Triangles are an important shape when it comes to the construction of buildings. They're a sturdy, simple shape, so it's no surprise to see that ancient civilizations built pyramids. The most notable being the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, as well as the Mayan Pyramids. But, what sets them so much apart? What are the similarities? What key parts make them so unique?
When looking at Mayan and Egyptian pyramids side by side, one would immediately notice the difference in heights between the two. The Great Pyramid of Giza stands at an astounding 480ft, with the Mayan pyramids standing only 401ft less, or simply 79ft (Source 4). With such a baffling number, it's no wonder the pyramid of Giza has been titled as "Great". But this doesn't mean the Mayan pyramids aren't impressive, with the ornate details with stairs and a entrance placed at the top. The questions stands as to why such a height was determined for the pyramid, especially when it's six times the height of the Mayans'?The answer can easily be answered with the purpose of the pyramids.
Egypt was ruled by a single ruler, or a Pharaoh. When the Pharaoh dies, a monument is erected in memorial of the Pharaoh. The Great Pyramids of Giza serve that purpose
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The Mayan pyramids were built with an entrance at the top lead by a staircase on every side of the pyramid. These pyramids were used as temples for worship, along side the tombs of dead leaders. Yet, only priests were allowed to climb the stairs to the top, using them for religious rituals such as sacrifices. To add even more, the Mayans placed the locations of the pyramids to "note important points in the calendar, such as the solstice and equinox"(Source 3). Compared to the Pyramids of Giza, the Mayan pyramids don't come close when it comes to height, but in the tactical sense, the Mayans beat them by a
The extraordinary pyramid you are currently looking at was created by the Zapotec. The amazing pyramid is located in Monte Albán. The pyramid was created during the 700s BCE. This pyramid is large and has alot of terraces. This pyramid also contains deep stone stairs. It's thought that this pyramid was used for storage, mostly valuable items. Also, people thought that this pyramid was used sometimes for a home of rulers of the land.
The Egyptians used their pyramids to honor their gods and pharaohs, and the Mayans had flat pyramids that they worshipped their gods on. The Egyptian pyramids were huge and in a triangle shape. Both of these civilizations also sacrificed their gods on their specific pyramids. One thing the Mayans had that the Egyptians didn’t was a priestly caste, which is a social group that officiates sacrifices and leading prayers. Both of them used calendars in different ways than we use them today.
...d in the way it was.(Exploratorium.edu) Both the stairs representing the number of years on the calendar and the way the pyramid was built axis-wise, The pyramid of Kukulkán can be argued to be a pyramid built out of belief in symbols. As with the pyramid of Kukulkán, many Mayan temples were shown to reflect the belief of nine levels of the underworld.
Maya architecture is best characterized by the soaring pyramid temples and ornate palaces which were built in all Mayan cities across Mesoamerica from El Tajin in the north to Copan in the south. Pyramids were the epicenter of all Mayan cities because the culture was based on a theocratic design; the famed stepped pyramids had both political and religious significance and unifying Mayan civilization. With large quantities of limestone and flint available, plaster and cement were easily produced. This allowed the Mayans to build impressive temples, with stepped pyramids, multi-level elevated platforms, massive step-pyramids, corbelled roofing, monumental stairways, and exteriors decorated with sculpture and moldings of Mayan hieroglyphs, geometric shapes, and iconography from religion such as serpent masks are all typical features of Maya architecture. On the summits were thatched- roof temples, known as "Triadic Groups".
For the ancient Maya, the world was alive and full of sacred spaces such as caves and mountains, and “The architecture of ritual space replicated the features of sacred geography – the forest, the mountain, and the cave” (Schele and Freidel 72). Classical Maya kings invested a great deal of resources into pyramid construction, and the form of these buildings was carefully calculated. The shape of the pyramid emulated that of a mountain. The external layout, a series of landings and plazas of increasing size, enforced the social hierarchy by controlling the number of people in attendance and their proximity to the sacred spaces (Schele and Frei...
