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{{short description|Structure shaped as a geometric pyramid}}
{{Refimprove|date=August 2006}}
{{About|pyramid-shaped buildings|the geometric term|pyramid (geometry)|other uses}}
{{About|pyramid-shaped structures|the geometric shape|Pyramid (geometry)|other uses}}
[[Image:01 khafre north.jpg|thumb|right|Pyramid of [[Khafra]]]]
[[File:01 khafre north.jpg|thumb|
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
[[File:Pyramide Güimar.jpg|thumb|right|[[Pyramids of Güímar]]]]
[[Pyramid of Khafre]], Egypt, built {{Circa|2600 BC}}]]


A '''pyramid''' ({{etymology|grc|''{{Wikt-lang|grc|πυραμίς}}'' ({{grc-transl|πυραμίς}})|pyramid}})<ref>[https://perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dpurami%2Fs πυραμίς] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709191759/https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry%3Dpurami/s |date=2021-07-09 }}, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus Digital Library</ref><ref>The word meant "a kind of cake of roasted wheat-grains preserved in [[honey]]"; the Egyptian pyramids were named after its form ([[Robert S. P. Beekes|R. S. P. Beekes]], ''Etymological Dictionary of Greek'', Brill, 2009, p. 1261).</ref> is a [[Nonbuilding structure|structure]] whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a [[Pyramid (geometry)|pyramid in the geometric sense]]. The base of a pyramid can be of any [[polygon]] shape, such as [[triangular]] or [[quadrilateral]], and its lines either filled or stepped.
A '''pyramid''' is a [[building]] where the outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least four [[face (geometry)|faces]] (base plus at least four triangular faces). The five-face [[square pyramid]] is a common version.


A pyramid has the majority of its mass closer to the ground<ref>Centre of volume is one quarter of the way up—see ''[[Centre of mass]]''.</ref> with less mass towards the [[pyramidion]] at the [[Apex (geometry)|apex]]. This is due to the gradual decrease in the cross-sectional area along the vertical axis with increasing elevation. This offers a weight distribution that allowed early civilizations to create monumental structures.[[File:Koh Ker temple(2007).jpg|thumb|right|Prasat Thom temple at [[Koh Ker]], Cambodia]]Civilizations in many parts of the world have built pyramids. The largest pyramid by volume is the Mesoamerican [[Great Pyramid of Cholula]], in the Mexican state of [[Puebla]]. For millennia, the [[List of largest buildings in the world|largest structures]] on Earth were pyramids—first the [[Red Pyramid]] in the [[Dashur Necropolis]] and then the [[Great Pyramid of Giza|Great Pyramid]] of [[Khufu]], both in [[Egypt]]—the latter is the only extant example of the [[Seven Wonders of the Ancient World]].
A pyramid's design, with the majority of the weight closer to the ground,<ref>centre of volume is one third of the way up – see [[centre of mass]]</ref> means that less material higher up on the pyramid will be pushing down from above: this distribution of weight allowed early civilizations to create stable monumental structures.

For thousands of years, the [[List of largest buildings in the world|largest structures]] on [[Earth]] were pyramids: first the [[Red Pyramid]] in the [[Dashur Necropolis]] and then the [[Great Pyramid]] of [[Khufu]], the only one of the [[Seven Wonders of the Ancient World]] still remaining and still the tallest pyramid of all. The largest pyramid ever built, by volume, is the [[Great Pyramid of Cholula]], in the Mexican state of [[Puebla]]. This pyramid is still being excavated.


==Ancient monuments==
==Ancient monuments==
{{See also|List of ancient pyramids by country}}
{{See also|Ancient pyramid (disambiguation){{!}}Ancient pyramid}}


=== West Asia ===
Pyramid-shaped structures were built by many ancient civilizations.


===Mesopotamia===
==== Mesopotamia ====
{{main|Ziggurat}}
The [[Mesopotamia]]ns built the earliest pyramidal structures, called [[ziggurat]]s. In ancient times these were brightly painted. Since they were constructed of mud-brick, little remains of them.


{{multiple image
===Egypt ===
| perrow = 2
{{Main|Egyptian pyramids}}
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[[Image:All Gizah Pyramids.jpg|right|thumb|The ancient pyramids of [[Egypt]]]]
| caption_align = center
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| image2 = The White Temple 'E at Uruk, 3500-3000 BCE.jpg
| image1 = White Temple ziggurat in Uruk.jpg
| footer = Anu ziggurat and White Temple at Uruk
}}
[[File:Choghazanbil2.jpg|thumb|[[Chogha Zanbil]] is an ancient Elamite complex in the Khuzestan province of [[Iran]].]]
The [[Mesopotamia]]ns built the earliest pyramidal structures, called ''[[ziggurat]]s''. In ancient times, these were brightly painted in [[gold]]/[[bronze]]. They were constructed of sun-dried mud-brick, and little remains of them. Ziggurats were built by the [[Sumer]]ians, [[Babylon]]ians, [[Elam]]ites, [[Akkadian Empire|Akkadians]], and [[Assyria]]ns. Each ziggurat was part of a temple complex that included other buildings. The ziggurat's precursors were raised platforms that date from the [[Ubaid period]]<ref name="Crawford, page 73">Crawford, page 73{{Citation not found|date=October 2023}}</ref> of the fourth [[millennium]] BC.


The earliest ziggurats began near the end of the [[Early Dynastic Period of Sumer#Early Dynastic period|Early Dynastic Period]].<ref>Crawford, page 73-74{{Citation not found|date=October 2023}}</ref> The original pyramidal structure, the anu ziggurat, dates to around 4000 BC. The White Temple was built on top of it circa 3500 BC.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Crüsemann |first1=Nicola |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=muCvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT325 |title=Uruk: First City of the Ancient World |last2=Ess |first2=Margarete van |last3=Hilgert |first3=Markus |last4=Salje |first4=Beate |last5=Potts |first5=Timothy |date=2019 |publisher=Getty Publications |isbn=978-1-60606-444-3 |page=325 |language=en}}</ref>
The most famous pyramids are the [[Egyptian pyramids]]{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} &mdash; huge structures built of brick or stone, some of which are among the world's largest constructions. The age of the pyramids reached zenith at Giza in 2575-2150 B.C.<ref>http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/timeline.html</ref>
Built in receding tiers upon a rectangular, oval, or square platform, the ziggurat was a pyramidal structure with a flat top. Sun-baked [[brick]]s made up the core of the ziggurat with facings of fired bricks on the outside. The facings were often glazed in different colors and may have had [[Astrology|astrological]] significance. Kings sometimes had their names engraved on them. The number of tiers ranged from two to seven. It is assumed that they had shrines at the top, but no archaeological evidence supports this and the only textual evidence is from [[Herodotus]].<ref>Crawford, page 85{{Citation not found|date=October 2023}}</ref> Access to the shrine would have been by a series of ramps on one side of the ziggurat or by a spiral ramp from base to summit.
There are 138 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008.<ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=In the Shadow of a Long Past, Patiently Awaiting the Future |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/world/middleeast/17cairo.html |quote=
Some Egyptologists, notably Mark Lehner, state that the [[Ancient Egyptian]] word for pyramid was ''mer''.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=nNVsHwAACAAJ&dq= |title=Mark Lehner (2008). The Complete Pyramids: Solving the Ancient Mysteries. p. 34.|publisher=Thames & Hudson}}</ref> The [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] is the largest in Egypt and one of the largest in the world. Until [[Lincoln Cathedral]] was built in 1400 AD, it was the tallest building in the world. The base is over 52,600 [[square meter]]s in area. Egypt has the most pyramids in the world, with Sudan coming in at a close second.


=== Africa ===
It was one of the [[Seven Wonders of the World]], and the only one of the seven to survive into modern times. The Ancient Egyptians covered their faces with polished white [[limestone]], though most of the stones used for the purpose have fallen or have been removed and used to build the mosques of Cairo.
==== Egypt ====
{{Main article|Egyptian pyramids}}
[[File:Giza-pyramids.JPG|thumb|right|The pyramids of the [[Giza pyramid complex|Giza necropolis]], as seen from the air]]
The most famous African pyramids are in Egypt — huge structures built of bricks or stones, primarily limestone, some of which are among the world's largest constructions. They are shaped in reference to the sun's rays. Most had a smoothed white [[limestone]] surface. Many of the facing stones have fallen or were removed and used for construction in [[Cairo]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Viegas |first1=Jennifer |date=28 April 2008 |title=Pyramids packed with fossil shells |work=ABC Science |url=https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/04/28/2229383.htm |access-date=1 August 2021 |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801134658/https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/04/28/2229383.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The capstone was usually made of limestone, granite or basalt and some were plated with [[electrum]].<ref name="pennstate-pyramid">{{cite web |last1=Redford |first1=Donald B. |last2=McCauley |first2=Marissa |date=2014-04-15 |title=How were the Egyptian pyramids built? |url=http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/pyramids.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121222053326/http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/pyramids.html |archive-date=22 December 2012 |access-date=11 December 2012 |work=Research |publisher=The Pennsylvania State University}}</ref>


