About Pyramid Models
Egyptian pyramids have fascinated scientists, architects and builders throughout the world for centuries. Hobbyists and archeologists have been making models of the pyramids of Egypt for decades. From the scientific scale model constructed at the Boston Science Museum to small paper pyramid models, the mathematical precision of pyramids remains a mystery and a fascination that engages thousands of model builders around the world.
-
History
-
The earliest recognizable pyramids were built during the Third Dynasty in Egypt by the Pharaoh Djoser, and designed by Imhotep around 2600 BC. The design was a variation on a structure that had already been in use for well over 500 years, the Mastaba. Mastabas were long, low structures built of mud bricks. They were used as tombs for the pharaoh and his people. Imhotep designed a structure that we now call the Stepped Pyramid. It consisted of six Mastabas in graduated sizes, each stacked upon the other. The tomb of Djoser can still be seen at Giza, along with many other pyramids. The True Pyramids, the ones we are most familiar with today, were built around 2500 BC, and are located about eight kilometers from the town of Giza. There, several pyramids form an official Necropolis, or City of the Dead. Among the tombs located there are the Great Pyramid, the tomb of Khufu, which was completed about 2560 BC.
A model of the Great Pyramid at Giza was built at the Boston Science Museum in the 1950s and is generally acknowledged as the first large-scale model of one of the pyramids. The model was built using methods and tools that were known to have existed during the building of the original pyramids, and that method is one of the most plausible theories to date of how the great pyramids were built using only primitive hand tools and human labor.
Function
-
The Egyptian pyramids were built to serve as tombs for the Pharaoh, his wives and his household. There are some, however, who believe that the pyramids may also have served other purposes. Some mystical sects, for instance, believe that the pyramids generated some sort of energy or power, or even that they served as guidance for alien space ships. It is most likely that pyramids served two functions in Egyptian culture. First, they were meant to serve as the final resting place of a Pharaoh and his household, and second, they were centers of worship for that Pharaoh, who was considered a deity.
Pyramid models also serve different functions. The most common reason for building a pyramid model is to make a replica of the ancient pyramids, either for educational or entertainment purposes. Some people, however, build pyramids because they believe that the pyramid shape helps focus energy and may help in healing, meditation and happiness. -
Types
-
Most Egyptian pyramids can be divided into two broad types--stepped pyramids and true pyramids. Stepped pyramids evolved from the traditional mastaba tomb and look like a set of steps rising toward the peak. True pyramids are also called sloped pyramids. Their sides are smooth and sloping like a mountain peak or a mound.
Most pyramid models are of true pyramids because those are the best known pyramids. Pyramid models may be made of paper, stone, cast plaster, plastic and many other materials. They can be built from a kit or from a plan. Some pyramid models are exact replicas of ancient Egyptian pyramids built to scale while others are mathematical models that are not based on an existing pyramid structure. In addition, the more complex pyramid models include the entire pyramid complex surrounding the main pyramid.
Time Frame
-
The Egyptian pyramids were built between 3000 and 2400 BC. It's been estimated that the more elaborate pyramids, like the Great Pyramid at Giza, took close to 20 years to build. A pyramid model won't take anywhere near that amount of time to build, of course. Depending on the complexity of the project, you can make a pyramid model in as little as an hour. More complex models that are built to scale and require casting of resin or plaster will take longer, especially since the plaster must harden and dry before the pyramid can be assembled.
Considerations
-
There are a number of things to consider when deciding to build a pyramid model. Knowing the answers to these questions can help you decide what kind of model to build.
Why are you building a pyramid model? If you are building the model as a school project or for educational purposes, for instance, a scale model replica is probably the best option. If you are building it for fun or to try out a new theory, you might choose to build a pyramid model from an unusual material, or one that is not a replica of an existing pyramid.
How much time are you planning to put into your pyramid model project? The materials and the method of the pyramid model that you choose will determine how much time you spend making your model.
How much space do you have in which to work? A small model doesn't require much more than a table top. Some larger pyramid models may require an entire room in which to cast blocks and assemble your pyramid model.
Theories/Speculation
-
While most Egyptologists believe that the pyramids were built from large blocks of quarried stone that were cut from the earth and shaped, a number of scientists now question that assumption. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Philadelphia and in France have a different theory. They believe that the ancient Egyptians may have used crushed limestone and natural binding agents to make the first known concrete building material. They're testing their theories by building a pyramid model made of cast concrete using only tools and materials that would have been available to the Egyptian builders. If they are successful, their theories may reveal the mystery of how the ancient pyramids were built.
-
Resources
- Photo Credit biaerwicke@stock.exchang