The pyramid was erected nearly around 2000 years ago as a memorial to this long event , as a place of worship the great gods, and maybe is used as a tomb of the ruler who had it built. Rising at 60m (c. 200 feet) . Two pyramids were their main works , the pyramid of the moon and of the sun, (The Avenue Of The Dead) , a set of huge compounds ( the ' Ciudadela' or Citadel and the 'Great Compound'), and finally their own homes. Then the Teotihuacan's grew to surround the Pyramid of the sun with a densely settled urban grid covering 20 sq. km ( 8 sq. miles ) and housing over 100,000 people.
The Mayans were known for their engineering, one structure they were famous for is their pyramid temple
One similarity between the ways that African and Mesoamerican rulers used art and architecture is that many large structures were built to mark places of worship or religious significance in order to create a sense of unity among citizens and to retain power and social order. In Mesoamerica, the Mayan Temple of the Great Jaguar in Tijal, one of the tallest structures n the Mayan civilization, helped to diffuse the idea of worshipping the Tiakli ruler. A majority of Mayans worshipped the leader, which created a sense of unity between people. Having one common deity throughout the city reduced religious tensions and allowed for peace between people. Furthermore, his successors, notably Yik'in Chan K'awiil, could use the religious structure to
The Pyramids Of Giza were chosen as they are three extraordinary structures that give a rich insight into the context, culture, function, technology, power and experiential aspects of the time period and the buildings themselves. The three pyramids showcase the Egyptian’s advanced construction and design methods, their religious beliefs and practices, their rich and diverse culture, the power of the king, as well as the context that surrounded these magnificent structures.
The people who is basically in charge of the pyramid didn’t let anyone visit El Castillo until 1988 they decided to give brief tours and let any visitors come and view the pyramid. They even allowed people to walk up the steps, but some people don’t make it to the top because of how many steps there is. In 2007 they denied anyone who wanted to walk up the staircase due to a woman's death while going up there, she collapsed and fell down from all those stairs that she had passed up. So no one now can go up those stairs anymore until further notice but it has been 10 years since then and I am pretty sure they won’t let anyone go up the staircases anymore. But that doesn’t stop any of the tourists from coming, they like to learn about the history and just having the perfect view right in front of them must feel so fascinating. Because of the Mayan villagers we now have this amazing pyramid in this
The Kukulcan, also known as El Castillo, is considered the most famous monument in the city; a unique feature of the pyramid is that it represents today’s modern calendar. A 16th-century Spanish bishop, Diego de Landa, named this pyramid after the legendary ruler of the city and the ancient snake deity. The accuracy of Mayan astronomy influenced the number of steps the temple has. In addition to space observations, the Maya used their mathematical knowledge to create a monument that has 91 steps on each side and a total of 365 steps, the same number of days in a year. The Mayans wanted to create monuments to observe and ...
Before man and woman were ever constituted, enormous monsters that stood over forty-feet-high with sharp teeth, enormous feet, and furfuraceous skin roamed the Earth. A certain group who meandered around were not sinister monsters at all. These creatures tried to keep to themselves and avert from the monsters that could attack them. The monsters acquired the name Giant Devils while the ones who were not harmful called themselves Peaceful Ones. They are known as the first dwellers of the earth. But only one group of them would remain.
Despite this research and archeological findings many people still believe the Great pyramids were built for some kind of a higher purpose, many claims say they are built in the exact geometric center of the earth; and they also directly correlate to the constellations. These people believe the pyramids contain an astronomical power, some think they are some kind of a star gate. These people believe the Egyptians possessed a lost technology that may have sunk with city of Atlantis; some believe aliens were the inspiration, and force behind theses erections, others think the pyramids were the divine influence of god himself in his preparation for the second coming of Christ. It would probably be absurd to think the Egyptians built the pyramids with only an understanding of mathematical concept, hard work, and a lot of time.
The construction of the Great Pyramid is still a mystery and marvel to this day, there are seven major feats that archeologists still don’t understand.
It is believed that the shape of the pyramid was an important religious statement. Some scholars believe that this is true while others still debate the possibilities. We can assume that the Egyptians were trying to symbolize the slanting rays of the sun. It is also believed that the sloping sides on the pyramid were intended to help the soul of the king climb to the sky and join the gods.