History of the Middle East
Why are Egyptian pyramids triangular in shape?
Wiki User
February 22, 2010 3:47AM
To shelter and safeguard the part of a pharaoh's soul that remained with his corpse, Egyptians built massive tombs-but not always pyramids.
Before the pyramids, tombs were carved into bedrock and topped by flat-roofed structures called mastabas. Mounds of dirt, in turn, sometimes topped the structures.
The pyramid shape of later tombs could have come from these mounds. More likely, Egyptian pyramids were modeled on a sacred, pointed stone called the benben. The benben symbolized the rays of the sun; ancient texts claimed that pharaohs reached the heavens via sunbeams.
Related Questions
Asked in History of the Middle East, Pyramids
Why are the Egyptian pyramids triangular in shape?
The pyramids of Egypt were built in a triangular shape to
represent a mound. The shape was a representation of the Egyptian
belief that the Earth came from a mound.
Note that while the pyramids are triangular from the side, they
actually occupy a square footprint (i.e. square pyramids). This was
in order to align the pyramids with the cardinal directions.
Asked in Math and Arithmetic, Geometry
What shape are the faces on a triangular pyramid?
triangle... because pyramids are triangular therefore triangular
pyramids have triangle faces
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How are triangular prisms and pyramids alike?
They both have a triangular shape
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What shape has some triangular faces?
Pyramids have some triangular faces.
Asked in Math and Arithmetic
What 3d shape has 6 triangular faces?
A hexahedron or a triangular dipyramid. This is the shape formed
by two triangular pyramids (tetrahedrons) stuck together along one
triangular face.
Asked in Ancient Egypt, Pyramids
What is the shape of the pyramids of Egypt?
Square based Triangular prism
Asked in Geometry
What terms describe a pyramid?
The shape of its base. So you can get triangular pyramids,
square pyramids and so on.
Asked in Geometry, Great Pyramid of Giza
What geometric shape makes these structures pyramids?
Pyramids are constructed from triangular shapes and can have
square or triangle bases
Asked in Geometry
Objects that have a triangle shape?
Triangles, pyramids, and prisms can all have triangular
shapes.
Asked in Pyramids
Was architecture developed in ancient Egypt?
Triangular domes, called pyramids, were ancient Egyptian
architecture.
Asked in Ancient History, History of the Middle East, Ancient Egypt
What is the shape of the base of an Egyptian pyramid?
An Egyptian Pyramid has 4 triangular sides and 1 SQUARE
base. An Egyptian Pyramid has 4 triangular sides and 1
SQUARE base.
Asked in Math and Arithmetic, Geometry
Which shape have 9 edges and 5 vertices?
A hexahedron in the form of a triangular bipyramid: two
triangular pyramids stuck together.
Asked in Math and Arithmetic, Geometry
What shape has 6 faces 9 edges and 5 vertexes?
A triangular dipyramid - two triangular pyramids stuck
together.
Asked in Ancient History, History of the Middle East, Mesopotamia, History, Ziggurats
How are pyramids and ziggurats alike?
They are both made of hard stone and form a triangular
shape.
Asked in Math and Arithmetic, Geometry
What is the 3d shape for a hexegon?
A hexahedron is two triangular pyramids with their bases glued
together.
Asked in Math and Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry
What shape has 5 faces what are made of rectangles and triangles?
Triangular prisms and Rectangular pyramids
Asked in Math and Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry
How are a rectangular and a triangular pyramid alike?
Rectangular pyramids and triangular pyramids both have
triangular faces.
Asked in Math and Arithmetic, Geometry
3d shapes what shape has some triangular faces?
they are: ---sided pyramids and triangular prisms and 20 sided 3d shapes
Asked in Ancient History, United States of America, Egypt
How was the pyramids invented?
the pyramids were invented by using a cement like substance
called adobe (A-dob-E) and put in a triangular shape.
Asked in Travel & Places, Ancient Egypt, Pyramids, Great Pyramid of Giza
What are pyramids famous for?
Pyramids are most famous for being the shape of many Egyptian
burials, mostly of pharoahs and the aristocracy.
Asked in Math and Arithmetic, Geometry, Ancient Egypt
Why are pyramids 3 sided?
pyramids have a triangular base. As a triangle has three sides,
the pyramid will have three sides. Although you can get square
based pyramids which have four sides.
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The Egyptian pyramids are 4 sided not 3 sided.
Asked in Egypt, Ancient Egypt
What shape is the Egyptian tomb?
Egyptian tombs used to be built in square-based pyramids.
Eventually, they used tombs under the ground which were
labyrinthine in shape.
Asked in Math and Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry
Which shape has 2 more faces than a triangular prism?
A triangular prism has 5 faces.
Pentagonal prisms and hexagonal pyramids have 7.