Pyramid

:See also: Egyptian pyramids, Mesoamerican pyramids, Nubian pyramids.

Structures

:See also List of ancient pyramids by country

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The oldest pyramid is the pyramid of Hellinikon in Greece 2,720 BC. There are more than 16 pyramids spread all over Greece. More info at

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http://www.ancientgr.com/Unknown_Hellenic_History/Eng/HELLENIC_PYRAMIDS.htm

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Pyramid-shaped structures were built by many ancient peoples. The most famous are the Egyptian pyramids — huge pyramids built of brick or stone, used as tombs for pharaohs. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest in Egypt and tallest in the world. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and the only one of the seven to survive into modern times. The ancient Egyptians smoothed the faces of their pyramids with gold and polished white limestone, though many of the stones used for the purpose have fallen out over the centuries.

Related Topics:
Egyptian pyramids - Tomb - Pharaoh - Great Pyramid of Giza - Seven Wonders of the World - Ancient Egypt

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To the south of Egypt the Nubians also built pyramids. They built far more than the Egyptians, but they are much smaller. The Nubian pyramids were constructed at a much steeper angle than Egyptian ones and were not tombs, but monuments to dead kings. Pyramids were built in Nubia up until the AD 300s.

Related Topics:
Nubian - Nubian pyramids - 300s

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The Mesopotamians also built pyramids called ziggurats, with a distinct series of layers. In ancient times these were brightly painted. Since they were constructed of mud-brick, little remains of them. The biblical Tower of Babel is believed to be a Babylonian ziggurat.

Related Topics:
Mesopotamia - Ziggurat - Tower of Babel - Babylon

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A number of Mesoamerican cultures also built pyramid-shaped structures. Mesoamerican pyramids were also usually stepped, with temples on top, more similar to the Mesopotamian ziggurat than the Egyptian pyramid. The largest pyramid by volume is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, in the Mexican state of Puebla.

Related Topics:
Mesoamerica - Mesoamerican pyramids - Great Pyramid of Cholula - Mexican - Puebla

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There are other pyramid-shaped ancient monuments found in parts of Asia.

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Pyramids were also found in Greece. One of these pyramids in Greece is older than the pyramid of Cheops, as it was dated to 2720 BC.

Related Topics:
Greece - Pyramids in Greece

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There is a pyramid in ancient Rome. The 27-meter-high pyramid of Gaius Cestius was built by the end of the first century BC and still exists today, close to the Porta San Paolo.

Related Topics:
Gaius Cestius - Porta San Paolo

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Modern pyramids

An example of a modern pyramid can be found in Paris, France, in front of the Louvre Museum.

Related Topics:
Paris - France - Louvre

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The 32-story Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee (built 1991) was the home court for the University of Memphis men's basketball program, and the National Basketball Association's Memphis Grizzlies until 2004.

Related Topics:
Pyramid Arena - Memphis, Tennessee - 1991 - University of Memphis - Basketball - National Basketball Association - Memphis Grizzlies - 2004

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The Walter Pyramid, home of the basketball and volleyball teams of the California State University, Long Beach, campus in California, United States, is an 18-story-tall blue pyramid.

Related Topics:
Walter Pyramid - Basketball - Volleyball - Team - California State University, Long Beach - California - United States

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The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, United States, is a 30-story pyramid.

Related Topics:
Luxor Hotel - Las Vegas

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