One of the greatest secrets of mankind are the pyramids. The engineers are still amazed at the scope and complexity of the work, and historians cannot understand what exactly led the ancient peoples to erect these structures. There are still debates 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 long been striking the imagination of all explorers and ordinary tourists. In general, the same thing can be said about her "sisters." Despite the seismic activity of the construction site and over the past thousand 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! Indeed, it is so convenient for them to transfer new legions! So a considerable part of the pyramids of the “average damage” turned into the material of the Roman road builders. Today, tourists and locals who still use the ancient roads, “knead” the remains of the oldest structures!
The first of the pyramids and its age
You can not discuss the age of the pyramids without telling about the time when the first such construction was erected in Egypt. It is believed that this happened about five thousand years ago, and the construction was initiated at 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 led the construction. He was so “a contractor” that in later centuries the grateful Egyptians even deified him.
Care for relatives
At that time, the construction area was huge - 545 by 278 meters. The perimeter of this building was protected by a wall immediately ten meters high, in which 14 gates were made right away ... 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 funeral chambers.
Djoser’s pyramid is not only considered the oldest in Egypt, but also the most unique, since its sides are a “staircase” that can be seen on structures in the center of Yucatan. It is not necessary to look for mystical coincidences here, since in both cases the similar design 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 pyramids on the 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 a radiocarbon analysis cannot give absolutely accurate answers. The remaining pyramids were supposedly built during the time of the Old Kingdom - around 2300 BC. e.
To this day, 80 pyramids have been preserved in Egypt, and the most beautiful are those that remained after the fourth dynasty. But since ancient times, only three are considered to be a true Wonder of the World. Their names are known to everyone - the pyramid of Cheops, Chefren and Mykerin. The age of the Cheops pyramid and the other two is about four thousand years, which cannot but surprise.
Pyramids of Mexico
Mexican pyramids are no less impressive and magnificent monument to human architecture and incredibly hard work. To this day, they amaze everyone who saw them, 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 “salad”, since almost all the 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 modern Latin Americans? First you need to get a little acquainted with the history of those nationalities that lived here.
The civilization of Cuicuilco bloomed most vividly here. The peak of its maximum power falls on the period from 1500 to 200 BC. Why are we all saying this? The fact is that the largest and most impressive Quicuilco pyramid was built at that time (southern Mexico City). Moreover, the structure is unique, because its cross section ... is round, perfectly fits into the surrounding landscape.
How was the Cuicuilco pyramid forgotten?
But scientists did not immediately find it. When at the beginning of our era there was a grandiose eruption of the Schitle volcano, this unique archaeological site 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 the region, and therefore no other magnificent architectural monuments were found here. If we talk about modern ideas, then residents who left these places became the "foundation" of the Teotihuacan people, 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 nation lasted until 700 AD. The place they have chosen for themselves is today known throughout the world. Teotihuacan. Incidentally, this name was given by the Aztecs, who came here after a thousand years. What this place was originally called, we do not know today. So when were the magnificent pyramids erected here, which even today amaze the imagination?
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 erected 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.
What caused the city to be abandoned?
So the age of the pyramids in Giza is much greater. Most likely, initially there were much more monuments of ancient architecture in these parts, but volcanoes spoiled the whole thing. There are probably a lot of interesting things hidden under a thick layer of solidified lava, but we are unlikely to ever see it. The ongoing excavations clearly indicate that the construction of the city was carried out according to a very strict and logically completed plan. Scientists suggest that in the city lived within 200 thousand people! And this is before the beginning of our era!
Today, some kind of natural disasters, as well as a social split, are being “blamed” for the destruction of the city and part of the pyramids, when many poor people are simply tired of enduring increasing arbitrariness on the part of the higher nobility. The city of Teotihuacan was barbarously plundered and destroyed. But both hypotheses are highly controversial, since no evidence of violence was found, and as for the looting, anyone could do it. If the city was abandoned for some reason, then neighboring peoples can be blamed. They obviously would not have passed by such a “tidbit” piece.
What is the difference between the Egyptian and Mexican pyramids?
Many believe that they are almost identical, and due to this they put forward various (in terms of absurdity) theories about the Atlanteans and “celestial descendants” who fled from the cataclysm, but this is not so. The pyramids of Egypt and Mexico are similar only in appearance (and even then relatively), but in everything else they have a lot of differences.
Firstly, in Egypt, these structures were absolutely smooth, while the Aztecs, Toltecs and Mayans built them stepwise initially. Secondly, the pharaohs considered the pyramids solely as a resting place against earthly troubles, and in Mexico they used the pyramids exclusively as temples, and even carried out very bloody sacrificial rituals there.
Other differences
Thirdly, the tops of structures in South America are completely flat, since it was there that the priests engaged in their bloody work. Moreover, there is also an additional building, which just did the part of the temple and the "slaughterhouse" in combination. In principle, it is also possible to climb to the top of the Egyptian pyramid, but it is impossible to do something there 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 BC.
Fans of conspiracy theories may argue that all this is nothing, because the main characteristic of these structures, that is, the pyramidal shape, is the same in all cases. 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 Mayans 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 substances 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 120 years older than “only”, but in some cases this may turn out to be significant.
After this, the Giza pyramids, whose age turned out to be noticeably more than the “official” values, began to attract researchers from all over the world even more strongly. However, this circumstance did not cool down heated debates about the nature of these structures.
So, it was reliably established that the Cheops pyramid 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 BC". The age of the pyramids of the pharaohs was much more modest. It should be noted that even radiocarbon analysis posed several new questions for researchers.
So, it is already known for sure that the Chefren pyramid was erected somewhere in the region of 2960. This gives logical reason to assume that its construction was carried out almost simultaneously with the Cheops. It is also possible that this was a separate complex of two structures, to the construction of which the same pharaoh could have had a hand. It would be quite normal to assume that the Pyramid of Mikerin 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 after the estimated date! Moreover, in 1984, scientists established that the famous Sphinx was built in 2416 BC. e. Simply put, five whole centuries after the Chefren 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 involved in the completion and restoration, and therefore the result of radiocarbon analysis was much more accurate.