The first Egyptian pyramids. The most famous pyramids of ancient Egypt

Pyramids of Ancient Egypt for more than one millennium they have been admiring, surprising, exciting the imagination. Heated disputes do not subside about when his ancient pyramids were built in Egypt, who built them, and why they were built. Each arguing party has its own weighty arguments. This article provides a largely undisputed official point of view on these issues.

History of the Pyramids of Egypt

The history of the pyramids of Egypt from the construction of the first pyramid of Ancient Egypt - the step pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser. It was built in Saqqara around 2600 BC. This was the pharaoh of the third dynasty.

Before him, the tombs of the pharaohs were built from dried bricks. Subsequently, they received the name - mastaba. This mastaba was also built for Djoser.

But the pharaoh did not use this tomb, and together with his most talented architect Imhotep undertook a grandiose construction of a mastaba in Saqqara, which is now called the pyramid of Djoser or the "step pyramid". Above this lower mastaba, five more mastabas were built, each smaller and smaller. Construction took place in six stages, according to the number of steps. The base of the pyramid as a result of the add-ons reached the size of 125x115 meters, and the height - 61 meters (the height of a modern twenty-story building).

Here, for the first time, not burnt brick, but stone was used as a building material. The Pyramid of Djoser is considered the world's first stone architectural structure.

Undoubtedly, these small pyramids that adorned the upper part of the tomb were associated with the cult of the sun god. On the eastern slope of the pyramid, a small niche was arranged, in which there was a cult statue of the inhabitant of the tomb. She looks towards the rising sun. Above the burial chamber, carved into the rock, there was a small courtyard. It was surrounded by a stone wall. In its western part, a small chapel was built in the form of a terrace with columns. Above all this towered a small pyramid with a base of 3X3 m, a height of 4 m. The angle of inclination to the horizon plane was much more vertical than that of the huge pyramids of the Ancient and Middle Kingdom, it reached 68 °.

The pyramids were revived in the VIII-VII centuries BC. e., but not in Egypt, but on the territory of the Nubian kingdom of Napata and in the 4th century BC. e. in Meroe. None of these pyramids had a base length of more than 12-13 m and a height of more than 15-16 m. They were built mainly of stone, only the latest ones were built of bricks.

The magic of the mysterious countries still exists. Palm trees sway in the warm breeze, the Nile sails through the desert surrounded by a green valley, the sun illuminates the temple of Karnak and the mysterious pyramids of Egypt, and bright schools of fish flicker in the Red Sea.

Funerary culture of ancient Egypt

Pyramids are called grandiose structures in the form of a regular geometric polyhedron. In the construction of funerary buildings or mastabas, this form, according to Egyptologists, began to be used because of the similarity with a funeral cake. If you ask how many pyramids there are in Egypt, you can hear the answer that to date, about 120 buildings have been found and described, which are located in different areas along the banks of the Nile.

The first mastabas can be seen in Saqqara, Upper Egypt, Memphis, Abusir, El-Lahun, Giza, Khawara, Abu Rawash, Meidum. They were built from clay bricks with river silt - adobe, in a traditional architectural form. The pyramid housed a prayer room and a funeral "dowry" for traveling in the afterlife. The underground part kept the remains. The pyramids had a different appearance. They evolved from a stepped to a true, geometrically correct form.

The evolution of the shape of the pyramids

Tourists are often interested in how to see all the pyramids of Egypt, in which city they are located. There are many such places. For example, Meiduma is the most mysterious point, where the oldest of all the great funerary buildings are located. When Sneferu came to the throne (circa 2575 BC), Saqqara had the only large royal pyramid of Djoser completely completed.

ancient locals called it "el-haram-el-kaddab", which means "false pyramid". Because of its shape, it has attracted the attention of travelers since the Middle Ages.

The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara is known as the earliest form of burial structure in Egypt. Its appearance is attributed to the period of the third dynasty. Narrowing passages from the north lead to the burial chamber. Underground galleries surround the pyramid from all sides except the south. This is the only completed building with huge steps that were lined with stone. But her form was different from the ideal. The first regular pyramids appeared at the beginning of the reign of the 4th dynasty of the pharaohs. The true form arose as a result of the natural development and improvement of the architectural design of the stepped building. The structure of a real pyramid is almost the same. Building blocks were stacked to the required shapes and sizes of the object, and then they were finished with limestone or stone.

Pyramids of Dahshur

Dahshur shapes southern region necropolis in Memphis and contains a number of pyramidal complexes and monuments. Dahshur has only recently been opened to the public. In the valley of the Nile, south of Cairo, alone on the edge of the Western Desert, above the lush green fields at Meidum, is a remarkable area where one can see the transition from a stepped to a regular pyramid shape. The transformation took place during the change of the third dynasty of the pharaohs to the fourth. During the reign of the 3rd dynasty, Pharaoh Huni organized the construction of the first regular pyramid in Egypt, where the stepped structures from Meidum are located as a base for construction. The burial structure was intended for the son of Huni, the first pharaoh of the fourth dynasty, Sneferu (2613-2589 BC). The heir completed work on the pyramids of his father, then built his own - stepped. But the construction plans of the pharaoh were curtailed, as the construction did not go according to plan. Reducing the angle of the lateral plane led to a diamond-shaped curved silhouette. This construction is called broken pyramid but it still has intact outer shells.

The oldest pyramids in Saqqara

Saqqara is one of the huge necropolises ancient city which is known today as Memphis. The ancient Egyptians called this place "White Walls". The pyramids of Egypt in Saqqara are represented by the first oldest step pyramid of Djoser. It was here that the history of the construction of these funerary structures began. In Saqqara they found the first inscription on the walls, known as the Pyramid Texts. The architect of these projects is called Imhotep, who invented hewn stone masonry. Thanks to construction developments, the ancient architect was ranked among the deities. Imhotep is considered the son of Ptah, the patron of crafts. Saqqara is home to many tombs belonging to important ancient Egyptian officials.

