of modern buildings. When the dedication rituals were
completed, workmen began to dig out the various cham-
bers, corridors, and passageways for the subterranean
level of the monument.
Some unfinished pyramids, such as the pyramids at
ABU ROWASH and ZAWIET EL-ARYAN, have magnificent
underground chambers and hallways. Stairways, pas-
sages, ramps, portcullis (stone slabs lowered into place to
block halls at critical junctures, especially in the Fourth
Dynasty pyramids), traps, and stone plugs were installed
beside the burial rooms and storage areas. Large ramps
for lowering the granite or alabaster sarcophagi were also
erected, sometimes with staircases on either side.
Construction on the pyramid would then start. Some
had solid stone cores, much like the mastaba levels of
Imhotep’s Step Pyramid, but others had initial walls,
filled with rubble, mud, and sand. Layers of masonry
supported the walls, and these were encased in fine stone
and then capped by the pyramidion. It is thought that
ramps were built to each level as the construction contin-
ued, so that the stones could be moved into place. As the
pyramid grew in height, the appropriate ramps would be
heightened. There is some debate about whether ramps
were used. It is possible that mounds were built and
attached to the sides or fashioned on the ascending lev-
els. Such conveniences were removed when the casings
were being applied.
When the structure was completed, with the cham-
bers painted and inscribed and the casing put into place
so that the stone shimmered and glistened in the sun-
light, the funeral of the deceased commenced at the site.
The sarcophagus was lowered into the burial chamber,
where rituals were also conducted. Some chambers were
carved out of a single piece of stone. When the sarcopha-
gus of the ruler was firmly in place, the burial chamber
was sealed and plugged, and the corridors leading away
from it were also blocked by various means. When the
funeral cortege was outside, the entrance to the pyramid
was sealed by moving stones into place to complete the
wall to make the structure secure.
The Great Pyramid at Giza, erected by Khufu
(2551–2528 B.C.E.), is the most outstanding example of
the genre, the only surviving wonder of the ancient
world. The base of the pyramid covers 13 acres, and a
total of 2,300,000 yellow limestone stones were used in
its construction. The pyramid was called the Horizon of322 pyramidThe second monument at Giza, the burial complex of Khafré (Chephren).(Courtesy Steve Beikirch.)