Where are there pyramids?

Pyramids in Egypt and Latin America

Pyramids are mainly associated with ancient Egypt, but also with cultures such as the Maya.

• The most famous pyramids are undoubtedly those built in the third century BC. Chr. built in Egypt. There are around 80 such structures in total, of which the Giza ones are the most famous. Of the three, the Cheops pyramid built by Pharaoh Cheops is the best known and most important, as it is the largest pyramid at around 140 meters high. The square on which it was built is the size of nine football fields.
• How the structures, which have chambers and corridors inside, were erected with the tools made of copper and stone available at the time, is still not clear today. Different assumptions developed over time. One of them was that hundreds of thousands of slaves had to drag the stones over ramps and pile them up. Another that the stones were pulled up with pulleys.
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• In addition to the Egyptian pyramids, the pyramids in Latin America are also known to many. They were built by advanced civilizations such as the Maya, the Aztecs or the Inca. The one around 100 AD is very well known. built Sun Pyramid of Teotihuacán in Mexico. At 63 meters, it is less than half as high as the Great Pyramid, but was built on a square about the same size. As the largest known pyramid in terms of volume world is considered the pyramid of Cholul, a suburb of the Mexican city of Puebla. Today it measures only 66 meters, but according to excavations it should have been a lot higher in the past.
• The pyramids, the ruins of which can still be seen in Latin America today, are step pyramids, that is, the Side surfaces consist of steps that do not taper to a point at the top, but end in a wide surface that acts as a base for you Temple served. In Mexico such step pyramids were made around 1200 BC. Chr. and 1500 AD Chr. built. They either had a staircase in the middle of one face, two on opposite sides, or a staircase in the middle on each face.


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What the structures were used for

The pyramids built by the earlier advanced civilizations served different purposes.

• In ancient Egypt, whose culture was far superior to that of the European peoples, were the pyramids Tombs of the pharaohs, i.e. the kings of that time, who also served as earthly representatives of the gods were valid. One of the most famous pharaohs is Tutankhamun, although little is known about him except that he was not even eighteen when he died. Century BC Chr. ruled. However, his grave was not robbed like the other pharaohs tombs, but was almost intact when it was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922.
• Unlike the Egyptian pyramids, the Latin American pyramids were not used as tombs, but for religious purposes. They were places of connection to the gods, where sacrifices were made, for example. In addition, astronomical purposes, such as the forecast of solstices, also played a role. This knowledge was important for agriculture as well as for certain rites. Inside, the Latin American step pyramids were not hollow or divided into chambers, but completely filled with a mixture of stone and mortar.

Where else there are pyramids

There are also pyramids in a few other places, some of which have not been noticed by the public for long.

• The places where there are also pyramids include China, as well as Greece and Tenerife. Often, however, not much is known about these structures. This applies, for example, to the pyramids of Güímar on Tenerife, which the Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl became aware of in 1991. It is now certain that the step-pyramid-like buildings will be built in the 19th century at the earliest. Century were built. However, there is currently no consensus as to the meaning and purpose of their creation.
• The Chinese pyramids in Shaanxi province, which only received worldwide attention in the 1980s, are said to have often served as burial sites. They were laid out more as mounds in the shape of a pyramid. Some of the structures, often planted with trees, have been used for agricultural purposes for several hundred years, but none have been opened so far. However, there were excavations, so the now famous terracotta army was found in the mausoleum of Qin Shihuangdis.
• The pyramid shape also impressed the architects of later times, so to this day pyramids are built that are modeled on those of ancient Egypt. One of the most famous is the glass pyramid in front of the Louvre in Paris.

Researchers have thus been able to gain numerous interesting findings about some pyramids, but little is known about others.