The true gem is the great pyramids of Egypt in the Sneferu complex. Feeling dissatisfied with the Bent Pyramid, which did not allow him to worthily go to heaven, he began construction about two kilometers to the north. It was famous pink pyramid, so named because of the red limestone used in construction. This is one of oldest buildings in Egypt, which is created in the correct form. It has a tilt angle of 43 degrees and is the second largest, second only to the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was built by the son of Sneferu in Khufu. In fact, the Great Pyramid is only 10 meters from the Rose. Other major monuments in Dahshur date from the 12th and 13th dynasties and are not comparable in scale to the work of Huni and Sneferu.

Late pyramids at the Sneferu complex

There are later pyramids in Meidum. in Egypt, where they are white pyramid Amenemhat II, the Black Amenemhat III and the building of Senusret III, dominated by smaller funerary monuments for minor rulers, nobles and officials.

They tell of a fairly stable and peaceful period in the history of Egypt. Interestingly, the Black Pyramid and the structure of Senusret III were built not of stone, but of brick. Why this material was used is unknown, but in those days new construction methods penetrated into Egypt from other countries, thanks to trade and international relations. Unfortunately, although brick was much easier to work with than multi-ton granite blocks, the material did not stand the test of time. Although the Black Pyramid is fairly well preserved, the White Pyramid is badly damaged. Tourists, who are little aware of the huge number of pyramidal burials, have a misunderstanding. They ask: "Where are the pyramids in Egypt?" While everyone knows about the great burial structures of Egypt, there are many less significant examples of such structures. Scattered along the Nile from Celia on the edge of the oasis to the island of Elephantine in Aswan, in the village of Naga el-Khalifa, about five miles south of Abydos, in the city of Minya and many other unexplored places.

Giza pyramids and necropolis

For all tourists who come to Egypt, an excursion to the pyramids becomes almost a ritual. The buildings of Giza are the only surviving of the seven wonders. Ancient World and the most famous sights. This sacred place impresses with antiquity, the scope of the necropolis, the unreality of buildings and the Great Sphinx. The secrets of the construction and supposed symbolism of the pyramids of Giza only add to the appeal of these ancient wonders. Many modern people Giza is still considered a spiritual place. A number of fascinating theories have been proposed to explain the "mystery of the pyramids". The author of the project of the Great Pyramid in Egypt is called the adviser of Cheops and his relative - Hemiun. Giza is the most important site on earth for many researchers who are trying to unravel the geometric perfection of burial structures in ancient sources. But even big skeptics are in awe of ancient times, scope and absolute harmony of the pyramids of Giza.

History of the Pyramids of Giza

Located on the west bank of the Nile River, about 12 miles southwest of downtown Cairo, Giza (el-Gizah in Arabic) is the third largest city in Egypt with a population of almost 3 million. This is a famous necropolis on the Giza plateau, which houses the most popular monuments in Egypt. The Great Pyramids of Giza were built in 2500 BC for the burial places of the pharaohs. Together they make up the only ancient wonder of the world still in existence today. Many tourists are attracted by Egypt (Hurghada). They can see the pyramids of Giza in half an hour, which will be required on the road. You can admire this wonderful ancient sacred place to your heart's content.

great pyramid Khufu, or Cheops, as the Greeks called it (it is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in Giza), and the necropolis bordering Cairo, have remained virtually untouched by time. It is believed that the pyramid was built as a tomb for the fourth dynasty of the Egyptian pharaohs Khufu. The Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years. Initially, it was covered with facing stones, which created a smooth outer surface. Some of them can be seen around the base and at the very top. There are various scientific and alternative theories about how the pyramids of Ancient Egypt were built, and about the construction methods of the Great One itself. Most of the accepted construction theories are based on the idea that it was built by moving huge stones from the quarry and lifting them into place. It occupies an area of ​​just over 5 hectares. The original height was 146 m in height, but the pyramid is still impressive at 137 m. The main losses are associated with the destruction of the smooth limestone surface.

Herodotus on Egypt

When the Greek historian Herodotus visited Giza, around 450 BC, he described what kind of pyramids there were in Egypt. He learned from the Egyptian priests that the Great Pyramid was built for Pharaoh Khufu, who was the second king of the Fourth Dynasty (c. 2575-2465 BC). Priests told Herodotus that it was built by 400,000 people over 20 years. At the construction site, 100,000 people were employed to move the blocks at a time. But archaeologists find this implausible and tend to think that the workforce was more limited. Perhaps 20,000 workers, with an accompanying support staff of bakers, doctors, priests, and others, would be sufficient for the task.

The most famous pyramid was carefully laid out using 2.3 million processed stone blocks. These blocks had an impressive weight of two to fifteen tons. After the construction was completed, the burial structure struck with a weight that was approximately 6 million tons. All the famous cathedrals in Europe, taken together, have such a weight! The Pyramid of Cheops has been recorded for thousands of years as the tallest building in the world.

Only the graceful spiers of the extraordinarily majestic Lincoln Cathedral, built in England, 160 m high, were able to break the record, but collapsed in 1549.

Pyramid of Khafre

Among the pyramids of Giza, the second largest is the structure built for the afterlife journey of Khafre (Khaphren), the son of Pharaoh Khufu. He inherited power after the death of his elder brother and was the fourth ruler in the fourth dynasty. Of his well-born relatives and predecessors on the throne, many were buried in penny tombs. But the grandeur of Khafre's pyramid strikes almost the same as the "last house" of his father.

The Pyramid of Khafre stretches visually towards the sky and seems to be higher than the first pyramid of Giza - the funerary building of Cheops, because it stands on a higher part of the plateau. It is characterized by a steeper angle of inclination with a preserved smooth limestone coating. At the second pyramid, each of the sides was 216 m and was originally 143 m high. Its limestone and granite blocks weigh about 2.5 tons each.

