Pyramid

A pyramid (from Ancient Greek (puramís), from the Egyptian pir-em-us) is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular and come together at the top, making it look like a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be any shape, such as triangular or quadrilateral, and its sides can be flat or stepped.

Pyramids are built with most of their weight closer to the ground and less weight near the top, or apex. This way of distributing weight helped early civilizations build very large and important structures.

Ancient civilizations around the world built pyramids. The largest pyramid by size is the Mesoamerican Great Pyramid of Cholula, located in the Mexican state of Puebla. For thousands of years, the biggest structures on Earth were pyramids, first the Red Pyramid in the Dashur Necropolis and then the Great Pyramid of Khufu, both in Egypt. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that still exists today.

Ancient monuments

West Asia

Main article: Ziggurat

The Mesopotamians built early pyramidal structures called ziggurats. These were brightly painted and made of sun-dried mud-brick. Ziggurats were built by several ancient groups, including the Sumerians, Babylonians, Elamites, Akkadians, and Assyrians. Each ziggurat was part of a temple complex. The earliest ziggurats date back to around 4000 BC.

Africa

Main article: Egyptian pyramids

Chogha Zanbil is an ancient Elamite complex in the Khuzestan province of Iran.

The most famous African pyramids are in Egypt. These huge structures were built of bricks or stones, often limestone, and shaped to reflect the sun's rays. Many had a smooth white limestone surface. Ancient Egyptians built pyramids from 2700 BC until around 1700 BC. The first pyramid was built during the Third Dynasty by Pharaoh Djoser. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest in Egypt and was the tallest structure in the world until 1311 AD.

Main article: Nubian pyramids

Sudan has the most pyramids in the world, with 220 extant pyramids. Nubian pyramids were built at three sites in Sudan and had steeper sides than Egyptian pyramids. These pyramids were constructed as late as 200 AD.

Main article: Tomb of Askia

The Tomb of Askia in Gao, Mali, is believed to be the burial place of Askia Mohammad I. Built at the end of the fifteenth century, it is the largest pre-colonial architectural monument in Gao.

Main article: Nsude pyramid shrines

In Nigeria, the Nsude pyramids were built of clay/mud. These structures were temples for the god Ala and required periodic reconstruction due to their clay construction.

The pyramids of the Giza necropolis, as seen from the air

Europe

Main article: Greek pyramids

Pausanias mentioned two pyramid-like buildings in Greece. These structures had inwardly sloping walls and were made of locally quarried limestone. They date from around the 5th and 4th centuries BC.

Main article: Kuyavian Pyramids

Kuyavian Pyramids, also known as Kuyavian Mounds, are large tombs in Kuyavia, Poland.

The 27-metre-high Pyramid of Cestius was built by the end of the 1st century BC and still stands near the Porta San Paolo.

Pyramids at Meroe with pylon-like entrances

Americas

Peru

Andean cultures built pyramids in structures such as those in Caral, Túcume, and Chavín de Huantar.

Mesoamerica

Main article: Mesoamerican pyramids

Mesoamerican cultures built pyramid-shaped structures, often stepped with temples on top. The largest by volume is the Great Pyramid of Cholula in Puebla, Mexico. The Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan is also in Mexico.

United States

Nubian pyramids at archaeological sites of the Island of Meroe

Many pre-Columbian Native American societies built large pyramidal earth structures known as platform mounds. One of the largest is Monks Mound at Cahokia in Illinois, completed around 1100 AD.

Asia

Main article: Chinese pyramids

Many square flat-topped mound tombs exist in China. The first emperor Qin Shi Huang was buried under a large mound near modern-day Xi'an.

India

Numerous giant granite temple pyramids were built in South India during the Chola Empire. Examples include the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur and the Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram.

Indonesia

Austronesian culture in Indonesia featured earth and stone step pyramid structures called punden berundak. The 8th century Borobudur Buddhist monument in Central Java is a step pyramid.

Oceania

Several pyramids were built throughout the Pacific islands, such as Puʻukoholā Heiau in Hawaii and the Pulemelei Mound in Samoa.

Modern pyramids

Pyramids continue to inspire modern architecture around the world. In Ireland, two pyramid-shaped tombs were built in Maudlin's Cemetery around 1840 for the De Burgh family. In Paris, France, the famous Louvre Pyramid, a glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre Museum, was designed by architect I. M. Pei and finished in 1989. Another interesting pyramid is the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, United States, which stands 30 stories tall.

Other notable modern pyramids include the Memphis Pyramid in Tennessee, originally a sports arena and later turned into a store, and the Walter Pyramid at California State University, Long Beach, home to the school's basketball and volleyball teams. There are also pyramids used as museums, like the Hanoi Museum in Vietnam, and buildings with unique pyramid shapes, such as the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, California.