Ancient Egyptians built pyramids from 2700 BC until around 1700 BC. The first pyramid was erected during the [[Third Dynasty]] by the Pharaoh [[Djoser]] and his architect [[Imhotep]]. This [[step pyramid]] consisted of six stacked [[mastaba]]s.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nNVsHwAACAAJ |title=Mark Lehner (2008). The Complete Pyramids: Solving the Ancient Mysteries. pp. 14–15, 84|publisher=Thames & Hudson|isbn=978-0-500-28547-3|author1=Lehner, Mark|date=2008-03-25}}</ref><ref name="Davidovits2008">{{cite book |last=Davidovits |first=Joseph |title=They Built the Pyramids |date=20 May 2008 |publisher=Geopolymer Institute |isbn=978-2-9514820-2-9 |page=206}}</ref> Early kings such as [[Sneferu|Snefru]] built pyramids, with subsequent kings adding to the number until the end of the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]]. The age of the pyramids reached its zenith at [[Giza Necropolis|Giza]] in 2575–2150 BC.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=2002-10-17 |title=Egypt Pyramids-Time Line |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/timeline.html |url-status=dead |magazine=National Geographic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810165659/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/timeline.html |archive-date=2011-08-10 |access-date=2011-08-13}}</ref> The last king to [[Pyramid of Ahmose|build royal pyramids was Ahmose]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Filer |first=Joyce |title=Pyramids |date=16 January 2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-530521-0 |page=99}}</ref> with later kings hiding their [[tomb]]s in the hills, such as those in the [[Valley of the Kings]] in Luxor's West Bank.<ref>{{cite book |author=Fodor's |title=Fodor's Egypt, 4th Edition |date=15 March 2011 |publisher=Random House Digital, Inc. |isbn=978-1-4000-0519-2 |pages=249–250}}</ref> In [[Medinet Habu|Medinat Habu]] and [[Deir el-Medina]], smaller pyramids were built by individuals. Smaller pyramids with steeper sides were built by the [[Nubians]] who ruled Egypt in the Late Period.<ref name="Harpur1997">{{cite book |last=Harpur |first=James |title=Pyramid |publisher=Barnes & Noble Books |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-7607-0215-4 |page=24}}</ref>
===Nubia===
{{Main|Nubian pyramids}}


The [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] is the largest in Egypt and one of the largest in the world. At {{Convert|146.6|m|ft}} it was the tallest structure in the world until the [[Lincoln Cathedral]] was finished in 1311 AD. Its base covers an area of around {{convert|53000|m2}}. The Great Pyramid is the only extant one of the [[Seven Wonders of the Ancient World]].
[[Nubian pyramids]] were constructed (roughly 220 of them) at three sites in Nubia to serve as tombs for the kings and queens of [[Napata]] and [[Meroë]]. The pyramids of Kush, also known as Nubian Pyramids, do not resemble the pyramids of Egypt.
The [[Nubian pyramids]] were constructed at a steeper angle than Egyptian ones and were monuments to dead kings and queens.<ref>{{cite book | title = Nubian Pharaohs and Meroitic Kings: The Kingdom of Kush | author = Necia Desiree Harkless | publisher = AuthorHouse | year = 2006 | isbn = 1425944965 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=6PrmTAKiy0QC&pg=PA153&dq=nubian+pyramids+kings++tomb&lr=&as_brr=3&ei=s0lnR8rKJZKatAPNuL2pAw&sig=rfQMenM4PvKNgyRMU_fBUJvBBbg#PPA149,M1 }}</ref>


Ancient Egyptian pyramids were, in most cases, placed west of the river [[Nile]] because the divine pharaoh's soul was meant to join with the sun during its descent before continuing with the sun in its eternal round.<ref name="pennstate-pyramid" /> As of 2008, some 135 pyramids had been discovered in Egypt,<ref>{{cite news|first= Michael|last= Slackman|title= In the Shadow of a Long Past, Patiently Awaiting the Future|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/world/middleeast/17cairo.html|work= The New York Times|date= 2008-11-17|access-date= 2010-04-12|archive-date= 2018-01-06|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180106054739/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/world/middleeast/17cairo.html|url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nNVsHwAACAAJ |title=Mark Lehner (2008). The Complete Pyramids: Solving the Ancient Mysteries. p. 34.|publisher=Thames & Hudson|isbn=978-0-500-28547-3|author1=Lehner, Mark|date=2008-03-25}}</ref> most located near Cairo.<ref name="Filer2006">{{cite book |last=Filer |first=Joyce |url=https://archive.org/details/pyramids00file |title=Pyramids |date=16 January 2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-530521-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/pyramids00file/page/n38 38]–39 |url-access=limited}}</ref>
Pyramids were still being built in Nubia up to AD 300.


===Greece===
==== Sudan ====
{{Main article|Nubian pyramids}}
[[Image:Pyramide von Hellinikon.jpg|thumb|right|[[Pyramid of Hellinikon]]]]
[[File:Nubian20pyramids.jpg|right|thumb|Pyramids at [[Meroe]] with [[Pylon (architecture)|pylon]]-like entrances]]
Dotted throughout the landscape are remains of buildings that were described by ancient travelers as pyramids. They were first excavated by Americans and Germans in the early 1900s and the 1960s.
[[File:Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe-114973.jpg|thumb|Nubian pyramids at archaeological sites of the Island of Meroe]]
While African pyramids are commonly associated with Egypt, Sudan has 220 extant pyramids, the most in the world.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3641516.stm | work=BBC News | title=Sudan's past uncovered | date=2004-09-09 | access-date=2010-04-12 | first=Lawrence | last=Pollard | archive-date=2020-07-28 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728071528/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3641516.stm | url-status=live }}</ref> Nubian pyramids were constructed (roughly 240 of them) at three sites in [[Sudan]] to serve as tombs for the kings and queens of [[Napata]] and [[Meroë]]. The pyramids of Kush, also known as [[Nubian pyramids|Nubian Pyramids]], have different characteristics than those of Egypt. The Nubian pyramids had steeper sides than the Egyptian ones. Pyramids were built in Sudan as late as 200 AD.


==== Sahel ====
[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], a Greek traveler in the second century AD described several of the structures as pyramids. One of these pyramids was located in [[Pyramid of Hellinikon|Hellenikon]] (Ελληνικό in Greek), a village near [[Argos]] near the ancient ruins of Tiryns.<ref> Helleniko Pyramid http://www.grecoreport.com/pyramids_in_ancient_greece.htm</ref> The story surrounding the monument was that it was built as a polyandria, a common grave, for those soldiers who had fallen in the struggle for the throne of Argos back in the 14th Century BC He described the structure as something that resembled a pyramid with the decorations of Argolic shields, showing the military connection to it. Another pyramid that Pausanias saw on his journeys was at Kenchreai, another polyandria dedicated to the Argives and Spartans who lost their lives at the Battle of Hysiai in 669 BC. Unfortunately neither of these structures remain fully intact today to test how closely they resembled the pyramids of [[Egypt]] nor is there any proof that they even resembled an Egyptian pyramid at all.
{{Main article|Tomb of Askia}}The Tomb of Askia, in [[Gao]], [[Mali]], is believed to be the burial place of [[Askia Mohammad I]], one of the [[Songhai Empire]]'s most prolific [[emperors]]. It was built at the end of the fifteenth century and is designated as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]].


[[UNESCO]] describes the tomb as an example of the monumental mud-building traditions of the West African [[Sahel]]. The complex includes the pyramidal tomb, two [[mosque]]s, a [[cemetery]] and an assembly ground. At 17 metres (56&nbsp;ft) in height it is the largest pre-[[Colonialism|colonial]] [[Architecture|architectural]] monument in Gao. It is a notable example of the [[Sudano-Sahelian architecture|Sudano-Sahelian architectural]] style that later spread throughout the region.
There are two surviving pyramid-like structures still available to study, one at Hellenikon and the other at Ligourion, a village near the ancient theatre Epidaurus. With these two pyramid’s base stones remaining, it is possible to determine that Grecian pyramids existed. These buildings were not constructed in the same manner as the pyramids in Egypt. The buildings at Hellenikon and Ligourion were no more than 70 meters tall and were surrounded by walls, with the base of the Helleniko pyramid being nine meters by 7 meters. The stone used to build the pyramids was limestone quarried locally and was cut to fit, not into freestanding blocks like the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]]. The base of the structures also differed from the Egyptian pyramids as they were rectangular, not square. This simple construction shape made it very difficult to make the top of the building come together in a point. As such, it makes more sense that these structures could have been peaked by a roof or platform.


==== Nigeria ====
There are no remains or graves in or near the structures. Instead, the rooms that the walls housed were made to be locked from the inside. This coupled with the platform roof, means that one of the functions these structures could have served was as watchtowers. Another possibility for the buildings is that they are shrines to heroes and soldiers of ancient times, but the lock on the inside makes no sense for such a purpose.
{{Main|Nsude pyramid shrines}}
One of the unique structures of [[Igbo people|Igbo]] culture was the Nsude pyramids, in the Nigerian town of Nsude, northern [[Igboland]]. Ten pyramidal structures were built of clay/mud. The first base section was {{convert|60|ft|abbr=on}} in circumference and {{convert|3|ft|abbr=on|1}} in height. The next stack was {{convert|45|ft|abbr=on}} in circumference. Circular stacks continued to the top. The structures were temples for the god [[Ala (Odinani)|Ala]], who was believed to reside there. A stick was placed at the top to represent the god's residence. The structures were laid in groups of five parallel to each other. Because it was built of clay/mud like the Deffufa of Nubia, over time periodic reconstruction has been required.<ref>Basden, G. S(1966). Among the Ibos of Nigeria, 1912. Psychology Press: p. 109, {{ISBN|0-7146-1633-8}}</ref>


=== Europe ===
The dating of these ‘pyramids’ has been made from the pot shards excavated from the floor and on the grounds. The latest dates available from scientific dating have been estimated around the 5th and 4th centuries. There are many researchers who have given dates to the structures that pre-date the pyramids at [[Giza]], but the method to obtain these dates was thermoluminescence of the stone.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} Normally this technique is used for dating [[pottery]], but here researchers have used it to try to date stone flakes from the walls of the structures. This has created some debate about whether or not these ‘pyramids’ are actually older than [[Egypt]], which is part of the Black Athena controversy.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} The basis for their use of thermoluminescence in order to date these structures is a new method of collecting samples for testing. Scientists from laboratories hired out by the recent excavators of the site, The [[Academy of Athens]], say that they can use the electrons trapped on the inner surface of the stones to positively identify the date that the stones were quarried and put together.


