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The Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid-shaped masonry structures located in Egypt. As of November 2008, there are sources citing both 118 and 138 as the number of identified Egyptian pyramids. Most were built as tombs for the country's pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.〔〔Michael Ritter (2003) () Dating the Pyramids. Retrieved 13 April 2005〕 The earliest known Egyptian pyramids are found at Saqqara, northwest of Memphis. The earliest among these is the Pyramid of Djoser (constructed 2630 BC–2611 BC) which was built during the third dynasty. This pyramid and its surrounding complex were designed by the architect Imhotep, and are generally considered to be the world's oldest monumental structures constructed of dressed masonry. The most famous Egyptian pyramids are those found at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo. Several of the Giza pyramids are counted among the largest structures ever built.〔''"The Great Pyramid...is still one of the largest structures ever raised by man, its plan twice the size of St. Peter's in Rome"''〕 The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence. == Historical development == By the time of the early dynastic period of Egyptian history, those with sufficient means were buried in bench-like structures known as mastabas.〔() Burial customs: mastabas. University College London (2001) Retrieved 14 April 2005〕 The second historically documented Egyptian pyramid is attributed to the architect Imhotep, who planned what Egyptologists believe to be a tomb for the pharaoh Djoser. Imhotep is credited with being the first to conceive the notion of stacking mastabas on top of each other, creating an edifice composed of a number of "steps" that decreased in size towards its apex. The result was the Step Pyramid of Djoser which was designed to serve as a gigantic stairway by which the soul of the deceased pharaoh could ascend to the heavens. Such was the importance of Imhotep's achievement that he was deified by later Egyptians.〔Quirke, Stephen (2001). ''The Cult of Ra: Sun Worship in Ancient Egypt''. Thames & Hudson, pp. 118–120.〕 The most prolific pyramid-building phase coincided with the greatest degree of absolutist pharaonic rule. It was during this time that the most famous pyramids, those near Giza, were built. Over time, as authority became less centralized, the ability and willingness to harness the resources required for construction on a massive scale decreased, and later pyramids were smaller, less well-built and often hastily constructed. Long after the end of Egypt's own pyramid-building period, a burst of pyramid-building occurred in what is present-day Sudan, after much of Egypt came under the rule of the Kings of Napata. While Napatan rule was brief and ceased in 661 BC, the Egyptian influence made an indelible impression, and during the later Sudanese Kingdom of Meroe (approximately in the period between 300 BC – AD 300) this flowered into a full-blown pyramid-building revival, which saw more than two hundred indigenous, but Egyptian-inspired royal pyramid-tombs constructed in the vicinity of the kingdom's capital cities. Al-Aziz Uthman (1171–1198) tried to destroy the pyramids at Giza. He gave up after damaging the Pyramid of Menkaure, as the task proved too huge.〔Lehner, Mark. ''The Complete Pyramids'', London: Thames and Hudson (1997), p.41. ISBN 0-500-05084-8〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Egyptian pyramids」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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