Egyptian pyramids: Encyclopedia II - Egyptian pyramids - Pyramid symbolism

Egyptian pyramids - Pyramid symbolism

The shape of Egyptian pyramids is thought to represent the primordial mound from which the Egyptians believed the earth was created. The shape is also thought to be representative of the descending rays of the sun, and most pyramids were faced with polished, highly reflective white limestone, in order to give them a brilliant appearance when viewed from a distance. Pyramids were often also named in ways that made reference to solar luminescence. For example, the formal name of the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur was The Southern Shining Pyramid, and that of Senwosret at el-Lahun was Senwosret is Shining.

While it is generally agreed that pyramids were burial monuments, there is continued disagreement on the particular theological principles that might have given rise to them. One theory that has gained a degree of acceptance is that they were designed as a type of "resurrection machine";^[8] the Egyptians believed the dark area of the night sky around which the stars appear to revolve was the physical gateway into the heavens, and co-incidentally, one of the narrow shafts that extends from the main burial chamber through the entire body of the Great Pyramid points directly towards the centre of this part of the sky. This suggests the pyramid may have been designed to serve as a means to magically launch the deceased pharaoh's soul directly into the abode of the gods.

All Egyptian pyramids were built, without exception, on the west bank ^[9] of the Nile, which as the site of the setting sun was associated with the realm of the dead in Egyptian mythology.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Pyramid symbolism", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki