pyramids and ziggurats

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There are many similarities (and differences) between Ancient Egyptian Pyramids, Mesopotamian ziggurats, and the pyramids of Pre-Columbian South America. All of them had major significance for their peoples cultures and religious beliefs, as well as having historic significance today. The greatest parallel between all of these ancient skyscrapers is that they were made for the upper echelons of these now defunct civilizations.

The Egyptians built the most of these cultures. Over 90 royal pyramids were produced between roughly 2500 BC – 1500 BC. A daunting task considering that most of these pyramids were built nowhere near the supplies needed to make them. Giant stones were used, over a million for each pyramid and most stones weighed about 2 tons. The pyramids were basically gigantic tombs for kings and queens. They were seen as gateways between earth and the afterlife. The Egyptians believed that the dead royalties’ spirit could leave the body and travel through the sky with the sun each day. When the sun set in the west, the royal spirits settled into their pyramid tombs to renew themselves. The mummified body would be placed in these tombs surrounded by important earthly possessions and hieroglyphs telling their stories. Surrounding the pyramids were mortuary temples where mummification took place and where priest preformed rituals. The pyramids’ form evolved over the years when they were built, from a step design to the now synonymous slee...

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