Egyptian pyramids facts for kids

A view of the pyramids at Giza from the plateau to the south of the complex. From left to right, the three largest are: the Pyramid of Menkaure, the Pyramid of Khafre and the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The three smaller pyramids in the foreground are subsidiary structures associated with Menkaure's pyramid.

The Egyptian pyramids are ancient, massive structures built as tombs for pharaohs (the kings of ancient Egypt) and their consorts (their wives). These pyramids were not just tombs; they were also meant to be symbols of the pharaoh's power and connection to the gods.

The pyramids are a testament to the ingenuity, skill, and hard work of the ancient Egyptians. They are a reminder of a fascinating civilization and a window into the past. By studying the pyramids, we can learn about the beliefs, customs, and achievements of the ancient Egyptians and gain a greater appreciation for their contribution to human history.

Why were pyramids built?

The ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife, a life after death. They believed that when a pharaoh died, his spirit, called the "ka," needed a place to live and be cared for. The pyramid was built to protect the pharaoh's body and provide everything his ka would need in the afterlife, including food, clothing, furniture, and even servants (represented by statues).

The pyramids were also designed to impress. They were meant to show the pharaoh's power and wealth, and to remind everyone of his importance. The size and grandeur of the pyramids were a way of saying, "This pharaoh was a very important person!"

When were the pyramids built?

The Mastabat al-Fir’aun at Saqqara

The pyramid-building era in Egypt lasted for a long time, from around 2700 BC to 1700 BC. That's about 1,000 years! This period is known as the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and parts of the New Kingdom.

• Old Kingdom (c. 2700-2200 BC): This is when the most famous pyramids were built, including the Great Pyramid of Giza.
• Middle Kingdom (c. 2050-1800 BC): Pyramids were still built during this time, but they were often smaller and made of less durable materials.
• New Kingdom (c. 1550-1070 BC): Pharaohs of the New Kingdom mostly chose to be buried in the Valley of the Kings, in underground tombs, rather than in pyramids.

The following table lays out the chronology of the construction of most of the major pyramids. Each pyramid is identified through the pharaoh who ordered it built, his approximate reign, and its location.

Number and location of pyramids

In 1842, Karl Richard Lepsius produced the first modern list of pyramids—now known as the Lepsius list of pyramids—in which he counted 67. A great many more have since been discovered. As of November 2008, 118 Egyptian pyramids have been identified. The location of Pyramid 29, which Lepsius called the "Headless Pyramid", was lost for a second time when the structure was buried by desert sands after Lepsius's survey. It was found again only during an archaeological dig conducted in 2008.

Many pyramids are in a poor state of preservation or buried by desert sands. If visible at all, they may appear as little more than mounds of rubble. As a consequence, archaeologists are continuing to identify and study previously unknown pyramid structures.

The most recent pyramid to be discovered was that of Sesheshet at Saqqara, mother of the Sixth Dynasty pharaoh Teti, announced on 11 November 2008.

All of Egypt's pyramids, except the small Third Dynasty pyramid at Zawyet el-Maiyitin, are sited on the west bank of the Nile, and most are grouped together in a number of pyramid fields. The most important of these are listed geographically, from north to south, below.

Abu Rawash

The largely destroyed Pyramid of Djedefre

Abu Rawash is the site of Egypt's most northerly pyramid (other than the ruins of Lepsius pyramid number one), the mostly ruined Pyramid of Djedefre, son and successor of Khufu. Originally it was thought that this pyramid had never been completed, but the current archaeological consensus is that not only was it completed, but that it was originally about the same size as the Pyramid of Menkaure, which would have placed it among the half-dozen or so largest pyramids in Egypt.

Its location adjacent to a major crossroads made it an easy source of stone. Quarrying, which began in Roman times, has left little apart from about fifteen courses of stone superimposed upon the natural hillock that formed part of the pyramid's core. A small adjacent satellite pyramid is in a better state of preservation.

