It is interesting to see how the ancient Egyptians evolved from food for the Nile crocodiles into the best builders of antiquity. The Great Pyramids of Giza are still the hallmark of Egypt and the only surviving wonder of the world. But today we will talk about an older pyramid and the largest construction disaster of that time.
So, the pyramid in Medum.
A little materiel. Pharaoh Huni, the last pharaoh of the III dynasty, began to build the pyramid, about 4700 (four thousand seven hundred) years ago. This was the second pyramid in the world, and it was supposed to be stepped. And everything was fine until Pharaoh died.
The new pharaoh Sneferu, the first pharaoh of the IV dynasty, in addition to a name similar to a stifled sneeze, had grandiose plans for the Medum pyramid.
Top view of the pyramid. From this angle, the preserved foundation is better visible.
To begin with, the number of steps was increased. According to the new project, they should have become not 7, but 8. Well, in order to definitely be above everything around. Then, in the process of observing the construction, the pharaoh was visited by another, really ingenious, idea: to make limestone cladding and turn the stepped pyramid into a "real" one.
It must be said here that the first Egyptian pyramids were not built from stone blocks (their time will come later). They were built according to the "shit and stones" technology, which is still relevant to this day. Well, that is, they put the stones in the right way, fastened them with some kind of mortar - and that's it.) The Medum pyramid, built in this way, had a height of almost a hundred meters! Not for long though, hehe.
A schematic representation of the pyramid was-now.
Promotional video:
A break in the facing of the preserved part of the pyramid. Inside the breach, you can clearly see what it was built from.
The end of the story, as usual, is a little predictable. It is unlikely that Pharaoh saw this impressive spectacle with his own eyes, but for all the people in the area, the spectacle was definitely unforgettable. Almost the entire outer facing and part of the original steps crumbled in an instant, burying decades of labor of thousands of Egyptians.
Sneferu sneezed, scratched the back of his head and hammered his huge Pharaoh rod onto this pyramid. In the future, he will build at least four more pyramids, which perfectly show how the skill of the Egyptian builders grew. And yes, his latest Pink Pyramid has the right shape, gigantic dimensions and still feels great.
Author: Vladimir Drobenkov