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Bent Pyramid
The Bent Pyramid is an ancient Egyptian pyramid located at the royal necropolis of Dahshur, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Cairo, built under the Old Kingdom Pharaoh Sneferu. A unique example of early pyramid development in Egypt, this was the second of four pyramids built by Sneferu.
The Bent Pyramid rises from the desert at a 54-degree inclination, but the top section (above 47 metres [154 ft]) is built at the shallower angle of 43 degrees, lending the pyramid a visibly "bent" appearance.
The Bent Pyramid represents a change from the step-sided pyramids of before to smooth-sided pyramids. It has been suggested that due to the steepness of the original angle of inclination the structure may have begun to show signs of instability during construction, forcing the builders to adopt a shallower angle to avert the structure's collapse. This theory appears to be borne out by the fact that the adjacent Red Pyramid, built immediately afterwards by Sneferu, was constructed at an angle of 43 degrees from its base. This fact also contradicts the theory that at the initial angle the construction would take too long because Sneferu's death was nearing, so the builders changed the angle to complete the construction in time. In 1974, Kurt Mendelssohn suggested the change of the angle to have been made as a stability precaution in reaction to a catastrophic collapse of the Meidum Pyramid while it was still under construction.
Since Mendelsohn, authors urged stability problems the reason for the unusual bent shape, supported by the obviously damaged stones in the interior and the fact parts of the interior remained unfinished. This hypothesis contradicts the fact that there are no signs for deformations at this pyramid, even the curved flanks of the Cheops Pyramid have not been observed here. As the idea of a sloped pyramid was totally new, it is possible that the iconic design of later pyramids only emerged after a process in which the Dahshur pyramids are steps towards the perfect result. The sun temples of Abu Sir and the obelisks of the New Kingdom had the shape of a bent pyramid, too. Another explanation for the reduction of the slope is the building process with the utilization of ramps. The most challenging part of ramp construction was the top, becausing manoeuvring space became tight there. For geometric reasons, it was probably impossible to serve a building steeper than 52° with ramps, and indeed such a building was never constructed in that time (with the exception of the much smaller Nobles' pyramids of Nubia).
The Bent Pyramid was the second pyramid project by king Sneferu who constructed three pyramids in his long reign, all of them of changed shape and the result of lessons learnt from the previous building in the continuous search for the perfect symbol and tomb which only his son Cheops was determined to achieve. The three buildings reflect an experimental stadium of the pyramid program that made its eventual climax possible. Whether the building decisions coincide with changes in religious concepts is hypothetical. For example, the shift from the step pyramid to the slant pyramid can be interpreted as the royal tomb was no longer considered as a staircase to the stars; instead, it was served as a symbol of the solar cult and of the primeval mound from which all life sprang. It is also unique among the approximately 118 pyramids to be found in Egypt, in that its original polished limestone outer casing remains largely intact. The fact this is the steepest of the classical pyramids made stone robbery too dangerous. British structural engineer Peter James attributes this to larger clearances between the parts of the casing than used in later pyramids; these imperfections would work as expansion joints and prevent the successive destruction of the outer casing by thermal expansion.
The ancient formal name of the Bent Pyramid is generally translated as (The)-Southern-Shining-Pyramid, or Sneferu-(is)-Shining-in-the-South. In July 2019, Egypt decided to open the Bent Pyramid for tourism for the first time since 1965. Tourists are able to reach two 4,600-year-old chambers through a 79-metre (259 ft) narrow tunnel built from the northern entrance of the pyramid. The 18-metre-high (59 ft) "side pyramid", which is assumed to have been built for Sneferu's wife Hetepheres will also be accessible. It is the first time this adjacent pyramid has been opened to the public since its excavation in 1956.
The Pyramid underwent three construction phases. In the first construction phase, a steep pyramid with a base length of 157 meters and an inclination angle of approximately 58° (possibly even 60°) was planned. If the pyramid had been completed in this form, it would have reached a height of around 125 meters, but given the knowledge of ancient techniques and the comparison with completed pyramids, such a steep pyramid was probably not a realistic option and did not exceed only few stone layers. If it was clear to the builders that this was unrealistic, the bent shape was intended from the beginning. Due to the good overall degree of preservation of the pyramid, this phase can only be proven indirectly through offset points around 12.70 m from the entrance in the lower descending corridor and at around 11.60 meters in the upper descending corridor.
The second phase was an extension in volume with a reduced angle of inclination of 54°. The base length was increased to 188 m. Here, too, inclined wall layers were used as it was practice at the step pyramids, because masons were not able to produce trapezoid stones at this phase and turned to this technique at the Bent Pyramid for the first time. While step pyramids were built in ring-shaped shells of slant layers, the turn to undivided masonry made horizontal layers more practicable. If the inclination of 54° until the top was ever intended, the building would have reached a height of 129.4 m and a volume of around 1,524,000 cubic meters. The Bent Pyramid would therefore be the third highest pyramid in the world. However, this inclination was not continued beyond a height of 49 m. The masonry of this phase is faced with fine Tura limestone.