The Great Pyramid of Giza

Map of the Giza pyramid complex

Aerial view of the Giza pyramid complex

Diagram of the interior structures of the Great Pyramid. The inner line indicates the pyramid's present profile, the outer line indicates the original profile.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest and most famous of all the Egyptian pyramids. It was built for Pharaoh Khufu (also known as Cheops) around 2580-2560 BC.

• Size: It was originally 146.6 meters (481 feet) tall, but erosion has reduced it to about 138.8 meters (455 feet) today. The base of the pyramid covers an area of about 52,600 square meters (13 acres).
• Construction: It is estimated that the Great Pyramid is made of about 2.3 million stone blocks, each weighing an average of 2.5 to 15 tons!
• Inside: Inside the pyramid are several chambers, including the King's Chamber, the Queen's Chamber, and the Grand Gallery.

The Sphinx

The Sphinx is a large statue with the body of a lion and the head of a human. It is located near the Great Pyramid of Giza and is believed to have been built around the same time.

• Size: The Sphinx is about 73 meters (240 feet) long and 20 meters (66 feet) high.
• Purpose: The Sphinx is thought to have been built to guard the pyramids and to represent the pharaoh's power and wisdom.

Zawyet el-Aryan

This site, halfway between Giza and Abusir, is the location for two unfinished Old Kingdom pyramids. The northern structure's owner is believed to be pharaoh Nebka, while the southern structure, known as the Layer Pyramid, may be attributable to the Third Dynasty pharaoh Khaba, a close successor of Sekhemkhet. If this attribution is correct, Khaba's short reign could explain the seemingly unfinished state of this step pyramid. Today it stands around 17 m (56 ft) high; had it been completed, it is likely to have exceeded 40 m (130 ft).

Abusir

The Pyramid of Sahure at Abusir, viewed from the pyramid's causeway

There are a total of fourteen pyramids at this site, which served as the main royal necropolis during the Fifth Dynasty. The quality of construction of the Abusir pyramids is inferior to those of the Fourth Dynasty—perhaps signaling a decrease in royal power or a less vibrant economy. They are smaller than their predecessors and are built of low-quality local limestone.

The three major pyramids are those of Niuserre, which is also the best-preserved, Neferirkare Kakai and Sahure. The site is also home to the incomplete Pyramid of Neferefre. Most of the major pyramids at Abusir were built using similar construction techniques, comprising a rubble core surrounded by steps of mudbricks with a limestone outer casing. The largest of these Fifth Dynasty pyramids, the Pyramid of Neferirkare Kakai, is believed to have been built originally as a step pyramid some 70 m (230 ft) high and then later transformed into a "true" pyramid by having its steps filled in with loose masonry.

Saqqara

The Pyramid of Djoser

Major pyramids located here include the Pyramid of Djoser—generally identified as the world's oldest substantial monumental structure to be built of dressed stone—the Pyramid of Userkaf, the Pyramid of Teti and the Pyramid of Merikare, dating to the First Intermediate Period of Egypt. Also at Saqqara is the Pyramid of Unas, which retains a pyramid causeway that is one of the best-preserved in Egypt. Together with the pyramid of Userkaf, this pyramid was the subject of one of the earliest known restoration attempts, conducted by Khaemweset, a son of Ramesses II. Saqqara is also the location of the incomplete step pyramid of Djoser's successor Sekhemkhet, known as the Buried Pyramid. Archaeologists believe that had this pyramid been completed, it would have been larger than Djoser's.

South of the main pyramid field at Saqqara is a second collection of later, smaller pyramids, including those of Pepi I, Djedkare Isesi, Merenre, Pepi II and Ibi. Most of these are in a poor state of preservation.

The Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Shepseskaf either did not share an interest in or have the capacity to undertake pyramid construction like his predecessors. His tomb, which is also sited at south Saqqara, was instead built as an unusually large mastaba and offering temple complex. It is commonly known as the Mastabat al-Fir’aun.

A previously unknown pyramid was discovered in north Saqqara in late 2008. Believed to be the tomb of Teti's mother, it currently stands approximately 5 m (16 ft) high, although the original height was closer to 14 m (46 ft).

Dahshur

Sneferu's Red Pyramid

This area is arguably the most important pyramid field in Egypt outside Giza and Saqqara, although until 1996 the site was inaccessible due to its location within a military base and was relatively unknown outside archaeological circles.

The southern Pyramid of Sneferu, commonly known as the Bent Pyramid, is believed to be the first Egyptian pyramid intended by its builders to be a "true" smooth-sided pyramid from the outset; the earlier pyramid at Meidum had smooth sides in its finished state, but it was conceived and built as a step pyramid, before having its steps filled in and concealed beneath a smooth outer casing of dressed stone. As a true smooth-sided structure, the Bent Pyramid was only a partial success—albeit a unique, visually imposing one; it is also the only major Egyptian pyramid to retain a significant proportion of its original smooth outer limestone casing intact. As such it serves as the best contemporary example of how the ancient Egyptians intended their pyramids to look. Several kilometres to the north of the Bent Pyramid is the last—and most successful—of the three pyramids constructed during the reign of Sneferu; the Red Pyramid is the world's first successfully completed smooth-sided pyramid. The structure is also the third-largest pyramid in Egypt, after the pyramids of Khufu and Khafra at Giza.

Also at Dahshur is one of two pyramids built by Amenemhat III, known as the Black Pyramid, as well as a number of small, mostly ruined subsidiary pyramids.

Mazghuna

Located to the south of Dahshur, several mudbrick pyramids were built in this area in the late Middle Kingdom, perhaps for Amenemhat IV and Sobekneferu.

The Pyramid of Amenemhet I at Lisht

Lisht

Two major pyramids are known to have been built at Lisht: those of Amenemhat I and his son, Senusret I. The latter is surrounded by the ruins of ten smaller subsidiary pyramids. One of these subsidiary pyramids is known to be that of Amenemhat's cousin, Khaba II. The site which is in the vicinity of the oasis of the Faiyum, midway between Dahshur and Meidum, and about 100 kilometres south of Cairo, is believed to be in the vicinity of the ancient city of Itjtawy (the precise location of which remains unknown), which served as the capital of Egypt during the Twelfth Dynasty.

Meidum

The pyramid at Meidum

The pyramid at Meidum is one of three constructed during the reign of Sneferu, and is believed by some to have been started by that pharaoh's father and predecessor, Huni. However, that attribution is uncertain, as no record of Huni's name has been found at the site. It was constructed as a step pyramid and then later converted into the first "true" smooth-sided pyramid, when the steps were filled in and an outer casing added. The pyramid suffered several catastrophic collapses in ancient and medieval times. Medieval Arab writers described it as having seven steps, although today only the three uppermost of these remain, giving the structure its odd, tower-like appearance. The hill on which the pyramid is situated is not a natural landscape feature, it is the small mountain of debris created when the lower courses and outer casing of the pyramid gave way.

Hawara

The Pyramid of Amenemhet III at Hawara

Amenemhat III was the last powerful ruler of the Twelfth Dynasty, and the pyramid he built at Hawara, near the Faiyum, is believed to post-date the so-called "Black Pyramid" built by the same ruler at Dahshur. It is the Hawara pyramid that is believed to have been Amenemhet's final resting place.

El Lahun

The Pyramid of Senusret II. The pyramid's natural limestone core is clearly visible as the yellow stratum at its base.

The Pyramid of Senusret II at El Lahun is the southernmost royal-tomb pyramid structure in Egypt. Its builders reduced the amount of work necessary to construct it by using as its foundation and core a 12-meter-high natural limestone hill.

El-Kurru

Piye's pyramid at El-Kurru

Piye, the king of Kush who became the first ruler of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty, built a pyramid at El-Kurru. He was the first Egyptian pharaoh to be buried in a pyramid in centuries.

Nuri

Taharqa's pyramid at Nuri

Taharqa, a Kushite ruler of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty, built his pyramid at Nuri. It was the largest in the area (North Sudan).

How were the pyramids built?

Drawing showing transportation of a colossus. The water poured in the path of the sledge, long dismissed by Egyptologists as ritual, but now confirmed as feasible, served to increase the stiffness of the sand, and likely reduced by 50% the force needed to move the statue.

Building the pyramids was a huge undertaking that required a lot of planning, organization, and hard work. The ancient Egyptians were very skilled engineers and mathematicians, and they used their knowledge to design and build these amazing structures.

• Quarrying the stones: The stone blocks used to build the pyramids were quarried from nearby areas. Workers used copper tools, wooden levers, and ropes to cut and move the stones.
• Transporting the stones: The stones were transported to the pyramid site using wooden sledges that were pulled over sand. The Egyptians may have also used water to wet the sand, which would have made it easier to move the sledges.
• Raising the stones: This is one of the biggest mysteries about the pyramids. How did the Egyptians lift these massive stones to such great heights? One theory is that they used ramps made of earth and brick. The ramps would have been built gradually as the pyramid grew taller. Workers would have pulled the stones up the ramps using ropes and levers.

Who built the pyramids?

For a long time, people believed that the pyramids were built by slaves. However, recent evidence suggests that they were built by skilled workers who were paid for their labor. These workers lived in organized camps near the pyramid sites and were provided with food, housing, and medical care.

The workers were organized into teams, and each team was responsible for a specific task, such as quarrying stones, transporting stones, or laying stones. They worked hard and took pride in their work.

Inside the Pyramids

The inside of a pyramid is a maze of chambers, passageways, and shafts. These were designed to protect the pharaoh's body and belongings from robbers.

• King's Chamber: This is the main chamber in the pyramid, where the pharaoh's sarcophagus (a stone coffin) was placed.
• Queen's Chamber: This chamber is smaller than the King's Chamber and its purpose is not entirely known.
• Grand Gallery: This is a long, sloping passageway that leads to the King's Chamber.
• Air Shafts: These are narrow shafts that run from the chambers to the outside of the pyramid. Their purpose is also not entirely known, but some believe they were used for ventilation or for religious purposes.

The Pyramids Today

Today, the Egyptian pyramids are one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. Millions of people visit Egypt each year to see these amazing structures and learn about the ancient Egyptians.

The pyramids are also a source of ongoing research and study. Archaeologists are still uncovering new information about the pyramids and the people who built them.

Fun facts about the Egyptian pyramids

• The earliest known Egyptian pyramids are found at Saqqara, northwest of Memphis.
• The first historically documented Egyptian pyramid is attributed to the 3rd Dynasty pharaoh Djoser.
• Several of the Giza pyramids are counted among the largest structures ever built.
• The Pyramid of Khufu is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence.
• The sides of the Great Pyramid of Giza are aligned almost perfectly with the cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west).
• The ancient Egyptians used a unit of measurement called the "royal cubit" to build the pyramids.
• Some of the pyramids have secret chambers and passageways that have not yet been discovered.
• The pyramids were originally covered in smooth, white limestone, which would have made them shine brightly in the sun.
• The shape of Egyptian pyramids is thought to represent the primordial mound from which the Egyptians believed the earth was created.
• One theory suggests that pyramids were designed as a type of "resurrection machine." The Egyptians believed the dark area of the night sky around which the stars appear to revolve was the physical gateway into the heavens. One of the narrow shafts that extend from the main burial chamber through the entire body of the Great Pyramid points directly towards the center of this part of the sky. This suggests the pyramid may have been designed to serve as a means to magically launch the deceased pharaoh's soul directly into the abode of the gods.

Other pages

• Pyramid

Images for kids

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  Famous pyramids (cut-through with internal labyrinth layout)

See also

In Spanish: Pirámides de Egipto para niños