Egyptian Pyramid Trivia
What are the Egyptian Pyramids?
A: The Egyptian pyramids are ancient
pyramid-shaped stone structures located in
Egypt.
As of November 2008, how many Egyptian pyramids
have been identified?
A: Over 118 and perhaps as many as 138.
Most were built as what?
A: Tombs for the country's pharaohs and their
consorts.
When were most of the pyramids built?
A: During the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.
Where are the earliest pyramids found?
A: At Saqqara, northwest of Memphis.
The earliest is which pyramid?
A: The Pyramid of Djoser.
When was the Pyramid of Djoser built?
A: 2630 BC–2611 BC during the third dynasty.
What architect designed the pyramid and its
surrounding complex?
A: Imhotep.
The pyramid and surrounding complex and are
generally considered to be what?
A: The world's oldest monumental structures
constructed of dressed masonry.
Where are the most famous Egyptian pyramids
located?
A: At Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo.
Several of the Giza pyramids are counted among
the what?
A: The largest structures ever built.
Which pyramid at Giza is the largest Egyptian
pyramid?
A: The Pyramid of Khufu.
It is the only one of the “what” still in
existence?
A: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
During the Early Dynastic Period, people with
enough wealth were buried in bench-like
structures known as what?
A: Mastabas.
The most prolific pyramid-building phase
coincided with what?
A: The greatest degree of absolutist rule.
Over time, as authority became less centralized,
the ability and willingness to harness the
resources required for construction on a massive
scale decreased, and later pyramids were what?
A: Smaller, less well-built and often hastily
constructed.
Long after the end of Egypt's own
pyramid-building period, where did a burst of
pyramid-building occur?
A: In what is present-day Sudan.
This was after much of Egypt came under the rule
of whom?
A: The kings of Napata.
Napatan rule was brief, ending when?
A: In 661 BC.
During the later Kingdom of Meroë there was a
full-blown pyramid-building revival, which saw
how many Egyptian-inspired indigenous royal
pyramid-tombs constructed in the vicinity of the
kingdom's capital cities?
A: More than two hundred.
Al-Aziz Uthman tried to destroy the Giza pyramid
complex, but why did he give up?
A: He gave up after damaging the Pyramid of
Menkaure because the task proved too big.
The shape of Egyptian pyramids is thought to
represent the primordial mound from which the
Egyptians believed what was created?
A: The earth.
The shape of a pyramid is thought to be
representative of what?
A: The descending rays of the sun.
Most pyramids were faced with polished, highly
reflective white limestone, in order to what?
A: Give them a brilliant appearance when viewed
from a distance.