Pyramid Text
(noun)
A collection of spells to protect the pharaoh from harm in the afterlife.
Examples of Pyramid Text in the following topics:
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Tombs of the Middle Kingdom
- Unlike the Old Kingdom, however, Middle Kingdom royal pyramids were not quite as well constructed, and so few of them remain as pyramid structures today.
- In the Old Kingdom, the Pyramid Texts, which contained spells to help the dead reach the afterlife successfully, were only accessible to the elite.
- Coffin Texts, as they are called by the scholars, expanded upon the Pyramid Texts, introducing new spells and incorporating slight changes to make them more relatable to the nobility.
- In contrast to the Pyramid Texts, which focus on the celestial realm, the Coffin Texts emphasize the subterranean elements of the afterlife ruled by Osiris in a place called the Duat.
- Spells in the Coffin Texts were intended to help the deceased contend with these impediments.
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The Book of the Dead
- The Book of the Dead was a funerary text designed to assist a deceased person's journey through the underworld and into the afterlife.
- Despite the word "book" in the common title, the Book of the Dead was actually printed on scrolls, as opposed to bound texts.
- The Book of the Dead was part of a tradition of funerary texts which includes the earlier Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom and the Coffin Texts of the Middle Kingdom.
- For instance, Pyramid Texts were written in an unusual hieroglyphic style, were exclusive to those of royal privilege, and saw the afterlife as being in the sky.
- The text was written in both black and red ink from either carbon or ochre, respectively.
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Tombs
- During the Old Kingdom, these royal mastabas eventually developed into rock-cut "step pyramids" and then "true pyramids," although non-royal use of mastabas continued to be used for more than a thousand years.
- The Pyramids of Giza, massive stone-cut structures built from limestone quarried from the Nile River,are the most well-known example of pyramid tombs built during the Old Kingdom .
- During the Old Kingdom, only the pharaoh had access to this material, which scholars refer to as the Pyramid Texts.
- The Pyramid Texts are a collection of spells to assure the royal resurrection and protect the pharaoh from various malignant influences.
- The Pyramids of Giza served as tombs to the Kings.
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The Pyramids of the Old Kingdom
- In the following dynasties, the pyramid design changed from the "step" pyramid to a true pyramid shape as kings continued to build tombs for their kings.
- The Necropolis includes three pyramid complexes: the Great Pyramid (built by King Khufu of the 4th Dynasty); the somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre (buit by Khufu's son); and the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure.
- During the Old Kingdom, only the pharaoh had access to this material, which scholars refer to as the Pyramid Texts.
- The Pyramid Texts are a collection of spells to assure the royal resurrection and protect the pharaoh from various malignant influences.
- This view shows all three pyramid structures: the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure.
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Timeline
- 2560 BCE: The approximate time accepted as the completion of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest pyramid of the Giza Plateau.
- 2494 - 2345 BCE: The first of the oldest surviving religious texts, the Pyramid Texts, are composed in Ancient Egypt.
- 1200 BCE: Olmecs build earliest pyramids and temples in Central America.
- 950 BCE: The Torah begins to be written, generating the core texts of Judaism and foundation of later Abrahamic religions.
- In the Mayan civilization, stepped pyramids are constructed .
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Architecture of the Middle Kingdom
- It is one of the five remaining pyramids of the original eleven pyramids at Dahshur in Egypt.
- Originally named Amenemhet is Mighty, the pyramid earned the name "Black Pyramid" for its dark, decaying appearance as a rubble mound.
- Typical for Middle Kingdom pyramids, the Black Pyramid, although encased in limestone, is made of mud brick and clay instead of stone.
- Workers' villages were often built nearby to pyramid construction sites.
- Middle Kingdom pyramids consist of mud brick and clay encased in limestone.
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Art and Architecture in the Kingdom of Kush
- The kings of Kush adopted the Egyptian architectural idea of building pyramids as funerary monuments.
- However, Kushite pyramids were built above the underground graves, whereas the Egyptian graves were inside the pyramid.
- The kings' tombs were lodged under large pyramids made of stone.
- Ordinary citizens were buried in much smaller pyramids.
- The most famous examples of Kushite pyramids are located in their capital Meroë.
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Architecture of the Maya
- They built imposing pyramids, temples, palaces, and administrative structures in densely populated cities.
- The Temple of the Inscriptions is a nine-level pyramid that rises to a height of about 75 feet.
- One of Chichen Itza's most conspicuous structures is El Castillo (Spanish for the castle), a massive, nine-level pyramid in the center of a large plaza with a stairway on each side leading to a square temple on the pyramid's summit.
- Temple of the Inscriptions (tomb pyramid of Lord Pakal), Palenque, Mexico, 7th century
- Palace (right) and Temple of the Inscriptions, tomb-pyramid of Lord Pakal (left).
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Teotihuacan
- Teotihuacan's principal monuments include the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon, and the Ciudadela (Spanish for fortified city center), a vast sunken plaza surrounded by temple platforms.
- Its focal point was the pyramidal Temple of the Feathered Serpent.
- Detail of pyramid, showing the alternating talud base and vertical tablero (left).
- View from the Pyramid of the Moon down the Avenue of the Dead to the Ciudadela and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent.
- The Pyramid of the Sun is at the middle left.
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Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Art
- King Djoser's architect, Imhotep, is credited with the development of building with stone and with the conception of the new architectural form—the Step Pyramid.
- Indeed, the Old Kingdom is perhaps best known for the large number of pyramids constructed at this time as pharaonic burial places.
- For this reason, the Old Kingdom is frequently referred to as "the Age of the Pyramids."