The ancient pyramids of Egypt, such as Cheops, as well as the construction of Khafre, include five burial pits connected by passages. Together with the mortuary, the Valley of the Temples and the connecting dam, it is 430 meters long, carved into the rock. The burial chamber, which is underground, kept a red granite sarcophagus with a lid. Nearby is a square cavity, where there was a chest with the insides of the pharaoh. Great Sphinx near the pyramid of Khafre is considered to be his royal portrait.

Pyramid of Menkaure

The last of the pyramids of Giza is the Pyramid of Menkaure, located to the south. It was intended for the son of Khafre, the fifth king of the fourth dynasty. Each side is 109 m and the height of the structure is 66 m. In addition to these three monuments, small pyramids for Khufu's three wives and a series of flat-topped pyramids for the remains of his beloved children. At the end of a long dam lined small tombs of courtiers, a temple and a mortuary were built only for the mummification of the body of the pharaoh.

Like all the pyramids of Egypt, created for the pharaohs, the burial chambers of these buildings were filled with everything necessary for the next life: furniture, statues of slaves, niches for canopic canopies.

Theories about the construction of the Egyptian giants

Many mysteries are hidden by the centuries-old history of Egypt. Pyramids built without modern devices only increase curiosity about these places. Herodotus assumed that the foundation was laid out of huge blocks weighing about seven tons. And then, as from children's cubes, step by step, all 203 layers were lifted up. But this cannot be done, as evidenced by the Japanese attempt in the 1980s to duplicate the actions of the Egyptian builders. The most plausible explanation is that the Egyptians used ramps, which were used to tow stone blocks down a ladder using sleds, rollers, and levers. And the base was a natural plateau. The majestic structures have withstood not only the crushing work of time, but also numerous attacks by grave robbers. They robbed the pyramids in ancient times. Khafre's burial chamber, opened by the Italians in 1818, was empty, there was no longer any gold and other treasures.

There is a possibility that there are still undiscovered pyramids of Egypt or are now completely destroyed. Many make fantastic theories about the extraterrestrial intervention of another civilization, for which such construction is child's play. The Egyptians are only proud of the perfect knowledge of their ancestors in the field of mechanics, dynamics, thanks to which the construction business developed.

For several centuries, the mysteries of Ancient Egypt have been in the center of attention of historians and archaeologists. When it comes to this ancient civilization, first of all, the grandiose pyramids come to mind, many of whose secrets have not yet been revealed. Among such mysteries, which are still far from being solved, is the construction of a great structure - the largest pyramid of Cheops that has come down to our time.

Known and mysterious civilization

Of all the oldest civilizations, the culture of ancient Egypt is perhaps the most well studied. And the point here is not only in the many historical artifacts that have survived to this day and architectural monuments but also in an abundance of written sources. Even historians and geographers of Antiquity paid attention to this country and, describing the culture and religion of the Egyptians, did not ignore the construction of the great pyramids in Ancient Egypt.

And when, in the 19th century, the Frenchman Champollion was able to decipher the hieroglyphic writing of this ancient people, scientists gained access to a huge amount of information in the form of papyri, stone steles with hieroglyphs, and numerous inscriptions on the walls of tombs and temples.

The history of the ancient Egyptian civilization spans almost 40 centuries, and there are many interesting, bright and often mysterious pages in it. But the most attention is drawn to the Old Kingdom, the great pharaohs, the construction of the pyramids and the mysteries associated with them.

When were the pyramids built

The era that Egyptologists call the Old Kingdom lasted from 3000 to 2100 BC. e., just at this time, the Egyptian rulers were fond of building pyramids. All tombs erected earlier or later are much smaller in size, and their quality is worse, which affected their safety. It seems that the heirs of the architects of the great pharaohs lost the knowledge of their ancestors at once. Or were they completely different people who replaced the disappeared race, it is not clear where?

Pyramids were built in the period and even later, in the era of the Ptolemies. But not all pharaohs “ordered” similar tombs for themselves. So, at present, more than a hundred pyramids are known, built over 3 thousand years - from 2630, when the first pyramid was erected, until the 4th century AD. e.

The forerunners of the great pyramids

Before the great history of the construction of these grandiose buildings was erected, there were more than one hundred years.

According to the generally accepted version, the pyramids served as tombs in which the pharaohs were buried. Long before the construction of these structures, the rulers of Egypt were buried in mastabas - relatively small buildings. But in the 26th century BC. e. the first real pyramids were built, the construction of which began with the era of Pharaoh Djoser. The tomb, named after him, is located 20 km from Cairo and is very different in appearance from those that are called great.

It has a stepped shape and gives the impression of several mastabas stacked one on top of the other. True, its dimensions are rather big - more than 120 meters along the perimeter and 62 meters in height. This grand building for its time, but it cannot be compared with the pyramid of Cheops.

By the way, a lot is known about the construction of the tomb of Djoser, even written sources have survived that mention the name of the architect - Imhotep. One and a half thousand years later, he became the patron saint of scribes and doctors.

The first of the pyramids classic look is the tomb of Pharaoh Snofu, the construction of which was completed in 2589. The limestone blocks of this tomb have a reddish tint, which is why Egyptologists call it "red" or "pink".

great pyramids

This is the name of the three cyclopean tetrahedra located in Giza, on the left bank of the Nile.

The oldest and largest of them is the pyramid of Khufu, or, as the ancient Greeks called it, Cheops. It is she who is most often called the Great, which is not surprising, because the length of each of its sides is 230 meters, and the height is 146 meters. Now, however, it is slightly lower due to destruction and weathering.

