A pyramid is a structure, usually made of stone, built in the shape of a pyramid. From ancient to modern times people in many different parts of the world have built such structures.
The first pyramids were built in 2630B.C. The oldest known pyramid was made for king Djoser of the third Dynasty.
In Egypt, kings and queens, called Pharaohs, were buried in the tombs of huge square-bottomed pyramids built of stone. They were usually built to be used as tombs for Pharaohs. The ancient Egyptian pyramids are very well built. Some of the pyramids still stand today.[2]
The oldest man-made pyramid found is called the Step pyramid. It is in the Giza Necropolis in Saqqara, near Cairo, Egypt. It was built for King Djoser thousands of years ago. Later pyramids were built much larger. The largest one was the Great Pyramid of Giza. It is near Cairo. It was the tallest building in the world until the Eiffel Tower was built in Paris, in 1889. The Great Pyramid was built by the pharaoh Khufu (= Cheops) from the Ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom. Herodotus was told by his Egyptian guides that it took twenty years for a force of 100,000 slaves to build the pyramid (with another ten years to build a stone causeway that connected to a temple in the valley below).
People once thought pyramids were built by slaves. More recent evidence suggests that the workers who built the pyramids were paid and well-cared for. They were loyal to the Pharaoh. Inside the Great Pyramid, famous man-made objects have been found from ancient times. Many valuable items were buried with the dead Pharaohs, in the hope that they would take them to the afterlife. Pyramids usually had traps to stop thieves from escaping easily. Tomb thieves were punished by death if they were caught. However, by 1000BC, many of the pyramids had been robbed of their precious treasures.
A large statue of a Sphinx stands near the pyramids at Giza. It has the body of a Lion and the head of a Pharaoh.
The ancient Greeks called the Great Pyramid one of the seven wonders of the world. There are over 100 pyramids in Egypt. Most of them are on the western side of the River Nile. Some Egyptologists have different opinions on why the ancient Egyptian Kings built pyramids as their tombs. Pyramids have been excavated for about the last 200 years.
The ancient Egyptians believed that the Egyptian pharaohs went to the stars to join their gods in the afterlife.
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The Aztecs and Mayans also built many massive pyramids. None are as old or big as the oldest or biggest Egyptian pyramids. Most of them are step pyramids.
Unlike Egyptian pyramids, which were used as tombs for rulers and wealthy people, Aztec and Mayan pyramids are believed to have been used for public displays of human sacrifice.
The Louvre Pyramid in Paris, France, in the court of the Louvre Museum. It is a 20.6meter (about 70foot) glass structure which acts as an entrance to the museum. It was designed by the American architect I. M. Pei and completed in 1989.
The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, United States, is a 30-story true pyramid. It has light beaming from the top.
"Pyramid of Tirana" is a former museum and monument in Tirana, Albania.
The Slovak Radio Building is in Bratislava, Slovakia. This building is shaped like an inverted pyramid.
The Summum Pyramid is a three-story pyramid in Salt Lake City, Utah. It used for instruction in the Summum philosophy. it also conducts rites associated with Modern Mummification.
The Trylonis a triangular pyramid erected for the 1939 World's Fair in Flushing, Queens. It was demolished after the Fair closed.
The Ballandean Pyramid is in Ballandean in rural Queensland, Australia. It is a 15-meter folly pyramid made from blocks of local granite.
The Karlsruhe Pyramid is in the centre of the market square of Karlsruhe, Germany. It is made of red sandstone. It is in the centre of the market square of Karlsruhe, Germany. It was erected in the years 1823–1825.
