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A pyramidion (plural pyramidia) is the uppermost piece or capstone of an Egyptian pyramid or obelisk 〔http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pyramidion〕 in archaeological parlance.〔Toby Wilkinson, The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, Thames & Hudson, 2005. p.197〕 They were called ''benbenet'' in the Ancient Egyptian language,〔Ermann, Grapow, ''Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache'' 1, 459.13-14〕 which associated the pyramid as a whole with the sacred benben stone.〔 In Egypt's Old Kingdom, pyramidia were generally made of diorite, granite, or fine limestone, which were then covered in gold or electrum; during the Middle Kingdom and through the end of the pyramid-building era, they were built from granite.〔(Pyramidia ) by Alan Winston〕 A pyramidion was "covered in gold leaf to reflect the rays of the sun"; during Egypt's Middle Kingdom, they were often "inscribed with royal titles and religious symbols."〔 Very few pyramidia have survived into modern times. Most of those that have are made of polished black granite, inscribed with the name of the pyramid's owner. A total of four pyramidia – the world's largest collection – is housed in the main hall of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Among them are the pyramidia from the so-called Black Pyramid of Amenemhat III at Dahshur and of the Pyramid of Khendjer at Saqqara.〔editors Regine Schulz and Matthias Seidel (w/34 contributing Authors), ''Egypt, The World of the Pharaohs,'' Konemann, Germany: 1998. ''Amenemhat III'', 1842–1797 BC〕 A badly damaged white Tura limestone pyramidion, thought to have been created for the Red Pyramid of Sneferu at Dahshur, has been reconstructed and is on open-air display beside that pyramid; it presents a minor mystery, however, as its angle of inclination is steeper than that of the edifice it was apparently created to surmount. == Private brick pyramids with pyramidia == During the New Kingdom, some private underground tombs were marked on the surface by small brick pyramids that terminated in pyramidia. The four lateral sides included texts and scenes related to the cult of the Sun God (as the Representation of Pharaoh). The scenes typically depict the course of the sun, rising on one lateral face, setting on the opposite face, and traveling, through the night, through the underworld, ruled by Osiris. 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「pyramidion」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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