Egyptian Vs Mayan Pyramids Essay

When one thinks of a Pyramid, they most likely have one of the Egyptian or Mayan Pyramids in mind. They are both pyramids, but there are some similarities and differences to consider when thinking of them. The age, purpose, and size can shed some light on these structures. With only copper, stone, and wooden tools, people created what was thought to be impossible It is amazing that buildings as old as these lasted this long. According to Source 1, “Each was made by and for a different pharaoh: King Khufu built the great pyramid (the biggest) first, around 2550 BC; King Khafra built the second pyramid around 2520 BC; King Menkaura build the third (smallest of the three and last) in about 2490 BC.” The biggest Pyramid (The Great Pyramid of Giza) is over 4,500 years old! Somehow, through miraculous engineering, the ancients built something that would survive treacherous sand
Source 2 (The Great Pyramid at Giza) states, “Originally 481 feet high, the pyramid; currently stands at 450 feet. It is higher than the Statue of Liberty, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, or Big Ben in London. Each side is 756 feet… Almost ten football fields would fit into the base.” That is a big pyramid, also said to be the largest man-made structure ever created. The Great Pyramid is also visible from space! How about the Mayan’s? Source 4 shows that the El Castillo Mayan Pyramid is 79 ft high. It also shows that there are 365 steps, 9 terraces, and 4 staircases. Source 3 also says, “Compared to the Egyptian Pyramids at Giza, Mayan Pyramids are mostly smaller, but steeper and more ornate.” The Mayan Pyramids are very different from the Egyptian Pyramids, but still have some similarities. As the the Mayan Pyramids are smaller, it was probably easier to add more detail to the structure, making it serve more purposes and be structurally different. The Pyramids in Egypt are larger, so I guess they focused on sheer size, rather than more