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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 faces (base plus at least three triangular faces). The
five-face square pyramid is a common version. |
A
pyramid's design, with the majority of the weight closer to the ground,
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 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. |
The
Mesopotamians built the earliest pyramidal structures, called
ziggurats. In ancient times these were brightly painted. Since they
were constructed of mud-brick, little remains of them. |
The
most famous pyramids are the Egyptian pyramids 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. There are 138 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008.
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
meters in area. Egypt has the most pyramids in the world, with Sudan
coming in at a close second. |
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. |
The
largest pyramid by volume is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, in the
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. |