==== Greece ====
The issue with this method is that they date the pyramids with a margin of error of up to over 700 years. This method dated the Helleniko pyramid to 2730 BC with an error factor of plus or minus 720 years. It also dated the Ligourio pyramid to 2260 BC with an error of plus or minus 714 years. Though these initial dates are indicative of these structures being built before the pyramid complex at Giza, it also means that they could have been built well after Khufu’s Great Pyramid was erected. Some archaeologists, however, have indicated that these samples may have been very select in their choice of which stones to sample. Further excavations of the site at Helleniko reveal that it was constructed on a previously existing structure, giving a possibility that the new methods of dating may be a misinterpretation.
{{Main article|Greek pyramids}}
[[File:Elliniko Piramid - panoramio.jpg|thumb|left|[[Pyramid of Hellinikon]]]]
[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] (2nd century AD) mentions two buildings resembling pyramids, one, 19 kilometres (12&nbsp;mi) southwest of a still standing structure at Hellenikon,<ref>{{cite book|title=Archaeological Fantasies: How Pseudoarchaeology Misrepresents the Past and Misleads the Public|year=2006|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-30593-8|author=Mary Lefkowitz|author-link=Mary Lefkowitz|editor=Garrett G. Fagan|page=188|chapter=Archaeology and the politics of origins}}</ref> a common tomb for soldiers who died in a legendary struggle for the throne of [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argos]] and another that he was told was the tomb of Argives killed in a battle around 669/8 BC. Neither survives and no evidence indicates that they resembled Egyptian pyramids.


At least two surviving pyramid-like structures are available to study, one at [[Pyramid of Hellinikon|Hellenikon]] and the other at Ligourio/Ligurio, a village near the ancient theatre [[Epidaurus]]. These buildings have inwardly sloping walls, but bear no other resemblance to Egyptian pyramids. They had large central rooms (unlike Egyptian pyramids) and the Hellenikon structure is rectangular rather than square, {{convert|12.5|by|14|m}} which means that the sides could not have met at a point.<ref>{{cite book|title=Archaeological Fantasies: How Pseudoarchaeology Misrepresents the Past and Misleads the Public|year=2006|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-30593-8|author=Mary Lefkowitz|author-link=Mary Lefkowitz|editor=Garrett G. Fagan|pages=189–190|chapter=Archaeology and the politics of origins}}</ref> The stone used to build these structures was limestone quarried locally and was cut to fit, not into freestanding blocks like the Great Pyramid of Giza.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}
Along with these five structures there are 14 more pyramid-like buildings, or their remains, scattered throughout the rest of the country side of Greece. These sites do not get as much attention as the two at Helleniko and Ligourio as they are the only ones mentioned in surviving accounts of ancient travelers.


These structures were dated from pot shards excavated from the floor and grounds. The latest estimates are around the 5th and 4th centuries. Normally this technique is used for dating [[pottery]], but researchers used it to try to date stone flakes from the structure walls. This launched debate about whether or not these structures are actually older than [[Egypt]], part of the [[Black Athena]] controversy.<ref>{{cite book|title=Archaeological Fantasies: How Pseudoarchaeology Misrepresents the Past and Misleads the Public|year=2006|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-30593-8|author=Mary Lefkowitz|author-link=Mary Lefkowitz|editor=Garrett G. Fagan|pages=185–186|chapter=Archaeology and the politics of origins}}</ref>
===China===
{{Main|Chinese pyramids}}


[[Mary Lefkowitz|Lefkowitz]] criticised this research, suggesting that some of the research was done not to determine the reliability of the dating method, as was suggested, but to back up a claim and to make points about pyramids and Greek civilization. She claimed that not only were the results imprecise, but that other structures mentioned in the research are not in fact pyramids, e.g. a tomb alleged to be the tomb of [[Amphion]] and Zethus near [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]], a structure at Stylidha ([[Thessaly]]) which is a long wall, etc. She pushed the possibility that the stones that were dated might have been recycled from earlier constructions. She claimed that earlier research from the 1930s, confirmed in the 1980s by Fracchia, was ignored.<ref>{{cite book|title=Archaeological Fantasies: How Pseudoarchaeology Misrepresents the Past and Misleads the Public|year=2006|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-30593-8|author=Mary Lefkowitz|author-link=Mary Lefkowitz|editor=Garrett G. Fagan|page=195|chapter=Archaeology and the politics of origins}}</ref>
There are many square flat-topped mound tombs in China. The First Emperor of China (circa 221 BC, who unified the 7 pre-Imperial Kingdoms), also the First Emperor Qin, was buried under a large mound outside modern day [[Xi'an]]. In the following centuries about a dozen more Han Dynasty royals were also buried under flat-topped pyramidal earthworks.


Liritzis responded that Lefkowitz failed to understand and misinterpreted the methodology.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Liritzis |first=Ioannis |date=2011-09-01 |title=Surface dating by luminescence: An overview |url=https://www.geochronometria.com/Surface-dating-by-luminescence-An-overview,185835,0,2.html |journal=Geochronometria |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=292–302 |doi=10.2478/s13386-011-0032-7 |issn=1733-8387|doi-access=free |bibcode=2011Gchrm..38..292L }}</ref>
===Mesoamerica===
{{Main|Mesoamerican pyramids}}
[[Image:Chichen-Itza El Castillo.jpg|thumb|right|Pyramid in the [[Maya civilization|Mayan]] city of [[Chichen-Itza]], [[Mexico]]]]


==== Spain ====
A number of [[Mesoamerica]]n cultures also built pyramid-shaped structures. [[Mesoamerican pyramids]] were usually stepped, with temples on top, more similar to the Mesopotamian ziggurat than the Egyptian pyramid.
[[File:Pyramide Güimar.jpg|thumb|[[Pyramids of Güímar]], [[Tenerife]], Spain]]
The [[Pyramids of Güímar]] refer to six rectangular pyramid-shaped, terraced structures, built from [[lava]] without [[Mortar (masonry)|mortar]]. They are located in the district of Chacona, part of the town of [[Güímar]] on the island of [[Tenerife]] in the [[Canary Islands]]. The structures were dated to the 19th century and their function explained as a byproduct of contemporary [[agricultural]] techniques.


[[Indigenous peoples|Autochthonous]] [[Guanches|Guanche]] traditions as well as surviving images indicate that similar structures (also known as, "Morras", "Majanos", "Molleros", or "Paredones") were built in many locations on the island.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} However, over time they were dismantled and used as building material. [[Güímar]] hostred nine pyramids, only six of which survive.
The largest pyramid by volume is the [[Great Pyramid of Cholula]], in the [[Mexico|Mexican]] state of [[Puebla]]. This pyramid is considered the largest monument ever constructed anywhere in the world, and is still being excavated. The third largest pyramid in the world, the [[Pyramid of the Sun]], is also located in [[Mexico]]. There is an unusual pyramid with a circular plan at the site of [[Cuicuilco]], now inside [[Mexico City]] and mostly covered with lava from an ancient eruption of [[Xictli]]. Pyramids in Mexico were often used as places of human sacrifice.


===North America===
==== Roman Empire ====
{{main article|Pyramid of Cestius}}
Many [[Mound builder (people)|mound-building]] societies of ancient [[North America]] built large pyramidal earth structures known as [[platform mound]]s. Among the largest and best-known of these structures is [[Monk's Mound]] at the site of [[Cahokia]], which has a base larger than that of the Great Pyramid at Giza. While the North American mounds' precise function is not known, they are believed to have played a central role in the mound-building people's religious life.
[[File:Pyramid of cestius.jpg|thumb|[[Pyramid of Cestius]] in Rome, Italy]]
The 27-metre-high [[Pyramid of Cestius]] was built by the end of the 1st century BC and survives close to the [[Porta San Paolo]]. Another, named ''[[Meta Romuli]]'', stood in the ''Ager Vaticanus'' (today's [[Borgo (rione of Rome)|Borgo]]), but was destroyed at the end of the 15th century.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lacovara|first1=Peter|date=2018|title=Pyramids and Obelisks Beyond Egypt|url=https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/aegyp/article/view/48018/41478|journal=Aegyptiaca|issue=2|pages=124–129|doi=10.11588/aegyp.2018.2.48018|access-date=17 June 2019|archive-date=17 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617112712/https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/aegyp/article/view/48018/41478|url-status=live}}</ref>


===Roman Empire===
==== Medieval Europe ====
Pyramids were occasionally used in [[Church architecture|Christian architecture]] during the [[Feudalism|feudal]] era, e.g. as the tower of [[Oviedo]]'s Gothic [[Cathedral of San Salvador (Oviedo)|Cathedral of San Salvador]].
[[Image:Pyramid of cestius.jpg|thumb|[[Pyramid of Cestius]] in Rome]]
The 27-metre-high [[Pyramid of Cestius]] was built by the end of the first century BC and still exists today, close to the [[Porta San Paolo]]. Another one, named ''Meta Romuli'', standing in the ''Ager Vaticanus'' (today's [[Borgo (rione of Rome)|Borgo]]), was destroyed at the end of the 15th century.


