Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- List of tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- List of abbreviations
- Part I Proportions in ancient Egyptian architecture
- Part I Ancient Egyptian sources: construction and representation of space
- Part III The geometry of pyramids
- Introduction to Part III: Combining the knowledge
- 5 Symbolic shape and constructional problems
- 6 The proportions of pyramids
- 7 Pyramids and triangles
- Conclusion to Part III: Interpreting the slope of pyramids
- An overview
- Appendix: List of Old and Middle Kingdom true pyramids
- Bibliography
- Index
Introduction to Part III: Combining the knowledge
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 February 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- List of tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- List of abbreviations
- Part I Proportions in ancient Egyptian architecture
- Part I Ancient Egyptian sources: construction and representation of space
- Part III The geometry of pyramids
- Introduction to Part III: Combining the knowledge
- 5 Symbolic shape and constructional problems
- 6 The proportions of pyramids
- 7 Pyramids and triangles
- Conclusion to Part III: Interpreting the slope of pyramids
- An overview
- Appendix: List of Old and Middle Kingdom true pyramids
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Compared to a temple, a pyramid is certainly simpler from a geometrical point of view. It consists of a square base and four triangular faces, and can be measured by means of a few parameters, such as side-length of the base, height of the face, height of the pyramid, slope of the face and slope of the corner. However, this geometrical simplicity does not necessarily imply that in practice measuring a pyramid is always easy, nor does it prevent theoretical reasoning from being marred by confusion and mistakes.
Besides their simple geometry, another important element is the fact that, unlike other monuments, some of the ancient mathematical sources provide first-hand evidence about the calculations involved in the planning process. Many obscure points still remain to be clarified, but at least we possess some basic information such as, for instance, the way the ancient architects measured the slope of a pyramid.
Another important point is that pyramids have been relatively well-studied, at least those built during the Old and the Middle Kingdoms. Even if materials and building techniques changed over the years, these monuments form a homogeneous group which can be studied as a whole. At the end of the Middle Kingdom there was a significant break in the history of pyramids, and their construction was resumed after two centuries on a completely different basis. Not many New Kingdom pyramids have survived, and in general our knowledge of these monuments is scant and fragmentary.
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- Information
- Architecture and Mathematics in Ancient Egypt , pp. 178 - 179Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2004