Most of us associate pyramids with Egyptian pharaohs, but ancient people from across the globe have left behind pyramids and many are surprisingly similar in shape and form. There are more than 100 pyramids in Egypt. The first pyramids were little more than flat-topped mounds but in 2660 BCE Pharaoh Djoser built the first stepped pyramid in Egypt.
A very similar pyramid is located in Mexico, half a world away. The Pyramid of the Sun is 240 feet high. It is surrounded by other lesser pyramids. China, Iraq, Sudan, India, South America, and Indonesia all boast their own magnificent structures. The ancients were nothing if not ingenious when it came to building engineering wonders.
Pyramids were built for religious purposes and to serve as tombs to ensure that their occupants made it to the other side of death.
The tops of pyramids were seen by ancient people as the perfect spot to meet up with the deities that they worshipped and often gruesome sacrifices were made from the apex. The fact that the construction used so many resources showed off the prowess of the rulers who could afford the resources to build them.
Though the shape of the structure wasn’t necessarily seen as ideal, it was the easiest way for ancient people to build ever taller structures.