The second largest is the tomb of Khafre, the son of Cheops. Its height is 136 meters, although visually it looks higher than the pyramid of Khufu, because it was built on a hill. Not far from it you can see the famous Sphinx, whose face, according to legend, is a sculptural portrait of Khafre.

The third - the pyramid of Pharaoh Mikerin - is only 66 meters high, and it was built much later. Nevertheless, this pyramid looks very harmonious and is considered the most beautiful of the great ones.

Modern man is accustomed to grandiose structures, but his imagination is shaken by the great pyramids of Egypt, the history and secrets of construction.

Secrets and mysteries

Monumental buildings in Giza even in the era of Antiquity were included in the list of the main wonders of the world, of which the ancient Greeks numbered only seven. Today it is very difficult to comprehend the intention of the ancient rulers, who spent enormous amounts of money and human resources on the construction of such gigantic tombs. Thousands of people were cut off from the economy for 20-30 years and were engaged in the construction of a tomb for their ruler. Such irrational use of labor is questionable.

Since the time when the great pyramids were erected, the secrets of construction have not ceased to attract the attention of scientists.

Perhaps the construction of the great pyramid pursued a completely different goal? In the pyramid of Cheops, three chambers were found, which Egyptologists called burial chambers, but none of them contained mummies of the dead and objects that necessarily accompanied a person to the kingdom of Osiris. There are no decorations or drawings on the walls of the burial chambers either, more precisely, there is only one small portrait in the corridor on the wall.

The sarcophagus discovered in the pyramid of Khafre is also empty, although many statues were found inside this tomb, but there are no things that, according to Egyptian customs, were placed in the tombs.

Egyptologists believe that the pyramids were looted. Perhaps, but it is not entirely clear why the robbers also needed the mummies of the buried pharaohs.

There are many mysteries associated with these cyclopean structures in Giza, but the very first question that arises in a person who saw them with his own eyes: how did the construction of the great pyramids of Ancient Egypt take place?

Amazing Facts

Cyclopean structures demonstrate the phenomenal knowledge of the ancient Egyptians in astronomy and geodesy. The faces of the Pyramid of Cheops, for example, are precisely oriented to the south, north, west and east, and the diagonal coincides with the direction of the meridian. Moreover, this accuracy is higher than that of the observatory in Paris.

And such an ideal figure from the point of view of geometry has a huge size, and even made up of separate blocks!

Therefore, the knowledge of the ancients in the field of building art is even more impressive. The pyramids are built from giant stone monoliths up to 15 tons in weight. The granite blocks lining the walls of the main burial chamber of Khufu's pyramid weighed 60 tons each. How did such colossus rise if this chamber is at a height of 43 meters? And some stone blocks of Khafre's tomb generally reach 150 tons in weight.

The construction of the great pyramid of Cheops required the ancient architects to process, drag and raise to a very significant height more than 2 million such blocks. Even modern technology does not make this task easy.

There is a completely natural surprise: why did the Egyptians need to drag such colossus to a height of several tens of meters? Wouldn't it have been easier to build a pyramid of smaller stones? After all, they were able to somehow “cut out” these blocks from a solid mass of rock, why didn’t they make it easier for themselves by sawing them into pieces?

In addition, there is another mystery. The blocks were not just laid in rows, but they were so carefully processed and tightly fitted to each other that in some places the gap between the plates was less than 0.5 millimeters.

After the erection, the pyramid was still lined with stone slabs, which, however, had long been stolen by enterprising local residents for the construction of houses.

How were the ancient architects able to solve this incredibly difficult task? There are many theories, but they all have their drawbacks and weaknesses.

Herodotus version

The famous historian of Antiquity Herodotus visited Egypt and saw the Egyptian pyramids. The construction, the description of which was left by the ancient Greek scientist, looked as follows.

Hundreds of people dragged a stone block to the pyramid under construction on drags, and then, using a wooden gate and a system of levers, lifted it to the first platform equipped on the lower level of the structure. Then the next lifting mechanism came into play. And so, moving from one platform to another, the blocks were raised to the desired height.

It is hard to even imagine how much effort the great Egyptian pyramids required. Construction (photo, according to Herodotus, see below) was indeed an extremely difficult task.

For a long time, most Egyptologists adhered to this version, although it raised doubts. It is difficult to imagine such wooden lifts that could withstand the weight of tens of tons. Yes, and dragging millions of multi-ton blocks on drags seems difficult.

Can Herodotus be trusted? Firstly, he did not witness the construction of the great pyramids, since he lived much later, although he may have been able to observe how smaller tombs were erected.

Secondly, the famous scientist of Antiquity in his writings often sinned against the truth, trusting the stories of travelers or ancient manuscripts.

The "ramp" theory

In the 20th century, a version proposed by the French researcher Jacques Philippe Luer became popular among Egyptologists. He suggested that the stone blocks were moved not on drags, but on skating rinks along a special ramp, which gradually became higher and, accordingly, longer.

The construction of the great pyramid (photo image below), thus, also required great ingenuity.

But this version also has its drawbacks. Firstly, it is impossible not to pay attention to the fact that the work of thousands of workers in dragging stone blocks was not at all facilitated by this method, because the blocks had to be dragged uphill, into which the embankment gradually turned. And it's extremely hard.

Secondly, the slope of the ramp should be no more than 10˚, therefore, its length will be more than a kilometer. To build such an embankment, labor is needed no less than the construction of the tomb itself.

Even if it was not one ramp, but several, built from one tier of the pyramid to another, it is still a colossal work with a dubious result. Especially when you consider that several hundred people are needed to move each block, and there is practically nowhere to place them on narrow platforms and embankments.

In 1978, admirers from Japan tried to build a pyramid only 11 meters high using drags and mounds. They could not complete the construction, inviting modern technology to help.

It seems that people with the technology that was in antiquity are beyond their powers. Or were they not people? Who built the great pyramids at Giza?