=== Americas ===
There is also a Roman era [[French pyramids|pyramid]] built in [[Falicon]], France.<ref>Henri Broch (1976), [http://books.google.com/books?id=W0iSGQAACAAJ&dq=intitle:myst%C3%A9rieuse+intitle:pyramide&lr=&as_brr=0&ei=VcKjSKrAJ5H2sQOQqemdBQ ''La mystérieuse pyramide de Falicon''], Éditions France-Empire, ISBN B0000E80JW</ref> There were many more pyramids built in France in this period.
[[File:PyramidOfTheMoonTeotihuacan.jpg|thumb|right|[[Pyramid of the Moon]], [[Teotihuacan]], built between 100 and 450 AD]]


===Medieval Europe===
==== Peru ====
[[Andean civilizations|Andean]] cultures used pyramids in various architectural structures such as the ones in [[Caral]], [[Túcume]] and [[Chavín de Huantar]], constructed around the same time as early Egyptian pyramids.
Pyramids have occasionally been used in Christian architecture of the feudal era, e.g. as the tower of [[Oviedo]]'s Gothic [[Cathedral of San Salvador (Oviedo)|Cathedral of San Salvador]]. In some cases this leads to speculations on [[masonic]] or other symbolical intentions.


===India===
==== Mesoamerica ====
{{Main article|Mesoamerican pyramids}}
[[Image:thanjavur temple.jpg|thumb|left|Detail of the main gopura (tower) of the Thanjavur Temple pyramid in [[Thanjavur|Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu]]]]
[[File:Chichen Itza 3.jpg|thumb|[[El Castillo, Chichen Itza|El Castillo]] at [[Chichen Itza]]]]
Several [[Mesoamerica]]n cultures built pyramid-shaped structures. [[Mesoamerican pyramids]] were usually stepped, with temples on top, more similar to the Mesopotamian ziggurat than the Egyptian pyramid.


The largest by volume is the [[Great Pyramid of Cholula]], in the Mexican state of [[Puebla]]. Constructed from the 3rd century BC to the 9th century AD, this pyramid is the world's largest monument, and is still not fully excavated. The third largest pyramid in the world, the [[Pyramid of the Sun]], at [[Teotihuacan]], is also located in [[Mexico]]. An unusual pyramid with a circular plan survives at the site of [[Cuicuilco]], now inside [[Mexico City]] and mostly covered with lava from an eruption of the [[Xitle]] Volcano in the 1st century BC. Several circular stepped pyramids called [[Guachimontones]] survive in Teuchitlán, [[Jalisco]].
Many giant [[granite]] temple pyramids were made in [[South India]] during the [[Chola Empire]], many of which are still in religious use today. Examples of such pyramid temples include [[Brihadisvara Temple]] at [[Thanjavur]], the [[Gangaikonda Cholapuram|Temple of Gangaikondacholapuram]] and the [[Airavatesvara Temple]] at [[Darasuram]]. However the largest temple pyramid in the area is [[Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple (Srirangam)|Sri Rangam]] in [[Srirangam|Srirangam, Tamil Nadu]]. The Brihadisvara Temple was declared by [[UNESCO]] as a [[World Heritage Site]] in 1987; the Temple of Gangaikondacholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram were added as extensions to the site in 2004.<ref>http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2004/whc04-28com-inf14ae.pdf</ref>


Pyramids in Mexico were often used for [[human sacrifice]]. [[Michael Harner|Harner]] stated that for the dedication of the [[Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan]] in 1487, "one source states 20,000, another 72,344, and several give 80,400" as the number of humans sacrificed.<ref>"[http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/aztecs/sacrifice.htm The Enigma of Aztec Sacrifice] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519211635/http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/aztecs/sacrifice.htm |date=2017-05-19 }}". ''Natural History'', April 1977. Vol. 86, No. 4, pages 46–51.</ref>
==Modern pyramids==
Examples of modern pyramids are:


==== United States ====
* The [[Louvre Pyramid]] in [[Paris]], [[France]], in the court of the [[Louvre]] Museum, is a 20.6 meter (about 70 foot) glass structure which acts as an entrance to the museum. It was designed by the American architect [[I. M. Pei]] and completed in 1989.
[[File:Mississippian culture mound components HRoe 2011.jpg|thumb|A diagram showing the various components of Eastern North American platform mounds]]
* The [[Transamerica Pyramid]] in San Francisco, California, designed by [[William Pereira]].
[[File:Monk Mound - Flickr - GregTheBusker.jpg|thumb|[[Monks Mound]], [[Cahokia]]]]
* The 32-story [[Pyramid Arena]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], [[Tennessee]] (built in 1991) was the home court for the [[University of Memphis]] men's [[basketball]] program, and the [[National Basketball Association]]'s [[Memphis Grizzlies]] until 2004.
Many pre-Columbian [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] societies of ancient North America built large pyramidal [[earth structure]]s known as [[platform mound]]s. Among the largest and best-known of these structures is [[Monks Mound]] at the site of [[Cahokia]] in what became [[Illinois]], completed around 1100 AD. It has a base larger than that of the Great Pyramid. Many mounds underwent repeated episodes of expansion. They are believed to have played a central role in the mound-building peoples' religious life. Documented uses include semi-public [[Tribal chief|chief]]'s house platforms, public [[temple]] platforms, [[mortuary]] platforms, [[charnel house]] platforms, [[earth lodge]]/town house platforms, residence platforms, square ground and rotunda platforms, and dance platforms.<ref name="PLATFORM">{{cite journal |last1=Lindauer |first1=Owen |last2=Blitz |first2=John H. |year=1997 |title=Higher Ground: The Archaeology of North American Platform Mounds |url=http://anthropology.ua.edu/reprints/18.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Journal of Archaeological Research |volume=5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415101152/http://anthropology.ua.edu/reprints/18.pdf |archive-date=2012-04-15 |access-date=2011-11-02 |number=2 |pages=169–207 |doi=10.1007/BF02229110 }}</ref><ref name="HANDBOOK">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3JH-TPFjLk4C&q=construction+of+platform+mounds&pg=PA741|title=Handbook of North American Indians : Southeast|author=Raymond Fogelson|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|date=20 September 2004|isbn=978-0-16-072300-1|page=741|access-date=19 November 2020|archive-date=20 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520152545/https://books.google.com/books?id=3JH-TPFjLk4C&q=construction+of+platform+mounds&pg=PA741|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="FLORIDAANTHRO">{{cite journal|journal=Florida Anthropologist|title=The Etowah Site, Mound C :Barlow County, Georgia|author1=Henry van der Schalie|author2=Paul W. Parmalee|volume=8|date=September 1960|pages=37–39|url=http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00027829/00135/1j|access-date=2011-11-02|archive-date=2021-04-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418080526/https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00027829/00135/1j|url-status=live}}</ref> Cultures that built substructure mounds include the [[Troyville culture]], [[Coles Creek culture]], [[Plaquemine culture]] and [[Mississippian culture]]s.
* The [[Slovensky rozhlas|Slovak radio]] building in [[Bratislava]], [[Slovakia]]. This building is shaped like an inverted pyramid. <!-- Like the Tempe, Arizona city hall -->
* The [[Walter Pyramid]], home of the basketball and [[volleyball]] teams of the [[California State University, Long Beach]], campus in [[California]], [[United States]], is an 18-story-tall blue pyramid.
* The [[Luxor Hotel]] in [[Las Vegas Strip|Las Vegas]], United States, is a 30-story pyramid with light beaming from the top.
* The [[Summum Pyramid]], a 3 story pyramid in [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]], used for instruction in the [[Summum]] philosophy and conducting rites associated with Modern Mummification.
* The [[Palace of Peace and Reconciliation]] in [[Astana]], [[Kazakhstan]].
* The Pyramids at [[Osho|Osho Commune]] in [[Pune]], India (for meditation purposes).
* The three pyramids of [[Moody Gardens]] in [[Galveston]], [[Texas]].
* The Co-Op Bank Pyramid or Stockport Pyramid in [[Stockport]], [[England]] is a large pyramid-shaped [[office block]] in [[Stockport]] in England. (The surrounding part of the valley of the upper [[Mersey]] has sometimes been called the "Kings Valley" after the [[Valley of the Kings]] in [[Egypt]].)
<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:intercon_3239.jpg|thumb|right|The [[City Stars]]Pyramids in [[Cairo]] ,[[Egypt]]]] -->
* The GoJa Music Hall in [[Prague]].
* The [[Muttart Conservatory]] greenhouses in [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]].
* The unfinished [[Ryugyong Hotel]] in [[Pyongyang]].
* Small pyramids similar to those of the Louvre can be found outside the lobby of the Citicorp Building in Long Island City, Queens NY.
* The Pyramids of the [[City Stars]] Complex in [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]].
* Pyramid building belonging to 3DPLM Software Solutions, at Hinjwadi, [[Pune]], [[India]].<ref>[http://www.3dplmsoftware.com/about/infrastructure.html 3DPLM Software Solutions Limited :: A Joint venture of Dassault Systemes & Geometric Software Solutions Limited<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*[[Triangle (Paris building)|Triangle]], a proposed skyscraper in [[Paris]].
*The [[Steelcase]] pyramid.
*The [[Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid]] , a proposed project for construction of a massive pyramid over Tokyo Bay in Japan.


