Pyramids Old and New       
 
Pyramids are among the largest man-made constructions as well as one of the great Wonders of the ancient world.

Egyptian pyramids
The most famous are the Egyptian pyramids — huge pyramids built of brick or stone, some of which are among the largest man-made constructions, constitute one of the most best known and longest lasting symbols of Ancient Egyptian civilization.

Pharaohs used Pyramids  as tombs. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest in Egypt and one of the largest 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 topped the peaks of their pyramids with gold and covered the outside with polished white limestone, though many of the stones used for the purpose have fallen or been removed for other structures over the millennia.

Nubian pyramids
Nubian pyramids , about 200 of them, were constructed at three sites in Nubia to serve as tombs for the kings and queens of Napata and Meroë. The area of the Nile valley known as Nubia that is within present day Sudan . The Nubians built far more pyramids than the Egyptians, but they are much smaller.  Nubian pyramids were constructed at a steeper angle than Egyptian ones and were not tombs, but monuments to dead kings. Pyramids were built in Nubia up until the AD 300s.

Mesopotamians pyramids
The Mesopotamians also built pyramids, called ziggurats.  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 have been a Babylonian ziggurat.


Mesoamerican pyramids
A number of Mesoamerican cultures also built pyramid-shaped structures. Mesoamerican pyramids were 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. This pyramid is also considered the largest monument ever constructed anywhere in the world, but it is still being excavated. There is an unusual pyramid with a circular plan at the site of Cuicuilco, now inside Mexico City and mostly covered with lava from an ancient eruption of Xictli. Pyramids in Mexico were often used as places of sacrifice.
China
There are quite a few flat-top pyramids in China. Beginning about  220 B.c., a dozen more Chinese royalties of Han Dynasty were also buried under flat top pyramidal earth works.
Modern pyramids

An example of a modern pyramid can be found in Paris, France, in front of the Louvre Museum. The Louvre Pyramid is a 20.6 meter (about 70 feet) glass structure which acts as an entrance to the museum. It was designed by the American architect I. M. Pei and completed in 1989.

The Transamerica Pyramid in Downtown San Francisco, California.

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

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.

The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, United States, is a 30-story pyramid with light beaming from the top.

The Summum Pyramid, a 3 story pyramid in Salt Lake City, Utah is used for instruction in the Summum philosophy and conducting rites associated with Modern Mummification.


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