One of the outstanding mysteries of mankind are the pyramids. Engineers are still amazed at the scope and complexity of the work, and historians cannot understand what exactly prompted the ancient peoples to build these structures. Also, there are still disputes about the true purpose of these monuments of ancient architecture. Some believe that the structures of Yucatan and Egypt are related, but this is not so. This is indicated by both the age of the pyramids and the aspects of their construction.
Egypt
The Great Pyramid, located on the Giza plateau in Egypt, has been striking the imagination of all researchers and ordinary tourists for a very long time. In general, the same can be said about her "sisters". Despite the seismic activity of the construction site over the past thousands of years, these amazing and bizarre monuments of ancient culture are surprisingly well preserved.
Scientists suggest that in the past there were much more pyramids in Egypt, but … But then the Romans came. The first rule of Rome is more good roads! After all, it is so convenient to transfer new legions through them! So a large part of the “medium” pyramids turned into the material of Roman road builders. Today tourists andthe locals, who still use the ancient roads, “knead with their feet” the remains of ancient structures!
The first of the pyramids and its age
One cannot discuss the age of the pyramids without talking about the time when the first such structure was erected in Egypt. It is believed that this happened about five thousand years ago, and the construction was started on the initiative of Pharaoh Djoser. It is in these five thousand years that the total age of the pyramids in Egypt is estimated. By the way, the famous Imhotep supervised the construction. He was such a good "contractor" that in later centuries the grateful Egyptians even deified him.
Caring for relatives
At that time, the construction area was huge - 545 by 278 meters. The perimeter of this structure was protected by a wall ten meters high at once, in which 14 gates were made at once … of which only one was real. In addition to himself, Djoser ordered to take care of the afterlife of his family members: for this, the builders prepared 11 additional smaller burial chambers.
The Pyramid of Djoser is not only considered the most ancient in Egypt, but also the most unique, since its sides are a "staircase" that can be seen on structures in the center of Yucatan. There is no need to look for mystical coincidences here, since in both cases such a construction had a sacred meaning, implying the ascension of the ruler to heaven.
How old are the structures on the Giza Plateau?
It is believed that the age of the Egyptian pyramidsthe Giza plateau is 4.5 thousand years. But with the dating of many structures, difficulties arise, since they were partially rebuilt, restored, and therefore even radiocarbon analysis cannot give absolutely accurate answers. The rest of the pyramids were presumably built during the Old Kingdom - around 2300 BC. e.
To this day, 80 pyramids have survived in Egypt, and the most beautiful are those that remained after the fourth dynasty. But since ancient times, only three are considered a real Wonder of the World. Their names are known to everyone - the pyramid of Cheops, Khafre and Menkaure. The age of the pyramid of Cheops and the other two is about four thousand years, which cannot but surprise.
Pyramids of Mexico
The Mexican pyramids are no less impressive and majestic monuments of human architecture and incredibly hard work. They still amaze anyone who sees them to this day, and even at the time of the first discovery, the impression was ten times higher!
They were erected by the Aztecs, Toltecs, Mayans and some other South American peoples. It is sometimes very difficult for scientists to understand all this “vinaigrette”, since almost all written sources of these cultures were destroyed during the Spanish conquest. But what about the age of the pyramids that were erected by the ancestors of the modern inhabitants of Latin America? First you need to get a little familiar with the history of the peoples who lived here.
The civilization of Cuicuilco blossomed most brightly here. The peak of its maximum power falls onperiod from 1500 to 200 BC. Why are we all saying this? The fact is that the largest and most impressive pyramid of Cuicuilco was built at that time (the southern part of Mexico City). Moreover, this building is unique, since its section is… round, ideally fitting into the surrounding landscape.
How was the Cuicuilco Pyramid forgotten?
But scientists did not find it right away. When at the beginning of our era there was a grandiose eruption of the volcano Shitle, this unique archaeological monument was completely buried under a layer of ash, lava and tuff. Only in 1917, during archaeological research, scientists accidentally discovered this pyramid.
The eruption of the same volcano put an end to the development of civilization in this region, and therefore no other magnificent architectural monuments were found here. If we talk about modern ideas, then the inhabitants who left these places became the "foundation" of the people of Teotihuacan, who also built their pyramids.
Pyramids of other nationalities
The civilization of Teotihuacan dates back to 200 BC. The same approximate age of the pyramids in that region. This people existed until 700 AD. The place they chose for themselves is known all over the world today. Teotihuacan. By the way, this name was given by the Aztecs, who came here after a thousand years. What this area was originally called, we do not know today. So when were the majestic pyramids erected here, which still amaze the imagination today?
