 |
| Sneferu's first (unfinished) pyramid at Meidum |
Last time we talked about Djoser’s step
pyramid, the prototype of all pyramids to come. This time we meet the ‘real’
pyramids, the talk of the era, which have continued to dazzle the beholders till
this day from Julius Caesar, Napoleon to archaeologists of our days.
It is none other than the Great Pyramid
Complex of Giza, the most famous present-day tourist attraction of Egypt and only
one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world still standing. The complex
comprises of three pyramids, the largest and most well-known of which is the
Great Pyramid of Khufu, a Fourth Dynasty Pharaoh.
 |
| Sneferu's second (bent) pyramid at Dahshur |
So before going any further, it is important
for us to get to know the family who started the great and glorious Egyptian Pyramid
Era. It all began with King Sneferu, the first Pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty
(remember, King Djoser was a Phaorah of the Third Dynasty, the dynasty directly
preceding that of Sneferu and Khufu), who attempted to erect a 300 feet high
eight-step pyramid 30 miles distant at Meidum. This pyramid incorporated a
significant feature. For the first time, the steps that used to be the hallmark
of Djoser’s pyramid were filled with polished stone to form smooth slanting
sides – the archetype of all subsequent Egyptian pyramids. Unluckily, this first
pyramid of his proved structurally unstable (the angle was too steep!). He continued
experiments with his second pyramid and failed yet again, the angle of the
sides of the pyramid having been abruptly changed from 54 degrees to 43 degrees
about half way to the top. The result was the bent pyramid. However, the change
in the angle caused cracks in the burial chamber, and the construction was yet
again abandoned. Sneferu’s third attempt was eventually successful, the pyramid
having a new 43-degree slope that ascended 343 feet from a base 722 feet on
each side. It is the first intact pyramid that survives to this day.
 |
| Sneferu's third (red) pyramid at Dahshur |
Sneferu’s son, Khufu, whom the Greeks (the
world’s first historians believe it or not!) commonly mis-referred to as “Cheops”.
This son must have somehow inherited his father’s craze for pyramids for near
Cairo on a dessert plateau of Giza he built the most splendid, glorious and
enduring stone structure the world had ever witnessed. The pyramid originally
rose 481 feet and was the tallest building until it was surpassed by the Eiffel
Tower 4500 years later. The base is 756 feet square – large enough to contain
the cathedrals of Milan, Florence and Saint Peter’s in Rome as well as Westminster
Abby and Saint Paul’s in London. Altogether
2,000,000 stones were used and average two and a half tonnes each. It was
estimated from the duration of Khufu’s reign (23 years in total) that his
pyramid must have been completed in about 20 years. Sadly, only an empty
sarcophagus remains. The complex traps and anti-burglary system proved no might
against tomb robbers. The tomb was cleansed of its treasure in ancient times. Also
any statues of Khufu himself have all vanished save for a tiny statuette found
by Flinders Petrie at Abydos. In fact, the only link between Khufu and the
Great Pyramid was established by his cartouche in his burial chamber.
 |
| Great Pyramid of Khufu |
 |
| Statuette of Khufu |
Read on in our blog where we go on to tell
stories of other pyramids of the famous Giza Pyramid Complex constructed by the
successive Fourth Dynasty Pharaohs!!
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น