What is the age of the Egyptian pyramids?
The inaugural pyramid in Egypt, an enduring symbol of the pharaohs' ancient dominion and technological prowess, was erected by Pharaoh Djoser approximately 4,700 years past. Over a millennium later, the final pyramid dedicated to a pharaoh, constructed for Ahmose I, dates back roughly 3,500 years. Post this epoch, Egyptian rulers found their resting places in subterranean tombs within the Valley of the Kings.
To contextualize, the construction of the ancient Egyptian pyramids unfolded between approximately 2700 B.C. and 1500 B.C. This renders the earliest pyramids contemporaneous with Stonehenge, established some 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. Notably, the pyramids predate other ancient marvels such as the Parthenon (447 B.C.), the Great Wall of China (220 B.C.), and the Colosseum (A.D. 80). A notable exception is Gobekli Tepe in Turkey, a Neolithic temple predating the pyramids by 11,000 to 12,000 years.
Djoser's pyramid, an amalgamation of six layers, originated as a rectangular tomb, referred to as a mastaba (an Arabic term meaning "bench"), before evolving into a step pyramid.
Inscriptions from antiquity attribute the direction of the step pyramid's construction to a man named Imhotep. Marc Van De Mieroop, a professor of history at Columbia University, noted, "Imhotep is usually regarded as the first architect in Egypt to build in stone and is credited with the building of Djoser's step pyramid complex." In later periods, Imhotep was venerated as a sage.
The rationale behind the Egyptian pharaohs' preference for pyramids as burial sites remains elusive. One conjecture suggests the intention was to fortify against tomb raiders. Egyptologist Reg Clark posited that the step pyramid, with its layered construction, provided a formidable defense against the prevalent method of top-down intrusion. Clark asserted that it functioned as a cost-effective means to create a protective "hemisphere" over the underlying substructure.
A pivotal innovation was the use of stone in constructing the step pyramid, diverging from the mudbrick mastabas employed by preceding pharaohs. This shift was strategic, as stone proved more impervious to infiltration.
Religious motivations may also have played a crucial role. Miroslav Verner, a professor emeritus of Egyptology, proposed that the surge in the influence of the sun cult and Ra, the sun god, during Djoser's reign could have prompted the desire to construct towering structures. A text dating back 4,400 years emphasized the ascent to the sky, invoking the Eye of Re.
The interplay between the burgeoning solar cult and the construction of the step pyramid remains a conundrum. Massimiliano Nuzzolo, a researcher at the Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, suggests a reciprocal relationship, questioning, "What came first, the egg or the chicken?" Nuzzolo theorizes that the architectural marvel influenced a shift in religious ideology, emphasizing the solar aspects of kingship.