Who specifically built them is not entirely clear today: either the Teotihuacan people themselves, or the Aztecs who came to replace them. The latter had a legend that the three great pyramids were actually built by giants. So three buildings. Three pyramids: Solar, Lunar and Quetzalcoatl. The latter, by the way, is the most beautiful and majestic. It is believed that they were built somewhere around 500 BC. e.
Because of what the city was abandoned?
So the age of the Giza pyramids is much older. Most likely, initially there were much more ancient architectural monuments in these parts, but volcanoes spoiled the whole thing. Under a thick layer of solidified lava, a lot of interesting things are probably hidden, but we are unlikely to ever see it. The ongoing excavations clearly show that the construction of the city was carried out according to a very strict and logically completed plan. Scientists suggest that the city lived within 200 thousand people! And this is before the beginning of our era!
The destruction of the city and part of the pyramids today are "accused" of both some natural disasters and a social split, when the numerous poor people are simply tired of enduring ever-increasing arbitrariness on the part of the highest nobility. The city of Teotihuacan was savagely plundered and destroyed. But both hypotheses are highly controversial, since no evidence of violence was found, and as for looting, anyone could do it. If the city was abandoned for some reason, then the neighboring peoples can also be blamed. They obviously would not have missed such a "tidbit" piece.
What is the difference between Egyptian and Mexicanpyramids?
Many believe that they are almost identical, and due to this, they put forward various (in terms of the degree of absurdity) theories about the Atlanteans and the “heavenly descendants” who fled from the cataclysm, but everything is not so. The pyramids of Egypt and Mexico are similar only externally (and even then relatively), but in everything else they have a lot of differences.
Firstly, in Egypt these buildings were absolutely smooth, while the Aztecs, Toltecs and Mayans built them stepwise initially. Secondly, the pharaohs considered the pyramids exclusively as a place of their rest from earthly anxieties, and in Mexico the pyramids were used exclusively as temples, and even very bloody sacrificial rituals were performed there.
Other differences
Thirdly, the tops of structures in South America are completely flat, since it was there that the priests did their bloody work. Moreover, there is also an additional building, which just served as a temple and a “slaughter shop” in combination. In principle, you can also climb to the top of the Egyptian pyramid, but doing something there is impossible due to the banal lack of space.
Fourth, the age of the Mayan and Egyptian pyramids. In Mexico, almost all of these buildings were built literally at the beginning of our era, while the tombs of the pharaohs were built three to four thousand years before our era.
Conspiracy theorists may argue that all this is nothing, because the main characteristic of these structures, that is, the pyramidal shape, in all cases isthe same. But this is not an argument, since such forms are found in nature, and a gap of several thousand years suggests that the Toltecs or the Maya themselves reached the most convenient form of their temples.
On the basis of what is the age of the pyramids determined?
So how does science determine the age of the Egyptian pyramids and their Mexican "relatives"? Based on radiocarbon analysis, which began to be actively used only in 1984. At that time, Egyptologists examined at least 64 samples of organic matter from the pyramids. Measurements showed that many of the structures on the Giza plateau were 400 years older than previously thought. However, some of them were “only” 120 years older, but even this can be significant in some cases.
After this, the pyramids of Giza, whose age turned out to be noticeably older than the "official" values, began to attract researchers from all over the world even more. However, this circumstance did not cool the heated debate about the nature of these structures.
So, it was reliably established that the pyramid of Cheops was built no earlier than 2985 BC. e. This is five centuries more than previously thought! However, this is already enough to refute the version of "the Atlanteans who built these structures tens of thousands of years before our era." The age of the pyramids of the pharaohs turned out to be much more modest. It should be noted that even radiocarbon analysis has raised several new questions for researchers.
So, it is already known for sure that the pyramid of Khafre was erected somewhere around 2960. This gives a logical reason to assume that its construction was carried out almost simultaneously with the Cheops. It is also possible that it was a separate complex of two structures, the construction of which could have had a hand in one and the same pharaoh. It would be quite normal to assume that the pyramid of Menkaure was built somewhere in the next 50 years…
But radiocarbon analysis showed that it was built no earlier than 2572 BC. e. This one is almost 400 years later than the estimated date! Moreover, in 1984, scientists found that the famous Sphinx was built in 2416 BC. e. Simply put, five centuries after the Khafre pyramid! But historians have long assumed that these two objects were built together…
The age of the Mayan pyramids was determined similarly. Moreover, in this case, there were practically no problems, since the cities of this people were abandoned, no one was engaged in completion and restoration, and therefore the result of radiocarbon analysis was much more accurate.