Aliens or Atlanteans?

The version that the great pyramids were built by representatives of a different race, despite its fantastic nature, has quite rational grounds.

First, it is doubtful that the people who lived in bronze age, possessed tools and technologies that allowed them to process such an array of wild stone and put together a perfect, from the point of view of geometry, structure weighing more than one million tons.

Secondly, the assertion that the great pyramids were built in the middle of the III millennium BC. er, debatable. It was expressed by the same Herodotus, who visited Egypt in the 5th century BC. BC. and described the Egyptian pyramids, the construction of which was completed almost 2 thousand years before his visit. In his writings, he simply recounted what the priests had told him.

There are suggestions that these cyclopean structures much earlier, perhaps 8-12 thousand years ago, or maybe all 80. These assumptions are based on the fact that, apparently, the pyramids, the sphinx and the temples around them survived the era of floods. This is evidenced by traces of erosion that were found on the lower part of the Sphinx statue and the lower tiers of the pyramids.

Thirdly, the great pyramids are clearly objects connected in one way or another with astronomy and space. Moreover, this purpose is more important than the function of the tombs. Suffice it to recall that there are no burials in them, although there is what Egyptologists call sarcophagi.

The theory of the alien origin of the pyramids in the 60s was popularized by the Swiss Erich von Daniken. However, all of his evidence is more of a figment of the writer's imagination than the result of serious research.

Assuming that aliens organized the construction of the great pyramid, the photo should look something like the picture below.

The Atlantean version has no less fans. According to this theory, long before the rise of the ancient Egyptian civilization, the pyramids were built by representatives of some other race, who possessed either super-advanced technology or the ability to force colossal blocks of stone through the air by force of will. Just like Master Yoda from the famous Star Wars movie.

To prove, as well as to disprove these theories, by scientific methods is almost impossible. But perhaps there is a less fantastic answer to the question of who built the great pyramids? Why could not the ancient Egyptians, who had a variety of knowledge in other areas, do this? There is one that lifts the veil of mystery surrounding the construction of the great pyramid.

concrete version

If the movement and processing of multi-ton stone blocks is so laborious, could not the ancient builders have used an easier method of pouring concrete?

This point of view is actively defended and proved by several well-known scientists, and different specialties.

The French chemist Joseph Davidovich, having made a chemical analysis of the material of the blocks from which the pyramid of Cheops was built, suggested that this was not a natural stone, but concrete of a complex composition. It was made on the basis of ground rock, and is the so-called Davidovich's conclusions were confirmed by a number of American researchers.

Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences A. G. Fomenko, having examined the blocks from which the pyramid of Cheops was built, believes that the “concrete version” is the most plausible. The builders simply ground the stone in excess, added binding impurities, such as lime, lifted the concrete base in baskets to the construction site, and then loaded it into the formwork and diluted it with water. When the mixture hardened, the formwork was dismantled and transferred to another place.

Decades later, the concrete was so compressed that it became indistinguishable from natural stone.

It turns out that during the construction of the great pyramid, not stone, but concrete blocks were used? It would seem that this version is quite logical and explains many of the mysteries of the construction of ancient pyramids, including the difficulties of transportation and the quality of block processing. But it has its weaknesses, and it raises no fewer questions than other theories.

Firstly, it is very difficult to imagine how the ancient builders were able to grind more than 6 million tons of rock without the use of technology. After all, this is the weight of the pyramid of Cheops.

Secondly, the possibility of using wooden formwork in Egypt, where wood has always been highly valued, is questionable. Even the boats of the pharaohs were made of papyrus.

Thirdly, the ancient architects, of course, could think of making concrete. But the question arises: where then did this knowledge go? Within a few centuries after the construction of the great pyramid, not a trace remained of them. There were still tombs of this kind erected, but they were all but a pitiful imitation of those that stand on the plateau at Giza. And until now, most often shapeless piles of stones have remained from the pyramids of a later period.

Therefore, it is impossible to say with certainty how the great pyramids were built, the secrets of which have not yet been revealed.

Not only Ancient Egypt, but also other civilizations of the past hold many mysteries, which makes getting to know their history an incredibly exciting journey into the past.

general information

Among the Egyptian pyramids there are huge and more modest scales, with a smooth surface and stepped ones, which are very well preserved and resemble a pile of ruins. They can be observed in Saqqara and Memphis, Khawara and Upper Egypt, Medum and Abusir, El Lahun and Abu Ravash. However, the main tourist sites only a few are considered, namely the pyramids in Giza, a suburb of the Egyptian capital, erected, as is commonly believed, during the reign of the IV-VI dynasties of the pharaohs, which fell on the XXVI-XXIII centuries BC. e.

Looking at these grandiose creations human hands, one involuntarily thinks: how much time and effort was spent on the construction of such structures, which seem - at least in their scale - absolutely useless. Either the pharaohs who ruled 45 centuries ago thereby wanted to emphasize their own divinity and the greatness of their era, or these structures contain some hidden meaning that is still inaccessible to our understanding. But it is difficult to comprehend it, because the secrets are securely hidden under the layer of millennia, and we have no choice but to build guesses and versions, hoping that sooner or later all the secret will definitely become clear ...

Secrets of the Egyptian pyramids

The Egyptian pyramids are shrouded in a halo of myths and secrets, and with the passage of time and the development of science, there are still more questions than answers. As the proverb says: "Everything in the world is afraid of time, but time itself is afraid of the pyramids." Interest is fueled by various theories about the appearance of these majestic monuments. Fans of the mystical consider the pyramids to be powerful energy sources and believe that the pharaohs spent time in them not only after death, but also during their lifetime in order to draw strength. There are also quite incredible ideas: for example, some believe that the Egyptian pyramids were built by aliens, and others that the blocks were moved by people who own a magic crystal. Let's look at the generally accepted and most likely scenario.

