7 Wonders of the Ancient World: Pyramids of Giza

Out of all the places on the list of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramids of Giza are clearly the wonder that stands out from the others. That can be attributed to several factors, the most obvious being that the pyramids are the only ancient wonder still in existence. The pyramids are also one of two ancient wonders that weren't constructed by the Greeks, the other wonder being the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Known widely as the capstone for Egypt, the pyramids embody much of what the Egyptian religion, culture and empire was during ancient times.

However, as we've seen with the ancient wonder the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, not all wonders just appeared at first try. Often they were meticulously planned master works, often taking several attempts at being constructed before becoming the structures we picture today. A prime example of the lesson ‘practice makes perfect’ in action, the Egyptians had several attempts at temple building before executing the Giza wonders. Some of the first types of pyramids attempted by the Egyptians were called step pyramids. These pyramids, when attempted and failed, resulted in structures call sunken pyramids. The most reference step pyramid is at Saqqara, slightly south of Giza. This Saqqara pyramid serves as the highlight of the funerary complex of Djoser (III Dynasty) and was designed by the ancient architecture Imhotep.

Other pyramids in the area are the rhomboid shaped pyramid (also known as the pyramid with a double slope) built by the pharaoh Snefru. The odd slope, or described as bulging in the center of the sides, has various stories behind its odd construction. Some believe it was truly an engineering problem, caught half way through construction and fixed by changing the angle of the sloping sides, while others believe the pharaoh grew ill so quickly that construction was rushed resulting in a different sloping angle halfway up the sides. The red pyramid of Dashur (or northern pyramid of Snefru) is so called because its limestone blocks have a red hue. This pyramid is often considered the first true pyramid of Egypt because its construction was the model used for later pyramids.

Eventually, after many dynasties of practice, the construction of the Pyramid of Cheops began. This construction was the official mark of moving the traditional burial sites north of Memphis, to the plateau of Giza. Chefren, the son of Cheops, constructed his pyramid on a slight rise besides his fathers; giving the false illusion that Chefren's pyramid it slightly higher. Chefren’s pyramid still shows some of the white limestone that used to cover the entire pyramid, making it a gleaming beacon in the desert sun. The limestone, however, was removed and used in other building constructions during the Arab period in Cairo. The last period, the pyramid of Mycerene, is the smallest of the three however its base was covered in slabs of syenite, a special quality of granite found at Aswan. Like the other pyramids, its summit was covered in limestone slabs, now all gone. The special granite was taken and used as sculpture material during the reign of the Ramses rulers at other funerary sites.

The pyramids have clearly made their mark on mankind. To imagine the three structures in their prime, covered in gleaming limestone as symbolic and literal jewels of the desert, is an overwhelming thought. Clearly these structures made their impact on the residents of the ancient world, just as they have won the hearts of so many of the world’s population since.

The Great Book of Archaeology, ISBN: 978-88-540-0395-8