=== Gallery ===
=== Asia ===

<gallery>
{{Main article|Chinese pyramids}}
Image:Stockport Pyramid.jpg|Stockport Pyramid in [[Stockport]], [[United Kingdom]]
[[File:Tomb of the General 1.jpg|right|thumb|Ancient Korean tomb in [[Ji'an, Jilin|Ji'an]], Northeastern China]]
Image:Walter Pyramid.jpg|The [[Walter Pyramid]] in [[Long Beach, California]]
Image:Pyramid.JPG|The [[Pyramid Arena]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee]]
[[File:Shaohao - pyramid - P1050739.JPG|thumb|[[Shaohao Tomb]], [[Qufu]], China]]
Many square [[Platform mound|flat-topped mound]] tombs in [[China]]. The first emperor [[Qin Shi Huang]] ({{Circa|221 BC}}, who unified the seven pre-imperial kingdoms) was buried under a large mound outside modern-day [[Xi'an]]. In the following centuries about a dozen more [[Han dynasty]] royal persons were also buried under [[Frustum|flat-topped pyramidal]] earthworks.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}
Image:Luxor28.jpg|[[Luxor Hotel]] in [[Las Vegas Strip|Las Vegas, Nevada]]

Image:MetCemBrunswigPyramid1.jpg|Metairie Cemetery, [[New Orleans]]
==== India ====
Image:Summum Pyramid SE 20030406.jpg|The [[Summum Pyramid]] in [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]]
Numerous giant, [[granite]], temple pyramids were built in [[South India]] during the [[Chola Empire]], many of which remain in use. Examples include [[Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur|Brihadisvara Temple]] at [[Thanjavur]], [[Brihadisvara Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram|Brihadisvara Temple]] at [[Gangaikonda Cholapuram]], and the [[Airavatesvara Temple]] at [[Darasuram]]. However, the largest temple (area) is the [[Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple (Srirangam)|Ranganathaswamy Temple]] in [[Srirangam|Srirangam, Tamil Nadu]]. The Thanjavur temple was built by Raja Raja Chola in the 11th century. The [[Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur|Brihadisvara Temple]] was declared a [[World Heritage Site]] by [[UNESCO]] in 1987; the Temple of Gangaikondacholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram were added in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/archive/2004/whc04-28com-inf14ae.pdf|title=EVALUATIONS OF CULTURAL PROPERTIES|website=Whc.unesco.org|access-date=5 March 2022|archive-date=3 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303113016/https://whc.unesco.org/archive/2004/whc04-28com-inf14ae.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
Image:SanFrancisco DownTown.jpg|[[Transamerica Pyramid]]
<gallery mode="packed">
Image:P1260138.JPG|Zafer Plaza shopping center in [[Bursa, Turkey|Bursa]], [[Turkey]]
File:Big Temple-Temple.jpg|The granite [[gopuram|gopuram (tower)]] of [[Brihadeeswarar Temple]], 1010 CE.
File:Back view of Raja gopuram.jpg|The pyramidal structure above the sanctum at [[Brihadisvara Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram|Brihadisvara Temple]].
File:"Architecture of World Heritage Monument Airavatesvara Temple".JPG|Pyramid-structure inside [[Airavatesvara Temple]].
File:Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, dedicated to Vishnu, in Srirangam, near Tiruchirappali (24) (37254366620).jpg|[[Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam|Ranganathaswamy Temple gopurams at Srirangam]] dedicated to [[Ranganatha]], a reclining form of the [[Hindu deity]] Maha [[Vishnu]].
</gallery>
</gallery>


==See also==
==== Indonesia ====
[[File:Borobudur-Nothwest-view.jpg|thumb|right|[[Borobudur]], [[Central Java]], Indonesia]]
*[[Pyramid (geometry)]] for the pyramid as a 3-dimensional shape in geometry.
[[File:Candi Sukuh 2007.JPG|thumb|[[Candi Sukuh]] in [[Java]], Indonesia]]
*[[Pyramid (disambiguation)]] for other uses of the word pyramid.
[[Austronesian people|Austronesian]] [[megalithic]] culture in [[Indonesia]] featured earth and stone [[step pyramid]] structures called ''punden berundak.'' These were discovered in Pangguyangan near Cisolok<ref>{{cite web | title = Pangguyangan | work = Dinas Pariwisata dan Budaya Provinsi Jawa Barat | url = http://www.disparbud.jabarprov.go.id/wisata/dest-det.php?id=878&lang=id | language = id | access-date = 2017-05-17 | archive-date = 2019-12-24 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191224184236/http://www.disparbud.jabarprov.go.id/wisata/dest-det.php?id=878&lang=id | url-status = dead }}</ref> and in Cipari near Kuningan.<ref>{{cite book | title = Hasil Pemugaran dan Temuan Benda Cagar Budaya PJP I | author1 =I.G.N. Anom | author2 = Sri Sugiyanti | author3 = Hadniwati Hasibuan | editor1 = Maulana Ibrahim | editor2 = Samidi | publisher = Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan | year = 1996 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=BjXkCgAAQBAJ&q=Punden+Berundak+Cipari&pg=PA87 | page = 87 | language = id}}</ref> The stone pyramids were based on beliefs that mountains and high places were the abode for the spirit of the [[ancestors]].<ref>{{cite book | title = Sendratari mahakarya Borobudur | author = Timbul Haryono | publisher = Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia | year = 2011 | isbn = 9789799103338 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=I4hFie9yqtEC&q=Punden+Berundak+Borobudur&pg=PA14 | language = id | page = 14}}</ref>


The step pyramid is the basic design of the 8th century [[Borobudur]] Buddhist monument in [[Central Java]].<ref>{{cite book | title = Pengantar Sejarah Kebudayaan Indonesia 2 | author = R. Soekmono | publisher = Kanisius | year = 2002 | isbn = 9789794132906 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Ua_L2i3HgOIC&q=punden+berundak+borobudur&pg=PA87 | page = 87 | language = id }}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> However later Java temples were influenced by Indian [[Hindu architecture]], as exemplified by the spires of [[Prambanan]] temple. In the 15th century, during late [[Majapahit]] period, Java saw the revival of indigenous Austronesian elements as displayed by [[Candi Sukuh|Sukuh]] temple that somewhat resemble Mesoamerican pyramids, and also stepped pyramids of Mount Penanggungan.<ref>{{cite book | title = Candi Indonesia: Seri Jawa: Indonesian-English, Volume 1 dari Candi Indonesia, Indonesia. Direktorat Pelestarian Cagar Budaya dan Permuseuman, Seri Jawa | author1 = Edi Sedyawati | author2 = Hariani Santiko | author3 = Hasan Djafar | author4 = Ratnaesih Maulana | author5 = Wiwin Djuwita Sudjana Ramelan | author6 = Chaidir Ashari | publisher = Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan | year = 2013 | isbn = 9786021766934 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MsLiCQAAQBAJ&q=punden+berundak+candi&pg=PA344| author1-link = Edi Sedyawati }}</ref>
*[[Ziggurat]]
*[[Step pyramid]]
*[[Bosnian pyramid]]


==== East Asia, Southeast Asia and Central Asia ====
==Notes==
[[File:Dotō, Panoramic View 002.jpg|thumb|right|Dotō, Stupa of Ōno-dera Temple, [[Sakai]], [[Osaka Prefecture]], Japan]]
{{Reflist}}
In east Asia, Buddhist stupas were usually represented as tall [[pagodas]]. However, some pyramidal stupas survive. One theory is that these pyramids were inspired by the [[Borobudur]] monument through [[Sumatra]]n and Javanese monks.<ref name="Sakai">{{cite web |url=http://enlight.lib.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-MISC/misc168127.pdf |title=古代における塔型建築物の伝播 ボロブドゥールと奈良頭塔の関係について |access-date=7 March 2021 |archive-date=19 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919210146/http://enlight.lib.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-MISC/misc168127.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> A similar Buddhist monument survives in [[Vrang]], [[Tajikistan]].<ref name="Natgeo">{{cite magazine |first=Paul |last=Salopek |magazine=[[National Geographic Magazine]] |date=2 October 2017 |url=https://outofedenwalk.nationalgeographic.org:443/articles/2017-10-ruby-sellers-vrang/ |title=The Ruby Sellers of Vrang |access-date=7 March 2021 |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308223953/https://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/out-of-eden-walk/articles/2017-10-ruby-sellers-vrang/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Kumayama">{{cite magazine |first=Paul |last=Salopek |magazine=[[National Geographic Magazine]] |date=14 July 2015 |url=http://kiwarabi.html.xdomain.jp/vantokumarama.pdf |title=ブァン仏教遺跡と熊山遺跡の比較検討 |access-date=7 March 2021 |archive-date=15 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615090607/http://kiwarabi.html.xdomain.jp/vantokumarama.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> At least nine Buddhist step pyramids survive, 4 from former [[Gyeongsang Province]] of Korea, 3 from Japan, 1 from Indonesia (Borobudur) and 1 from [[Tajikistan]].<ref name="Sakai"/><ref name="Kumayama"/>

=== Oceania ===
Several pyramids were erected throughout the Pacific islands, such as [[Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site|Puʻukoholā Heiau]] in [[Hawaii]], the [[Pulemelei Mound]] in [[Samoa]], and [[Nan Madol]] in [[Pohnpei]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}[[File:Pu'ukohola_Heiau_temple2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site]], [[Hawaii]], United States.]]

