A pyramid is a monumental structure, typically with a square base and four triangular sides meeting at the point on the top. Pyramids are mainly associated with ancient Egypt, where they were built as tombs for kings.

Ancient Egypt united into one vast kingdom around 3100 BCE. Kings depicted themselves as offsprings of gods and became known as pharaohs.¹ Their strength and authority over the kingdom grew, enabling them to use the rich resources of the land by building remarkable structures, most notably astounding stone pyramids.

Death in ancient Egypt was particularly important in religions, and early pharaohs were buried in carefully designed tombs called mastabas, small rectangular structures made mainly of mud bricks. No one knew what the afterlife would be like, so mastabas had many rooms where the deceased could spend his or her time. In one room, people still alive could provide food, drink, and games for the dead.

As the authority of pharaohs grew, so did the width and length of their tombs until the reign of King Djoser. Instead of becoming a low mastaba, the tomb for King Djoser developed into something far more ambitious. Architected by Imhotep, perhaps the first known genius, it was built solely from stone, and tomb after tomb, each a bit smaller than the previous one, was added on top of the structure. Completed around 2650 BCE, it had six layers and reached up to sixty meters, forming the very first Egyptian pyramid.

More pyramids were built within the following few hundred years, a period known as the Old Kingdom. Since farming took only one-third of the year, thousands of agricultural workers could be deployed for construction projects that could take even tens of years. Millions of stones weighing many tons each sailed across the Nile to the building sites. Pyramids got larger, and unlike the Step Pyramid of King Djoser, they had straight sides.

Less than a hundred years from the first pyramid, the largest was built for Khufu (Cheops in Greek) in Giza. The Great Pyramid became 147 metres in height, with sides measuring 230 metres each. It is the heaviest structure ever built on our planet (approximately 6.5 million tonnes), and estimates suggest that 10,000 workers made it within twenty years from 2.3 million blocks of stone. It remained the tallest building on Earth for almost 4,000 years until the central spire of Lincoln Cathedral in England was completed in 1311 CE.

Fewer and fewer pyramids were built after the Old Kingdom, and they got smaller. Perhaps the authority of kings decreased, or resources were used for other purposes, such as empire-building. Instead, underground tombs became common, such as those built in the Valley of the Kings, whether or not the most famous necropolis in the world.

¹ The word pharaoh means “great house” and refers to the palace where the rulers of Ancient Egypt resided. It was not until around 1500 BCE onwards that the kings became known as pharaohs as well; before that, they were called kings.

Bibliography

DK, 2021. Ancient Egypt the Definitive Visual History. London, United Kingdom: Penguin Random House. 320 p. ISBN 9780241446867. Pages 19, 48, 54-57, 62-67, 72-73, 98, 160.

Potter, W. 2023. Homo Sapiens the History of Humanity And the Development of Civilization. London, United Kingdom: Arcturus Publishing Limited. 256 p. ISBN 9781788280914. Pages 60-61.

Hughes, B. 2024. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. London, United Kingdom: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 380 p. ISBN 9781474610339. Pages 13-32.

Riggs, C. 2022. Egypt. London, United Kingdom: Reaktion Books. 216 p. ISBN 9781789145878. Pages 48-50.

Smil, V. 2018. Energy and Civilization a History. Cambridge, United States. MIT Press. 552 p. ISBN 9780262536165. Pages 199-203.

Lascelles, C. 2019. A Short History of the World. Surrey, United Kingdom: Crux Publishing. 263 p. ISBN 9781909979222. Pages 11-12.

Davidson, P. 2018. Atlas of empires. London, United Kingdom: CompanionHouse Books. 240 p. ISBN 9781620082874. Page 19.

Next Story

2300 BCE
The first empire arises

An empire is a collection of states, each with distinct peoples and cultures, and under the sway of a core state. The first empire arose in the Near East when Sargon the Great conquered not only the whole of ancient Mesopotamia but also large areas outside, his empire stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean. Sargon became a role model for many future kings who sought to subjugate ever more people under their rule, and during the past 2,500 years, most humans have lived their lives in empires.

Previous Story

3000 BCE
Money makes trading easier

Money is a medium of exchange, such as coins and notes. Once people got good enough at farming, surplus came into being, and not all had to grow their own food. Some could start to practice skills they were good at and become, for example, artisans, soldiers, and priests. In the process, economies became more complex, and money was invented to help people trade goods and services instead of making barter and reciprocal favours.