Religion in the life of ancient Egypt occupied a dominant position. It shaped both the worldview of the people and their entire culture. Death was perceived only as a transition to another world, so preparation for it had to take place ahead of time, even during earthly life. However, the privilege of remaining "immortal" was, as it was believed, only with the pharaoh and members of his family. And he, at his own discretion, could bestow it on his entourage. Commoners were deprived of the right to an afterlife, with the exception of servants and slaves, whom the powerful ruler "took" with him. Nothing should have interfered with the comfortable "existence" of a high-ranking deceased, so he was supplied with everything necessary - food supplies, household utensils, weapons, servants.

At first, the rulers were buried in special "houses after life", and in order for the body of the pharaoh to be preserved for centuries, he was embalmed. These early burial buildings - mastabas - date back to the period of the first dynasties. They consisted of an underground burial chamber and an above-ground part in the form of a stone structure, where chapels were equipped and grave goods were located. In section, these tombs resembled a trapezoid. They were built in Abydos, Nagadei, Upper Egypt. The main necropolis of the then capital of the first dynasties - the city of Memphis - was located in Saqqara.

Actually, pyramidal tombs began to be erected about 5 thousand years ago. The initiator of their construction was Pharaoh Djoser (or Necherihet), the first in the III dynasty of the Old Kingdom. The construction of the necropolis named after this ruler was led by the supreme dignitary and famous architect of his time, Imhotep, who was almost equated with a deity. If we discard all the fantastic versions about the contacts of the then rulers with aliens and proceed from the fact that these structures were nevertheless built by people on their own, then the scale of the work, their laboriousness cannot but impress. Experts tried to establish their chronology and nature, and here are the results they came up with. Since the pyramids are made of stone blocks, the question immediately arose: where and how were they mined? It turned out, in the rocks ...

Having marked out in rock shape and hollowing out the grooves, dry trees were inserted into them, which were watered with water. From moisture, they expanded and created cracks in the rock, facilitating the process of excavating blocks. Then they were immediately, on the spot, subjected to processing with tools and, having given the desired shape, they were sent by river to the construction site. But how did the Egyptians lift these heavy masses up? First, they were loaded onto wooden sleds and pulled along gentle embankments. By modern standards, such technologies look backward. However, the quality of work is top notch! The megaliths are so closely adjacent to each other that there are practically no mismatches.

The Pyramid of Djoser, located in Saqqara, is considered the very first pyramid in Egypt and the oldest surviving pyramid in the world. large structures made of stone (its size is 125 by 115 meters with a height of 62 meters). It was built in 2670 BC. e. and has the appearance of a building with six huge lined steps. Because of such an unusual shape, it was called the “false pyramid” in those distant times. The pyramid of Djoser began to attract the attention of travelers since the Middle Ages, and this interest has not dried up to this day.

The architect initially did not plan to build such a pyramid. The stepped tomb became in the process of construction. In the presence of steps, a symbolic meaning is clearly guessed: the deceased pharaoh was supposed to ascend to heaven along them. This structure differed from previous necropolises in that it was built of stone, not brick. And one more feature: the presence of a very wide and deep vertical shaft, closed from above by a dome. In the pyramids built later, there is nothing of the kind. Of no less interest to archaeologists and Egyptologists are the marble fragments under the sarcophagus, on which carved images resembling stars are visible. These are clearly fragments of some unknown structure, but no one knows exactly which one.

The Pyramid of Djoser was intended not only for himself, and in this it also differs from other similar structures. In the burial chambers, there are only 12 of them, the ruler and members of his family were buried. Archaeologists discovered the mummy of an 8-9-year-old boy, apparently a son. But the body of the pharaoh himself could not be found. Perhaps he owned the mummified heel found here. Even in ancient times, it is believed that robbers entered the tomb, probably abducting its dead "owner" as well.

However, the version of the robbery does not seem so unambiguous. When examining the inner galleries, gold jewelry, porphyry bowls, clay and stone jugs and other valuables were found. Why didn't the thieves carry all this wealth? Historians were also interested in the seals affixed to small clay vessels. The name “Sekemhet” was written on them, translated as “mighty in body”. It clearly belonged to an unknown pharaoh of one of the powerful dynasties. Everything indicated that in ancient times the construction of another pyramid was started here, but for some reason it was not completed. They even found an empty sarcophagus, the internal state of which allowed us to conclude that no one was buried here ...

As for the pyramid of Djoser itself, the attraction has been well preserved to this day and is open to tourists. The entrance to it, as well as to other structures on the territory, is located on the north side. A tunnel equipped with columns leads inside. The northern temple, whose location on the ground is clear from the name itself, is one with the pyramid. architectural ensemble. Funeral services were held in it and sacrifices were made in the name of the pharaoh.

Egyptian pyramids at Giza

The most famous among all the Egyptian pyramids are the so-called great pyramids, located in Giza - the third largest city in the modern Arab Republic of Egypt, with a population of almost 3 million people. The metropolis is located on the west bank of the Nile, about 20 km from Cairo and is actually a suburb of the capital.

The Great Pyramids of Giza are by far the most popular ancient monuments in the country. For many years, visiting them has become almost a ritual for tourists. Fly to Egypt and not see these majestic structures with your own eyes? This is unimaginable! Many travelers even consider this place spiritual, connected with the cosmos, and visiting here becomes akin to some kind of healing. Recent studies have shown that the builders of the necropolises pointed them surprisingly accurately to the belt of the constellation Orion, in which there is an as yet unrevealed meaning. It is also interesting that their faces are oriented to the sides of the sun, and this is done with the same accuracy.

The Egyptian pyramids at Giza are undoubtedly an extremely impressive sight. Their sandstone facades reflect sunlight: they are pink in the morning, golden in the afternoon and turn dark purple at dusk. It is impossible not to marvel at the feat of engineering and organization that resulted in millions of stone blocks being transported from one place to another and stacked precisely on top of each other without power plants and lifting equipment.