==Modern pyramids==
{{Comparison of pyramids.svg|en|several}}
* Two pyramid-shaped tombs were erected in [[Maudlin's Cemetery]], Ireland, c. 1840, belonging to the [[De Burgh]] family.
* [[File:Louvre at dusk.JPG|thumb|[[Louvre Pyramid]] (Paris, France)]]The [[Louvre Pyramid]] in Paris, France, in the court of the [[Louvre]] Museum, is a 20.6 metre (about 70 foot) glass structure that acts as a museum entrance. It was designed by American architect [[I. M. Pei]] and completed in 1989. The [[Pyramide Inversée]] (Inverted Pyramid) is displayed in the underground Louvre shopping mall.
* The [[Tama-Re]] village was an Egyptian-themed set of buildings and monuments built near [[Eatonton, Georgia]] by [[Nuwaubian Nation|Nuwaubians]] in 1993 that was mostly demolished after it was sold in 2005.
* The [[Luxor Hotel]] in [[Las Vegas Strip|Las Vegas]], United States, is a 30-story pyramid.
* The 32-story [[Memphis Pyramid]] ([[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] was named after the [[Memphis, Egypt|Egyptian capital]] whose name [[Memphis, Egypt#Toponymy|was derived]] from the name of one of its pyramids). Built in 1991, it was the home court for the [[University of Memphis]] men's [[basketball]] program, and the [[National Basketball Association]]'s [[Memphis Grizzlies]] until 2004. It was not regularly used as a sports or entertainment venue after 2007, and in 2015 was re-purposed as a [[Bass Pro Shops]] megastore.
* The [[Walter Pyramid]], home of the basketball and [[volleyball]] teams of the [[California State University, Long Beach]], campus in [[California]], United States, is an 18-story-tall blue true pyramid.
[[File:SF Transamerica full CA.jpg|thumb|130px|[[Transamerica Pyramid]] in San Francisco, California]]
* The 48-story [[Transamerica Pyramid]] in San Francisco, California, designed by [[William Pereira]], is a city symbol.
* The 105-story [[Ryugyong Hotel]] is in [[Pyongyang]], North Korea.
* A former museum/monument in [[Tirana, Albania]] is commonly known as the "[[Pyramid of Tirana]]". It differs from typical pyramids in having a radial rather than square or rectangular shape, and gently sloped sides that make it short in comparison to the size of its base.
* The [[Slovak Radio Building]] in [[Bratislava]], [[Slovakia]] is an inverted pyramid.
* The [[Palace of Peace and Reconciliation]] is in [[Astana]], [[Kazakhstan]].
* The three pyramids of [[Moody Gardens]] are in [[Galveston]], [[Texas]].
* The Co-Op Bank Pyramid or [[Stockport Pyramid]] in [[Stockport]], England is a large pyramid-shaped [[office block]]. (The surrounding part of the valley of the upper [[Mersey]] has sometimes been called the "Kings Valley" after the Egypt's [[Valley of the Kings]].)
* The [[Ames Monument]] in southeastern [[Wyoming]] honors the brothers who financed the [[Union Pacific Railroad]].
* The [[Trylon and Perisphere|Trylon]], a triangular pyramid was erected for the [[1939 World's Fair]] in [[Flushing, Queens]] and demolished after the Fair closed.
* The [[Ballandean Pyramid]], at Ballandean in rural [[Queensland]] is a 15-metre [[folly]] pyramid made from blocks of local granite.
* The [[Karlsruhe Pyramid]] is a pyramid made of red sandstone, located in the centre of the market square of [[Karlsruhe]], Germany. It was erected in 1823–1825 over the vault of the city's founder, Margrave Charles III William (1679–1738).
* [[Muttart Conservatory]] greenhouses are in [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]].
[[File:Sunway Pyramid front.jpg|thumb|right|The Sunway Pyramid in [[Subang Jaya]] has an Egyptian-inspired pyramid with a lion-like [[sphinx]].]]
* [[Sunway Pyramid]] shopping mall is in [[Selangor]], [[Malaysia]].
* [[Hanoi Museum]] has an overall design of a reversed pyramid.
* The [[Ha! Ha! Pyramid]] by artist [[:fr:Jean-Jules Soucy|Jean-Jules Soucy]] in [[La Baie, Quebec]] is made out of 3,000 give way signs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://conspiration.ca/symb/pyram_baie_haha.html|title=La pyramide de la baies des HaHa: capteurs d'ondes telluriques|work=conspiration.ca|access-date=2010-10-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110307014449/http://conspiration.ca/symb/pyram_baie_haha.html|archive-date=2011-03-07|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* The {{Ill|Pyramid (Kazan)|lt=Pyramid|ru|Пирамида (Казань)}} culture-entertainment complex and {{Ill|Monument of the Kazan siege|ru|Храм-памятник воинам, павшим при взятии Казани в 1552 году}} is in [[Kazan]], Russia.
* The [[Time pyramid]] in [[Wemding]], Germany is a pyramid begun in 1993 and scheduled for completion in the year 3183.<ref name="Conception" >[http://www.zeitpyramide.de/ Conception] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719115509/http://www.zeitpyramide.de/ |date=2011-07-19 }} Official ''Zeitpyramide'' website, accessed: 14 December 2010</ref>
* [[Triangle (Paris building)|Triangle]] is a proposed skyscraper in Paris.
* The [[Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid]] is a proposed project for construction of a massive pyramid over [[Tokyo Bay]] in Japan.
* The [[Donkin Memorial]] was erected on a [[Xhosa people|Xhosa]] reserve in 1820 by Cape Governor Sir [[Rufane Shaw Donkin]] in memory of his late wife Elizabeth, in [[Port Elizabeth]], South Africa. The pyramid is used in many different coats-of-arms associated with Port Elizabeth.
[[File:MAM Caracas.jpg|thumb|[[Oscar Niemeyer]]'s design for a museum in [[Caracas]]]]
*
{{Clear}}<gallery mode="packed">
File:Stockport Pyramid.jpg|Stockport Pyramid in [[Stockport]], United Kingdom
File:Karlsruhe Pyramide Winter Nacht 01.JPG|[[Karlsruhe Pyramid]], Germany
File:Hanoi Museum 01a.JPG|[[Hanoi Museum]] in [[Vietnam]] features an inverted pyramid shape.
File:Upside down Pyramid, Bratislava 02.jpg|[[Slovak Radio Building]], [[Bratislava]], [[Slovakia]].
File:Architektura kazan.JPG|"Pyramid" culture-entertainment complex in [[Kazan]], Russia.
File:Luxor Hotel.jpg|[[Luxor Hotel]] in [[Las Vegas Strip|Las Vegas, Nevada]]
File:Pyramid Arena.jpg|[[Pyramid Arena]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], Tennessee
File:Walter Pyramid.jpg|[[Walter Pyramid]] in [[Long Beach, California]]
</gallery>

=== Modern mausoleums ===
[[File:MetCemBrunswigPyramid1.jpg|thumb|Metairie Cemetery, [[New Orleans]]]]
With the [[Egyptian Revival]] movement in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, pyramids became more common in funerary architecture. The tomb of [[Quintino Sella]], outside the monumental cemetery of [[Oropa]], is pyramid-shaped.<ref>{{cite web |author=Luisa Bocchietto, Mario Coda and Carlo Gavazzi |title=THE OTHER OROPA: A Guide to the Monumental Cemetery of the Sanctuary |url=http://www.santuariodioropa.it/db/images/pdf/guida_cimitero_monumentale_en.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517152603/http://www.santuariodioropa.it/db/images/pdf/guida_cimitero_monumentale_en.pdf |archive-date=2014-05-17 |access-date=2013-06-21 }}</ref> This style was popular with [[tycoon]]s in the US. The [[Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum]] (1889) in [[Chicago]] and [[Hunt's Tomb]] (1930) in [[Phoenix, Arizona]] are notable examples. Some people build pyramid tombs for themselves. [[Nicolas Cage]] bought a pyramid tomb for himself in a famed [[New Orleans]] graveyard.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nicolas Cage's Pyramid Tomb |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/nicolas-cage-s-pyramid-tomb |website=Atlasobscura.com |access-date=18 June 2019 |archive-date=12 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512000322/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/nicolas-cage-s-pyramid-tomb |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of largest monoliths]]
* [[Lists of pyramids]]
* [[List of pyramid mausoleums in North America]]
* [[Mound]]
* [[Pyramid power]]
* [[Stupa]]
* [[Triadic pyramid]]
* [[Tumulus]] (burial mound)


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Pyramids}}
{{Commons category|Pyramids}}
{{Wikivoyage|Pyramids}}
* Patricia Blackwell Gary and Richard Talcott, "Stargazing in Ancient Egypt," ''[[Astronomy (magazine)|Astronomy]]'', June 2006, pp.&nbsp;62–67.

