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Ancient Egypt and Mesoamerica

Temples and Tombs

With the most stable geometric form being the triangle, it is no surprise that the most impressive structures of the ancients take the form of pyramids. Egypt and Mesoamerica house the most well known of these massive, ancient structures.

Egypt

The earliest of known Egyptian pyramids is the Pyramid of Djoser, which was designed by the famed architect, engineer, physician, royal chancellor, and all-around influential genius Imhotep and built just north of Memphis sometime around 2630 and 2611 B.C. in the Third Dynasty of the Egyptian Empire. The largest Egyptian pyramid is found with the most famous of the massive structures at Giza. Of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only the Pyramid of Khufu remains.

Scholars generally agree that the pyramids originated as elaborate tombs. Some suggest that the shape of the pyramids represents the primordial mound or the descending rays of the sun, given the name and form of Ra, the sun god. Formal names of the pyramids tend to support the latter supposition, as those names generally refer to the sun.

The Egyptian pharaohs originally ordered the construction of the pyramids, with the finest construction occuring during the Fourth Dynasty. Pyramid construction eventually turned secular, with wealthy merchants or aristocrats commissioning their own elaborate tombs.

The Egyptians quarried limestone blocks transported across the desert sands on wooden sleds dragged by hordes of slaves. Pyramids often rose from the ground in stair-step fashion, with a soft limestone casing filling in the steps to create a smooth surface. Of the smooth-sided pyramids, only the Bent Pyramid retains a significant portion of the outer casing.

Mesoamerica

Closer in construction techniques and purpose to the ziggurats of Mesopotamia than to the pyramids of Egypt, the Mesoamerican pyramids of the ancient Inca, Maya, and Aztec cultures of the New World feature a stair-step structure topped with temples. Although Egypt may claim the most famous pyramid, Mexico claims the largest: the Great Pyramid of Cholula. The most ancient pyramids of Mesoamerica date back to 1000 and 500 B.C. during the pre-Columbian period.

From central Mexico to Peru, the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas used their pyramids as tombs for royalty, temples for their gods, and anchors for public building compounds. The pyramids offered prime spectator seating for brutal games and even more brutal religious rites involving human sacrifice.

The pyramids of Mesoamerica vary more than their Egyptian counterparts. From stair-step block structures to intricate carvings that achieve the stair-step effect, the shape of the New World pyramids ranges beyond the triangular to accommodate the needs of the different cultures and religious traditions that inspired their construction.

By Karen M. Smith