The complex of the great pyramids is made up of the tombs of the three most ancient rulers - Cheops, Khafre and Mykerin. Unlike the previous "houses after life" (makabs), these necropolises have a strict pyramidal shape. Moreover, the first of them is the only one of the seven wonders of the world that have survived to this day.

Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu)

You can talk about the pyramid of Cheops (or Khufu) for a long time, but the story will in any case be incomplete, because it continues to store many unrevealed secrets. One of them is the direction to the North Pole exactly along the meridian: with its top, the monumental structure “looks” at polar star. It is amazing how ancient architects could make such accurate calculations without modern astronomical instruments. This accuracy has even less error than the famous Paris Observatory.

Cheops, the second pharaoh of the fourth dynasty of Ancient Egypt, who reigned for 27 years, has the glory of a cruel and despotic ruler. He literally exhausted the resources of his kingdom, directing them to the construction of the pyramid. He was also merciless to his people, forcing them to overwork on the construction of his posthumous "dwelling". The Great Pyramid was built in three stages, as evidenced by the corresponding number of chambers. The first, its area is 8 by 14 meters, was carved deep into the rock, the second (5.7 x 5.2 m) - under the top of the pyramid. The third chamber - it is the only one of them completed - and became the tomb of the pharaoh. Special mention should be made of her. It stretches 10.4 m from west to east, and 5.2 m from south to north. Granite slabs, with which the room is lined, fit perfectly to each other. Nine monolithic blocks form the ceiling, their total weight is 400 tons.

Each cell has its own “hallway” connected to adjacent shaft corridors. At first, the entrance to the tomb was located on the north side and was located above the base at a height of 25 meters. Currently, you can enter the pyramid from another place, and this entrance is not so high. The builders could hardly have imagined that after several thousand years their brainchild would become a tourist attraction, so the 40-meter corridor was made not only narrow, but also low. Numerous tourists have to overcome it by crouching. The corridor ends with a wooden staircase. It leads to the same low room, which is the center of the entire necropolis.

The height of the pyramid of Cheops is more than 146 meters - this is the "growth" of a 50-story skyscraper. After the Great Chinese wall it is she who is the largest structure ever erected in all of human history. The attraction is not in "loneliness", there are several other buildings around it. Of these, only three companion pyramids and the ruins of the mortuary temple have survived to this day. Obviously, no less effort was made to build them. According to the most common version, the companion pyramids were intended for the wives of the ruler.

Pyramid of Khafre (Khafra)

A pharaoh named Khafre was either the son or brother of Cheops and reigned after him. His pyramid, located nearby, is somewhat smaller, however, at first glance, it is perceived as more significant. And all because it stands on some elevation. The Pyramid of Khafre was found during the archaeological sites in 1860. The tomb of this ancient Egyptian ruler is “protected” by the famous Sphinx, which looks like a lion lying on the sand, whose face may have been given the features of Khafre himself. Being the oldest surviving on our planet monumental sculptures(its length is 72 m, height is 20 m), it is interesting in itself. Egyptologists tend to think that the tombs of the two pharaohs, together with the sphinx, represent a single burial complex. Slaves, it is believed, were not involved in the construction of this pyramid: free workers were hired for this purpose ...

Pyramid of Menkaure (Menkaure)

And finally, the pyramid of Menkaure is the third in the complex of great monuments of Giza. Also known as the Pyramid of Menkaure, it bears the name of the fifth pharaoh of the fourth ancient Egyptian dynasty. Little is known about this ruler - only that he was the son of Cheops (at least, the ancient Greek historian Herodotus claimed so). This necropolis is called the "younger brother" of the two aforementioned tombs: it was built later than the others and the lowest of them, its height is slightly more than 65 meters. Such a modest size testifies to the decline of the ancient kingdom, the lack of resources necessary for the construction.

However, the monumentality of the structure as such did not suffer from this. For example, the weight of one of the blocks used in the construction of the mortuary temple exceeds 200 tons, which makes it the heaviest on the Giza plateau. Just imagine what inhuman efforts had to be made to put this colossus in place. And the majestic statue of the pharaoh himself, seated inside the temple! It is one of the largest sculptures embodying that mysterious era ... The destruction of the entire historical and architectural complex in Giza, conceived by Sultan al-Malik al-Aziz, who ruled at the end of the 12th century, could begin from the pyramid of Mikerin, as the smallest. The dismantling of the necropolis lasted about a year, but the practical result was minimal. The Sultan was eventually forced to turn them off, because his, frankly, stupid and unjustified undertaking entailed exorbitant costs.

Sphinx

At the base of the sacred causeway that once connected the pyramid of Khafre with the Nile, is the Sphinx - mysterious sculpture with the head of Khafre attached to the body of a lion. In Egyptian mythology, sphinxes were guardian deities, and this sculpture is a protective monument 73 m long and 20 m high. After the death of the pharaoh, the body of the Sphinx was gradually covered with desert sands. Thutmose IV believed that the statue addressed him and said that he would become pharaoh if he cleared the sand, which he hastened to do. Since then, the ancient Egyptians believed that the monument had prophetic powers.

Solar Boat Museum

Behind the pyramid of Cheops is the Museum of the Solar Boat, which houses a beautifully restored cedar boat, on which the body of the dead pharaoh was transported from east to west coast Nile.

Useful information for tourists

The Great Pyramid Complex of Giza is open to the public from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm daily. The exceptions are the winter months (opening hours until 16:30) and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when access closes at 15:00.

Some travelers believe that if the pyramids are located under open sky and are not a museum in literally of this word, then here you can feel free, climb and climb these structures. Remember: it is strictly forbidden to do this - in the interests of your own safety!