* Fagan, Garrett. "Archaeological Fantasies." RoutledgeFalmer. 2006
{{Mathematics and art}}
<!-- need to be checked -->
{{Prehistoric technology}}

{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Pyramids| ]]
[[Category:Pyramids| ]]
[[Category:Monument types]]
[[Category:Types of monuments and memorials]]
[[Category:Geometric shapes]]
[[Category:Greek loanwords]]


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[[an:Piramide (arquiteutura)]]
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[[ta:பிரமிட்டு]]
[[te:పిరమిడ్]]
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[[tr:Piramit]]
[[uk:Піраміда (споруда)]]
[[vi:Kim tự tháp]]
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[[yi:פיראמיד]]
[[zh-yue:金字塔]]
[[zh:金字塔]]

Latest revision as of 08:39, 17 December 2024

Pyramid of Khafre, Egypt, built c. 2600 BC

A pyramid (from Ancient Greek πυραμίς (puramís) 'pyramid')[1][2] is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as triangular or quadrilateral, and its lines either filled or stepped.

A pyramid has the majority of its mass closer to the ground[3] with less mass towards the pyramidion at the apex. This is due to the gradual decrease in the cross-sectional area along the vertical axis with increasing elevation. This offers a weight distribution that allowed early civilizations to create monumental structures.

Prasat Thom temple at Koh Ker, Cambodia

Civilizations in many parts of the world have built pyramids. The largest pyramid by volume is the Mesoamerican Great Pyramid of Cholula, in the Mexican state of Puebla. For millennia, the largest structures on Earth were pyramids—first the Red Pyramid in the Dashur Necropolis and then the Great Pyramid of Khufu, both in Egypt—the latter is the only extant example of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Ancient monuments

[edit]

West Asia

[edit]

Mesopotamia

[edit]
Anu ziggurat and White Temple at Uruk
Chogha Zanbil is an ancient Elamite complex in the Khuzestan province of Iran.

The Mesopotamians built the earliest pyramidal structures, called ziggurats. In ancient times, these were brightly painted in gold/bronze. They were constructed of sun-dried mud-brick, and little remains of them. Ziggurats were built by the Sumerians, Babylonians, Elamites, Akkadians, and Assyrians. Each ziggurat was part of a temple complex that included other buildings. The ziggurat's precursors were raised platforms that date from the Ubaid period[4] of the fourth millennium BC.

The earliest ziggurats began near the end of the Early Dynastic Period.[5] The original pyramidal structure, the anu ziggurat, dates to around 4000 BC. The White Temple was built on top of it circa 3500 BC.[6] Built in receding tiers upon a rectangular, oval, or square platform, the ziggurat was a pyramidal structure with a flat top. Sun-baked bricks made up the core of the ziggurat with facings of fired bricks on the outside. The facings were often glazed in different colors and may have had astrological significance. Kings sometimes had their names engraved on them. The number of tiers ranged from two to seven. It is assumed that they had shrines at the top, but no archaeological evidence supports this and the only textual evidence is from Herodotus.[7] Access to the shrine would have been by a series of ramps on one side of the ziggurat or by a spiral ramp from base to summit.

Africa

[edit]

Egypt

[edit]
The pyramids of the Giza necropolis, as seen from the air

The most famous African pyramids are in Egypt — huge structures built of bricks or stones, primarily limestone, some of which are among the world's largest constructions. They are shaped in reference to the sun's rays. Most had a smoothed white limestone surface. Many of the facing stones have fallen or were removed and used for construction in Cairo.[8] The capstone was usually made of limestone, granite or basalt and some were plated with electrum.[9]

Ancient Egyptians built pyramids from 2700 BC until around 1700 BC. The first pyramid was erected during the Third Dynasty by the Pharaoh Djoser and his architect Imhotep. This step pyramid consisted of six stacked mastabas.[10][11] Early kings such as Snefru built pyramids, with subsequent kings adding to the number until the end of the Middle Kingdom. The age of the pyramids reached its zenith at Giza in 2575–2150 BC.[12] The last king to build royal pyramids was Ahmose,[13] with later kings hiding their tombs in the hills, such as those in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor's West Bank.[14] In Medinat Habu and Deir el-Medina, smaller pyramids were built by individuals. Smaller pyramids with steeper sides were built by the Nubians who ruled Egypt in the Late Period.[15]

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest in Egypt and one of the largest in the world. At 146.6 metres (481 ft) it was the tallest structure in the world until the Lincoln Cathedral was finished in 1311 AD. Its base covers an area of around 53,000 square metres (570,000 sq ft). The Great Pyramid is the only extant one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Ancient Egyptian pyramids were, in most cases, placed west of the river Nile because the divine pharaoh's soul was meant to join with the sun during its descent before continuing with the sun in its eternal round.[9] As of 2008, some 135 pyramids had been discovered in Egypt,[16][17] most located near Cairo.[18]

Sudan

[edit]
Pyramids at Meroe with pylon-like entrances
Nubian pyramids at archaeological sites of the Island of Meroe

While African pyramids are commonly associated with Egypt, Sudan has 220 extant pyramids, the most in the world.[19] Nubian pyramids were constructed (roughly 240 of them) at three sites in Sudan to serve as tombs for the kings and queens of Napata and Meroë. The pyramids of Kush, also known as Nubian Pyramids, have different characteristics than those of Egypt. The Nubian pyramids had steeper sides than the Egyptian ones. Pyramids were built in Sudan as late as 200 AD.

Sahel

[edit]

The Tomb of Askia, in Gao, Mali, is believed to be the burial place of Askia Mohammad I, one of the Songhai Empire's most prolific emperors. It was built at the end of the fifteenth century and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

UNESCO describes the tomb as an example of the monumental mud-building traditions of the West African Sahel. The complex includes the pyramidal tomb, two mosques, a cemetery and an assembly ground. At 17 metres (56 ft) in height it is the largest pre-colonial architectural monument in Gao. It is a notable example of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style that later spread throughout the region.

Nigeria

[edit]

One of the unique structures of Igbo culture was the Nsude pyramids, in the Nigerian town of Nsude, northern Igboland. Ten pyramidal structures were built of clay/mud. The first base section was 60 ft (18 m) in circumference and 3 ft (0.9 m) in height. The next stack was 45 ft (14 m) in circumference. Circular stacks continued to the top. The structures were temples for the god Ala, who was believed to reside there. A stick was placed at the top to represent the god's residence. The structures were laid in groups of five parallel to each other. Because it was built of clay/mud like the Deffufa of Nubia, over time periodic reconstruction has been required.[20]

Europe

[edit]

Greece

[edit]
Pyramid of Hellinikon

Pausanias (2nd century AD) mentions two buildings resembling pyramids, one, 19 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of a still standing structure at Hellenikon,[21] a common tomb for soldiers who died in a legendary struggle for the throne of Argos and another that he was told was the tomb of Argives killed in a battle around 669/8 BC. Neither survives and no evidence indicates that they resembled Egyptian pyramids.

At least two surviving pyramid-like structures are available to study, one at Hellenikon and the other at Ligourio/Ligurio, a village near the ancient theatre Epidaurus. These buildings have inwardly sloping walls, but bear no other resemblance to Egyptian pyramids. They had large central rooms (unlike Egyptian pyramids) and the Hellenikon structure is rectangular rather than square, 12.5 by 14 metres (41 by 46 ft) which means that the sides could not have met at a point.[22] The stone used to build these structures was limestone quarried locally and was cut to fit, not into freestanding blocks like the Great Pyramid of Giza.[citation needed]

These structures were dated from pot shards excavated from the floor and grounds. The latest estimates are around the 5th and 4th centuries. Normally this technique is used for dating pottery, but researchers used it to try to date stone flakes from the structure walls. This launched debate about whether or not these structures are actually older than Egypt, part of the Black Athena controversy.[23]

Lefkowitz criticised this research, suggesting that some of the research was done not to determine the reliability of the dating method, as was suggested, but to back up a claim and to make points about pyramids and Greek civilization. She claimed that not only were the results imprecise, but that other structures mentioned in the research are not in fact pyramids, e.g. a tomb alleged to be the tomb of Amphion and Zethus near Thebes, a structure at Stylidha (Thessaly) which is a long wall, etc. She pushed the possibility that the stones that were dated might have been recycled from earlier constructions. She claimed that earlier research from the 1930s, confirmed in the 1980s by Fracchia, was ignored.[24]

Liritzis responded that Lefkowitz failed to understand and misinterpreted the methodology.[25]

Spain

[edit]
Pyramids of Güímar, Tenerife, Spain

The Pyramids of Güímar refer to six rectangular pyramid-shaped, terraced structures, built from lava without mortar. They are located in the district of Chacona, part of the town of Güímar on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The structures were dated to the 19th century and their function explained as a byproduct of contemporary agricultural techniques.

Autochthonous Guanche traditions as well as surviving images indicate that similar structures (also known as, "Morras", "Majanos", "Molleros", or "Paredones") were built in many locations on the island.[citation needed] However, over time they were dismantled and used as building material. Güímar hostred nine pyramids, only six of which survive.

Roman Empire

[edit]
Pyramid of Cestius in Rome, Italy

The 27-metre-high Pyramid of Cestius was built by the end of the 1st century BC and survives close to the Porta San Paolo. Another, named Meta Romuli, stood in the Ager Vaticanus (today's Borgo), but was destroyed at the end of the 15th century.[26]

Medieval Europe

[edit]

Pyramids were occasionally used in Christian architecture during the feudal era, e.g. as the tower of Oviedo's Gothic Cathedral of San Salvador.

Americas

[edit]
Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacan, built between 100 and 450 AD

Peru

[edit]

Andean cultures used pyramids in various architectural structures such as the ones in Caral, Túcume and Chavín de Huantar, constructed around the same time as early Egyptian pyramids.