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Bent Pyramid
The Bent Pyramid is an ancient Egyptian pyramid located at the royal necropolis of Dahshur, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Cairo, built under the Old Kingdom Pharaoh Sneferu. A unique example of early pyramid development in Egypt, this was the second of four pyramids built by Sneferu.
The Bent Pyramid rises from the desert at a 54-degree inclination, but the top section (above 47 metres [154 ft]) is built at the shallower angle of 43 degrees, lending the pyramid a visibly "bent" appearance.
The Bent Pyramid represents a change from the step-sided pyramids of before to smooth-sided pyramids. It has been suggested that due to the steepness of the original angle of inclination the structure may have begun to show signs of instability during construction, forcing the builders to adopt a shallower angle to avert the structure's collapse. This theory appears to be borne out by the fact that the adjacent Red Pyramid, built immediately afterwards by Sneferu, was constructed at an angle of 43 degrees from its base. This fact also contradicts the theory that at the initial angle the construction would take too long because Sneferu's death was nearing, so the builders changed the angle to complete the construction in time. In 1974, Kurt Mendelssohn suggested the change of the angle to have been made as a stability precaution in reaction to a catastrophic collapse of the Meidum Pyramid while it was still under construction.
Since Mendelsohn, authors urged stability problems the reason for the unusual bent shape, supported by the obviously damaged stones in the interior and the fact parts of the interior remained unfinished. This hypothesis contradicts the fact that there are no signs for deformations at this pyramid, even the curved flanks of the Cheops Pyramid have not been observed here. As the idea of a sloped pyramid was totally new, it is possible that the iconic design of later pyramids only emerged after a process in which the Dahshur pyramids are steps towards the perfect result. The sun temples of Abu Sir and the obelisks of the New Kingdom had the shape of a bent pyramid, too. Another explanation for the reduction of the slope is the building process with the utilization of ramps. The most challenging part of ramp construction was the top, becausing manoeuvring space became tight there. For geometric reasons, it was probably impossible to serve a building steeper than 52° with ramps, and indeed such a building was never constructed in that time (with the exception of the much smaller Nobles' pyramids of Nubia).
The Bent Pyramid was the second pyramid project by king Sneferu who constructed three pyramids in his long reign, all of them of changed shape and the result of lessons learnt from the previous building in the continuous search for the perfect symbol and tomb which only his son Cheops was determined to achieve. The three buildings reflect an experimental stadium of the pyramid program that made its eventual climax possible. Whether the building decisions coincide with changes in religious concepts is hypothetical. For example, the shift from the step pyramid to the slant pyramid can be interpreted as the royal tomb was no longer considered as a staircase to the stars; instead, it was served as a symbol of the solar cult and of the primeval mound from which all life sprang. It is also unique among the approximately 118 pyramids to be found in Egypt, in that its original polished limestone outer casing remains largely intact. The fact this is the steepest of the classical pyramids made stone robbery too dangerous. British structural engineer Peter James attributes this to larger clearances between the parts of the casing than used in later pyramids; these imperfections would work as expansion joints and prevent the successive destruction of the outer casing by thermal expansion.
The ancient formal name of the Bent Pyramid is generally translated as (The)-Southern-Shining-Pyramid, or Sneferu-(is)-Shining-in-the-South. In July 2019, Egypt decided to open the Bent Pyramid for tourism for the first time since 1965. Tourists are able to reach two 4,600-year-old chambers through a 79-metre (259 ft) narrow tunnel built from the northern entrance of the pyramid. The 18-metre-high (59 ft) "side pyramid", which is assumed to have been built for Sneferu's wife Hetepheres will also be accessible. It is the first time this adjacent pyramid has been opened to the public since its excavation in 1956.
The Pyramid underwent three construction phases. In the first construction phase, a steep pyramid with a base length of 157 meters and an inclination angle of approximately 58° (possibly even 60°) was planned. If the pyramid had been completed in this form, it would have reached a height of around 125 meters, but given the knowledge of ancient techniques and the comparison with completed pyramids, such a steep pyramid was probably not a realistic option and did not exceed only few stone layers. If it was clear to the builders that this was unrealistic, the bent shape was intended from the beginning. Due to the good overall degree of preservation of the pyramid, this phase can only be proven indirectly through offset points around 12.70 m from the entrance in the lower descending corridor and at around 11.60 meters in the upper descending corridor.
The second phase was an extension in volume with a reduced angle of inclination of 54°. The base length was increased to 188 m. Here, too, inclined wall layers were used as it was practice at the step pyramids, because masons were not able to produce trapezoid stones at this phase and turned to this technique at the Bent Pyramid for the first time. While step pyramids were built in ring-shaped shells of slant layers, the turn to undivided masonry made horizontal layers more practicable. If the inclination of 54° until the top was ever intended, the building would have reached a height of 129.4 m and a volume of around 1,524,000 cubic meters. The Bent Pyramid would therefore be the third highest pyramid in the world. However, this inclination was not continued beyond a height of 49 m. The masonry of this phase is faced with fine Tura limestone.