The Pyramids PYRAMIDS AND ZIGGURATS COMPARING AND CONTRASTING ANCIENT EGYPTIAN Built circa 2649–1500s B.C.E. White limestone Old and Middle Kingdom Egypt cladding PYRAMIDS AND MESOPOTAMIAN ZIGGURATS

Deep inside, in a secret chamber, Early civilizations in the Middle East, the Americas, and elsewhere built towering pyramids entombed Egypt’s dead structures that held importance in their societies. But their meaning to the people The Ziggurats rulers to assure their safe transition Built circa 2100–500s B.C.E. to the afterlife. Beside the ruler’s who planned, built, and lived with them was markedly different. Sumer / Babylonia / Assyria mummified body, the pyramid contained food and supplies for their High atop the ziggurats, scholars comfort and support in the afterlife. believe there was either a shrine to Pyramids developed from an earlier Tigris the greatest god of the location or one-layer rectangular tomb, called a an area designed for astronomical Portcullis Air shafts mastaba. Experts continue to argue Dur Sharrukin observation. Since there are no about how they were constructed. complete ziggurats left in the world, Grand gallery we cannot know with certainty. The Great Pyramid of Giza, built by Ziggurats may have developed from Ascending passage Nineveh Khufu in the early 2500s B.C.E., is the King’s chamber earlier shrines that were raised above largest of the Egyptian pyramids. It Kalhu ground level. contains 2.3 Euphrates Entrance million limestone blocks, with Asshur The Great Ziggurat of Ur was built by an average weight of 1.8 metric Queen’s chamber Hassuna Ur-Nammu in the twenty-first century tons (2 tons) per block, Descending passage B.C.E. and was dedicated to the moon mainly from a nearby Mari god Nanna/Sin. It is a rectangular, limestone quarry. There Subterranean chamber three-layer ziggurat, without interior are three burial chambers chambers. Entered by three staircases in the pyramid, with the Tell Asmar (one in the front, and one on each king’s chamber composed of granite. side), its sides aligned from north to Etemenanki Great Pyramid at Giza Babylon south and from east to west. It was built The Step Pyramid of Djoser, built using sunbaked mud bricks and with in Saqqara circa 2600 B.C.E. and Lagash Barsippa Susa a baked brick casing for protection. designed by Imhotep, is considered Mediterranean Sea the first Egyptian pyramid. Imhotep Nippur Etemenanki, also known as the Temple built it up from a simple, one-layer Uruk of Marduk and thought by some to Sais Basora mastaba with an underground burial Heliópolis Ur be the original Tower of Babel, was a Giza Temple chamber to a six-step pyramid. Cairo seven-layer Babylonian ziggurat, with Djoser Built with sunbaked Memphis Eridu each layer a different color. The top Red mud bricks The first king of the Fourth Dynasty, Pyramid Tell-el-Amarna was probably accessed using ramps. Sneferu (father of Khufu), built three Bent Pyramid pyramids around 2500 B.C.E. The first, Assyrian king Sargon II built a ziggurat modern day coastline in Dur Sharrukin, now Khorsabad, in the Meidum Pyramid, was an attempt Meidum Persian Gulf at a true (straight-sided) pyramid Amarna the eighth century B.C.E. There are constructed over a step pyramid. Its four layers left, originally colored in limestone casing seems not to have Side staircases order from the bottom, white, black, had enough support: part of it fell off. red, and white or blue. This may be the reason that Snefru’s City location second pyramid, the Bent Pyramid, Open portal which was meant to be a true pyramid Known ziggurat locations from the start, has a sudden change Dendera Valley of the Karna Red Sea Known pyramid locations of angle. Maybe the builders realized Kings the original angle was too steep. Luxor Sneferu’s Red Pyramid, his third, was the first true pyramid to survive. Main staircase Great Ziggurat of Ur