A 2021 lesson: the story of the pyramids is a story of great things made through trial-and-error & learning from failure...
Start with the first pyramid: the not-very-pyramid-y Step Pyramid of Djoser, designed by Imhotep. It was the tallest building in the world for 40 years 1/7
Start with the first pyramid: the not-very-pyramid-y Step Pyramid of Djoser, designed by Imhotep. It was the tallest building in the world for 40 years 1/7
This inspired Sneferu, who wanted a pyramid of his own, a real pyramid: the Pyramid of Meidum!
Wait, you haven't heard of it? That is because it immediately collapsed as it was built using sand & had the wrong angle & was really unstable. It was the tallest thing for 5 years 2/7
Wait, you haven't heard of it? That is because it immediately collapsed as it was built using sand & had the wrong angle & was really unstable. It was the tallest thing for 5 years 2/7
Snerferu tried again. This is the Bent Pyramid. Halfway through building the Bent Pyramid, the Meidum Pyramid collapsed.
Aha - the builders learned something! The 54° angle they were using was not going to work, so they changed it to 43°. It was the tallest thing for 5 years 3/
Aha - the builders learned something! The 54° angle they were using was not going to work, so they changed it to 43°. It was the tallest thing for 5 years 3/
Finally, Snerferu built the Red Pyramid, using the 43 angle they had figured out from the Bent & Meidum Pyramids. It didn't fall down! And it is an actual pyramid! (Also, Snerferu might be buried there, in a hidden chamber) It was the tallest building on earth for 40 years. 4/7
Snerferu had a son named Khufu, of "The Great Pyramid of Khufu." The Great Pyramid used everything Snerferu learned. It was the tallest building on earth for 3,871 years! (Beaten by Lincoln Cathedral in 1311 which took over 200 years to build, while the Great Pyramid took 20) 5/7
And the lesson: the volume of material mined and hauled and placed for all three pyramids of Snerferu? 3.6 million cubic meters. For Khufu's Great Pyramid? 2.5M cubic meters.
Snerferu did more work, and failed repeatedly, but that experimentation led to his son's Wonder. 6/7
Snerferu did more work, and failed repeatedly, but that experimentation led to his son's Wonder. 6/7
Great Pyramids require terrible trial-and-error pyramids first, including building some things that don't even look like pyramids, or that fall down as you build them. Don't be afraid of failure!
And here is one of the sources for the story: 7/7 ironychan.tumblr.com/post/137070533…
And here is one of the sources for the story: 7/7 ironychan.tumblr.com/post/137070533…
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