Before agreeing to enter the pyramids, objectively assess your psychological state and physical health. For people who are afraid closed spaces(claustrophobia), this part of the tour is best skipped. Due to the fact that inside the tombs it is usually dry, hot and a little dusty, it is not recommended to enter here for asthmatics, hypertensive patients and those suffering from other diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous system.

How much will a tourist visit the Egyptian pyramids area? Cost has several components. The entrance ticket to it will cost you 60 Egyptian pounds, which is equivalent to about 8 euros. Would you like to visit the pyramid of Cheops? For this you will have to pay 100 pounds or 13 euros. Inspection from the inside of the Khafre pyramid is much cheaper - 20 pounds or 2.60 euros.

A visit to the Solar Boat Museum, which is located south of the Cheops Pyramid (40 pounds or 5 euros), is also paid separately. Taking pictures in the pyramid zone is allowed, but for the right to take pictures you will have to pay 1 euro. Visiting other pyramids in Giza - for example, the mother and wife of Pharaoh Khafre - is not paid.

Many tourists admit that, after getting to know the main attractions, leaving this amazing place, literally saturated with the spirit of antiquity, you don’t want to at all. In such cases, you can rent camels for leisurely walks. Their owners wait for clients right at the foot of the pyramids. They may overcharge for their services. Do not settle for it right away, bargain, and you will get a discount.

• The Pyramid of Cheops is the only surviving wonder of the world.
• The pyramids were built for two centuries and were built several at a time. Now, according to the studies of various scientists, their age is from 4 to 10 thousand years.
• In addition to the exact mathematical proportions, the pyramids have another feature in this area. The stone blocks are arranged in such a way that there are no gaps between them at all, even the thinnest blade will not fit through.
• Each side of the pyramid is located in the direction of one side of the world.
• The Pyramid of Cheops, the largest in the world, reaches a height of 146 meters, and its weight is more than six million tons.
• If you want to know how the Egyptian pyramids were built, Interesting Facts construction can be learned from the pyramids themselves. Construction scenes are depicted on the walls of the aisles. The sides of the pyramids are curved by one meter so that they can accumulate solar energy. Thanks to this, the pyramids could reach thousands of degrees and emit an incomprehensible rumble from such incandescence.
• For the pyramid of Cheops, a perfectly straight foundation was made, so the faces differ from each other by only five centimeters.
• The first pyramid built is dated 2670 BC. e. In appearance, it resembles several pyramids located next to each other. The architect created a type of masonry that helped achieve this effect.
• The pyramid of Cheops was created from 2.3 million blocks, perfectly even and matching each other.
• Structures similar to the Egyptian pyramids are also found in Sudan, where the tradition was later picked up.
• Archaeologists managed to find the village where the pyramid builders lived. A brewery and a bakery were discovered there.

How to get there

Tourists from Russia and the CIS countries usually prefer to spend their holidays in Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada and often want to combine their holidays on magnificent beaches with a visit to the Giza pyramid complex. Since the resorts are far enough from the named city, you can only get there as part of excursion group. If you go by bus, then you will have to spend from 6 to 8 hours on the way. By plane it will be faster: fly in just 60 minutes. It can also be reached by car with a driver. It is much more comfortable, but it will significantly hit the wallet.

In a more advantageous position are those who rest in Cairo, or stay in the Egyptian capital on a business trip. They can take the bus (routes nos. 900 and 997) or the subway (yellow line no. 2, exit at Giza station). Alternatively, you can call a taxi or catch one at Tahrir Square. The trip will cost more than public transport, but you will get there faster, in just half an hour. By the same car it will be possible to return and back, only you will have to pay a little more.

You can get to Giza from the capital by taking a bus in the New Cairo (aka Heliopolis) area, which follows one of two routes: No. 355 or No. 357. These comfortable vehicles, plying every 20 minutes, are marked with the letters STA, by which they are easy to recognize. The final stop is just before the entrance to the pyramid zone, at the crossroads.

The first pyramid, which gave rise to all Egyptian pyramid construction, is located in Saqqara, about 17 km south of Giza. It was built in 2667-2648 BC for Djoser, the first pharaoh of the third dynasty.

The history of the construction of the pyramid of Djoser

The invention of masonry is attributed to the beginning of Djoser's reign. The Pyramid of Djoser is considered the oldest stone structure on Earth, its prototype was the mastabas of the pharaohs of the first dynasty, built of unbaked bricks. At first, it also represented a stone mastaba, but after that it went through five stages in its development.

Initially, the pharaoh's architect Imhotep erected a large mastaba, similar to the previously built tomb of Djoser in Upper Egypt. This time, the mastaba was not made of bricks, but of stone blocks. Subsequently, during the reign of the pharaoh, it was expanded in four directions, and then made oblong. The decision to expand the building for the fourth time resulted in a tomb unlike any built before. Imhotep built three more mastabas, placing them on top of each other, each of them was smaller than the previous one. So the first pyramid appeared, which became the prototype of all Egyptian pyramids.

However, Djoser wanted to make the pyramid even larger, he ordered to increase its base, and to make six terraces on its top. The pyramid was lined with limestone, which was delivered from the opposite bank of the Nile, from the hills of Tura.

Design features

To create the step pyramid of Djoser, several independent layers of masonry were used, they relied on a central base of. In a similar way, all the pyramids that appeared in the future were built - Khafre, Khufu and other pharaohs who reigned later. However, unlike the later pyramids, here the stone blocks are tilted inward at an angle of 74° in order to give the structure greater strength. In the pyramids built later, the masonry layers are arranged horizontally.

The tomb of Djoser was located under the foundation, it was carved into the rocky ground, a square shaft led to it. The entrance to the mine was far outside the pyramid, to the north of it. A massive ten-meter wall was built around the pyramid, and inside it was a square on which several temples were erected and