher than the first.

With the beginnings of (towards -2700 to -2600), the mastabas became pyramids known as with degrees, made up of several successive stages having the total shape of a “gigantic staircase” rising towards the sky. The most famous first and of these pyramids to degrees is the pyramid of Djéser to Saqqarah, whose architect was Imhotep. Imhotep wanted to set up a pyramid with degrees rising, a such gigantic staircase , towards the sky in order to symbolize the rise of late “underground world” towards the “Skies”. The following stage of the evolution of the pyramids to degrees was the construction by the king Snéfrou of a pyramid known as rhomboïdale on the site of Dahchour. The Pyramide rhomboïdale is an intermediate stage between the Pyramide with degrees and the Pyramide with smooth faces. The pyramid rhomboïdale is a pyramid whose smooth faces constitute a slope with sections of decreasing slopes in direction of the top. The non-uniformity of this slope could be explained by architectural difficulties with respect to the stability of the pyramid (too steep original slope) or of its method of construction (routing of the blocks until a certain height…), of difficulties of provisioning (careers, labor, geopolitical situation), or a voluntary geometrical effect.

This type of pyramid is the last stage leading to the ultimate stage of the evolution of the pyramids of Egypt towards the pyramids with smooth faces of (towards -2573 to -2454); among most famous one finds the pyramids of Khéops, Khéphren, and Mykérinos, with Gizeh with the Cairo.

Construction

See also: Theories on the method of construction of the Egyptian pyramids

The pyramids show, for their time, the great knowledge of the Egyptian engineers able to make rise such monuments with very rudimentary means. There exist many theories on the method of construction of the Egyptian pyramids but the specialists generally agree on many points.

The majority of the blocks of stone were cut in careers close to the site of construction. Others were imported south using gigantic rafts. The blocks were then posed on sledges and were carted with the force of the arms until their site.

Mysteries and phantasms

From time immemorial, these gigantic stone constructions have excited imaginary people. Perhaps the primary reason is due to the fact that seldom in the history of humanity, the elements having allowed their constructions will not meet again: a theocratic capacity the Almighty, a rich country and thrives, a many labor, a Administration very developed and a great empirical knowledge. Under these conditions, it is more developing for civilizations which will contemplate these “wonders”, to allot an extraordinary origin to them to admit its own limits.

The Egyptology incipient from the 19th century raising more questions than it could not bring answers, modern myths quickly filled the holes which it had left. It will take long years for the Egyptologist S to make fall these myths one by one, but despite everything, they remain still quite long-lived in the contemporary culture.

What there remain “mysteries”, is in fact only questions not having yet unanimous answers. One can quote: existence or not of rooms hidden in Pyramid of Khéops (with the “treasures” that they could contain), the exact protocol of construction of the pyramids (if as well is as it was single), the exact period of construction, or the symbolic system which these monuments with the eyes of their builders had.

Astronomical bringing together

See also: Pyramids of Gizeh and constellation of Orion, mathematical Observation of the pyramid of Khéops

Certain Egyptologists (like Selim Hassan) or archéo-astronomers (as Robert Bauval) propose a theory according to which there would exist a correlation between the position and the orientation of the Pyramides of Gizeh and the position of stars and in particular of the constellation of Orion.

Largest pyramids of Egypt

The classification below uses as reference the length of the base of the pyramid.

1. Pyramid of Khéops (): 230 m;
2. red Pyramid, Snéfrou (): 219 m;
3. Pyramid of Khéphren (): 215 m;
4. Pyramid rhomboïdale, Snéfrou (): 189 m;
5. Pyramid of Meïdoum, Snéfrou (): 144 m;
6. Pyramid of Djéser (): 123 X 107 m;
7. Sékhemkhet (): 119 m;
8. Pyramid of Djédefrê (): 105 m;
9. Pyramid of Néferirkarê (): 105 m;
10. Pyramid of Sésostris {{Ier}} (): 105 Mr.

Vocabulary

• the Pyramidion: point pyramid (or of an obelisk), it is generally cut in granite and is covered with gold

Related articles

• Mastaba ;

• Complex pyramidal
• Classification of the Egyptian pyramids;
• Theories on the method of construction of the Egyptian pyramids.