Mesoamerica

[edit]
El Castillo at Chichen Itza

Several Mesoamerican cultures built pyramid-shaped structures. Mesoamerican pyramids were usually stepped, with temples on top, more similar to the Mesopotamian ziggurat than the Egyptian pyramid.

The largest by volume is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, in the Mexican state of Puebla. Constructed from the 3rd century BC to the 9th century AD, this pyramid is the world's largest monument, and is still not fully excavated. The third largest pyramid in the world, the Pyramid of the Sun, at Teotihuacan, is also located in Mexico. An unusual pyramid with a circular plan survives at the site of Cuicuilco, now inside Mexico City and mostly covered with lava from an eruption of the Xitle Volcano in the 1st century BC. Several circular stepped pyramids called Guachimontones survive in Teuchitlán, Jalisco.

Pyramids in Mexico were often used for human sacrifice. Harner stated that for the dedication of the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan in 1487, "one source states 20,000, another 72,344, and several give 80,400" as the number of humans sacrificed.[27]

United States

[edit]
A diagram showing the various components of Eastern North American platform mounds
Monks Mound, Cahokia

Many pre-Columbian Native American societies of ancient North America built large pyramidal earth structures known as platform mounds. Among the largest and best-known of these structures is Monks Mound at the site of Cahokia in what became Illinois, completed around 1100 AD. It has a base larger than that of the Great Pyramid. Many mounds underwent repeated episodes of expansion. They are believed to have played a central role in the mound-building peoples' religious life. Documented uses include semi-public chief's house platforms, public temple platforms, mortuary platforms, charnel house platforms, earth lodge/town house platforms, residence platforms, square ground and rotunda platforms, and dance platforms.[28][29][30] Cultures that built substructure mounds include the Troyville culture, Coles Creek culture, Plaquemine culture and Mississippian cultures.

Asia

[edit]
Ancient Korean tomb in Ji'an, Northeastern China
Shaohao Tomb, Qufu, China

Many square flat-topped mound tombs in China. The first emperor Qin Shi Huang (c. 221 BC, who unified the seven pre-imperial kingdoms) was buried under a large mound outside modern-day Xi'an. In the following centuries about a dozen more Han dynasty royal persons were also buried under flat-topped pyramidal earthworks.[citation needed]

India

[edit]

Numerous giant, granite, temple pyramids were built in South India during the Chola Empire, many of which remain in use. Examples include Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. However, the largest temple (area) is the Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. The Thanjavur temple was built by Raja Raja Chola in the 11th century. The Brihadisvara Temple was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987; the Temple of Gangaikondacholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram were added in 2004.[31]

Indonesia

[edit]
Borobudur, Central Java, Indonesia
Candi Sukuh in Java, Indonesia

Austronesian megalithic culture in Indonesia featured earth and stone step pyramid structures called punden berundak. These were discovered in Pangguyangan near Cisolok[32] and in Cipari near Kuningan.[33] The stone pyramids were based on beliefs that mountains and high places were the abode for the spirit of the ancestors.[34]

The step pyramid is the basic design of the 8th century Borobudur Buddhist monument in Central Java.[35] However later Java temples were influenced by Indian Hindu architecture, as exemplified by the spires of Prambanan temple. In the 15th century, during late Majapahit period, Java saw the revival of indigenous Austronesian elements as displayed by Sukuh temple that somewhat resemble Mesoamerican pyramids, and also stepped pyramids of Mount Penanggungan.[36]

East Asia, Southeast Asia and Central Asia

[edit]
Dotō, Stupa of Ōno-dera Temple, Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan

In east Asia, Buddhist stupas were usually represented as tall pagodas. However, some pyramidal stupas survive. One theory is that these pyramids were inspired by the Borobudur monument through Sumatran and Javanese monks.[37] A similar Buddhist monument survives in Vrang, Tajikistan.[38][39] At least nine Buddhist step pyramids survive, 4 from former Gyeongsang Province of Korea, 3 from Japan, 1 from Indonesia (Borobudur) and 1 from Tajikistan.[37][39]

Oceania

[edit]

Several pyramids were erected throughout the Pacific islands, such as Puʻukoholā Heiau in Hawaii, the Pulemelei Mound in Samoa, and Nan Madol in Pohnpei.[citation needed]

Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, Hawaii, United States.

Modern pyramids

[edit]
Outlines of various pyramids overlaid on top of on another to show relative height
Comparison of approximate profiles of several notable pyramidal or near-pyramidal buildings. Dotted lines indicate original heights, where data is available. In its SVG file, hover over a pyramid to highlight and click for its article.
Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, California
The Sunway Pyramid in Subang Jaya has an Egyptian-inspired pyramid with a lion-like sphinx.
Oscar Niemeyer's design for a museum in Caracas

Modern mausoleums

[edit]
Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans

With the Egyptian Revival movement in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, pyramids became more common in funerary architecture. The tomb of Quintino Sella, outside the monumental cemetery of Oropa, is pyramid-shaped.[42] This style was popular with tycoons in the US. The Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum (1889) in Chicago and Hunt's Tomb (1930) in Phoenix, Arizona are notable examples. Some people build pyramid tombs for themselves. Nicolas Cage bought a pyramid tomb for himself in a famed New Orleans graveyard.[43]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ πυραμίς Archived 2021-07-09 at the Wayback Machine, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
  2. ^ The word meant "a kind of cake of roasted wheat-grains preserved in honey"; the Egyptian pyramids were named after its form (R. S. P. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2009, p. 1261).
  3. ^ Centre of volume is one quarter of the way up—see Centre of mass.
  4. ^ Crawford, page 73[citation not found]
  5. ^ Crawford, page 73-74[citation not found]
  6. ^ Crüsemann, Nicola; Ess, Margarete van; Hilgert, Markus; Salje, Beate; Potts, Timothy (2019). Uruk: First City of the Ancient World. Getty Publications. p. 325. ISBN 978-1-60606-444-3.
  7. ^ Crawford, page 85[citation not found]
  8. ^ Viegas, Jennifer (28 April 2008). "Pyramids packed with fossil shells". ABC Science. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  9. ^ a b Redford, Donald B.; McCauley, Marissa (15 April 2014). "How were the Egyptian pyramids built?". Research. The Pennsylvania State University. Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  10. ^ Lehner, Mark (25 March 2008). Mark Lehner (2008). The Complete Pyramids: Solving the Ancient Mysteries. pp. 14–15, 84. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-28547-3.
  11. ^ Davidovits, Joseph (20 May 2008). They Built the Pyramids. Geopolymer Institute. p. 206. ISBN 978-2-9514820-2-9.
  12. ^ "Egypt Pyramids-Time Line". National Geographic. 17 October 2002. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  13. ^ Filer, Joyce (16 January 2006). Pyramids. Oxford University Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-19-530521-0.
  14. ^ Fodor's (15 March 2011). Fodor's Egypt, 4th Edition. Random House Digital, Inc. pp. 249–250. ISBN 978-1-4000-0519-2.
  15. ^ Harpur, James (1997). Pyramid. Barnes & Noble Books. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-7607-0215-4.
  16. ^ Slackman, Michael (17 November 2008). "In the Shadow of a Long Past, Patiently Awaiting the Future". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  17. ^ Lehner, Mark (25 March 2008). Mark Lehner (2008). The Complete Pyramids: Solving the Ancient Mysteries. p. 34. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-28547-3.
  18. ^ Filer, Joyce (16 January 2006). Pyramids. Oxford University Press. pp. 38–39. ISBN 978-0-19-530521-0.
  19. ^ Pollard, Lawrence (9 September 2004). "Sudan's past uncovered". BBC News. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  20. ^ Basden, G. S(1966). Among the Ibos of Nigeria, 1912. Psychology Press: p. 109, ISBN 0-7146-1633-8
  21. ^ Mary Lefkowitz (2006). "Archaeology and the politics of origins". In Garrett G. Fagan (ed.). Archaeological Fantasies: How Pseudoarchaeology Misrepresents the Past and Misleads the Public. Routledge. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-415-30593-8.
  22. ^ Mary Lefkowitz (2006). "Archaeology and the politics of origins". In Garrett G. Fagan (ed.). Archaeological Fantasies: How Pseudoarchaeology Misrepresents the Past and Misleads the Public. Routledge. pp. 189–190. ISBN 978-0-415-30593-8.
  23. ^ Mary Lefkowitz (2006). "Archaeology and the politics of origins". In Garrett G. Fagan (ed.). Archaeological Fantasies: How Pseudoarchaeology Misrepresents the Past and Misleads the Public. Routledge. pp. 185–186. ISBN 978-0-415-30593-8.
  24. ^ Mary Lefkowitz (2006). "Archaeology and the politics of origins". In Garrett G. Fagan (ed.). Archaeological Fantasies: How Pseudoarchaeology Misrepresents the Past and Misleads the Public. Routledge. p. 195. ISBN 978-0-415-30593-8.
  25. ^ Liritzis, Ioannis (1 September 2011). "Surface dating by luminescence: An overview". Geochronometria. 38 (3): 292–302. Bibcode:2011Gchrm..38..292L. doi:10.2478/s13386-011-0032-7. ISSN 1733-8387.
  26. ^ Lacovara, Peter (2018). "Pyramids and Obelisks Beyond Egypt". Aegyptiaca (2): 124–129. doi:10.11588/aegyp.2018.2.48018. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  27. ^ "The Enigma of Aztec Sacrifice Archived 2017-05-19 at the Wayback Machine". Natural History, April 1977. Vol. 86, No. 4, pages 46–51.
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