THE PYRAMID SHAPE AND ITS FUNCTION
The pyramid shape is associated with the sun god Re, symbolized by the phoenix. The phoenix, or bnw in hieroglyphic was worshipped at On, a place the. Greeks called Heliopolis. As the quintessence of Re, the bird stood above the bnbn which is the exact shape of the pyramid and referred to as a pyramidion.
The bird's connection with the bnbn also links it with the obelisk. From atop the obelisk, the bnbn welcomed the rise of the sun god every morning. So it, too, became a symbol of Re. From the obelisk's bnbn , the pyramid takes its shape.
The Pyramid Texts explain that the deceased king used the sun's rays as a ramp to ascend to the sky. The sun would strengthened its beams to support the king on its celestial stair. Hence, the pyramid provided the only means for the pharaoh to take himself from the terrestrial world to the celestial world. This is also explains the step pyramid as a staircase or cr, "ascent" to the sky.. The pyramid is truly a huge bnbn or pyramidion.
The pyramid form may also represent the primordial mound from which the universal god Re created this world. AD kings lie buried beneath this symbolic mound of creation except for Snofru and Khufu. This change was due to religious belief. It seems that Khufu became Re in his lifetime because his pyramid is called Akhet-Khufu, or "The Horizon of Khufu." This name indicates that Khufu was the equivalent of Re who sits and rises each day on the horizon. furthermore, Khufu's sons and immediate successors, Djedefre and Khafre were the first kings to bear the title S3RC , "son of Re." This dearly points to their father, Khufu as Re. There are also many architectural components in Khufu's pyramid complex designed to accommodate the need for this cult, such as the enlargement of Khufu's upper temple, five boat pits and the burial chamber within the pyramid or the ben-ben which identifies the king with Re because the king is actually Re rising above the horizon.
No clear consensus exists among Egyptologists about the function of the pyramid complex. Some suggest that the complex was used for the burial procession of the king and that the lower temple was used for the mummification ritual and process. To support their theories they use evidence that is not related to the royal cult, such as parallels with scenes from private tombs or analysis of the Pyramid Texts, which record religious belief but do not contain any information about the pyramid's actual function.
We can discuss the function using the Giza pyramid complexes as evidence- they are the best excavated, best documented and best studied of all the royal pyramid sites.
First, many architectural features in the temples of the Dynasties IV-VI do not agree with the theory that the pyramid complex was used for the king's funeral procession. For example, the doors of the upper temples that lead to the pyramid courts are too narrow to have allowed the king's coffin and the funeral procession to pass through to the burial chamber inside the pyramid.
Also, the layout of the Old Kingdom causeway does not indicate that it was necessarily a ceremonial way for the procession of the king. Furthermore, the lower temples do not appear to have been designed for either the rituals or the process of mummification. The holes on the roof of the lower temple. of Khafre are not, as suggested by several Egyptologists, for the poles of the washing tent; rather, they are associated with the construction of the temple. The ground plan, wall reliefs, cult objects, and statuary programs found in the lower temple do not indicate any association with the process or ritual, or mummification.
If previous theories regarding the function of the pyramid complexes are called into doubt, what then might be a more logical explanation of their function?
Many Egyptologists believe that the pyramid temples served to promote the corporeal afterlife of the deceased king through the mortuary cult, as well as the continuance of his kingship, his victories over his enemies, and his deification. This theory is more in line with the archaeological evidence of the Old Kingdom pyramid complexes.
Study of the various elements of the complexes can reveal the function. This evidence is abundant, comprising: the architectural components such as the upper and lower temples, the causeways and the pyramids themselves in comparison with other Old Kingdom complexes; the programme of the wall reliefs in Dynasties V and VI; the statuary programme of the upper and lower temples; the programme of cult objects; and, lastly, the texts related to the personnel of the cult and other archaeological remains. The pyramid complex of Khafre is a good example for the study of the architecture program; the pyramid complexes of Khufu, Sahure, Neferefre and. Pepi II are perfect for the study of the wall reliefs; the pyramid complex of Menkaure and Neferefre for the study of the. statuary programme, and finally Abusir provides the only Old Kingdom papyrus that explains the daily service in Egyptian temples.
The relationships between these different programmes and building function are evident as well. For instance, some subjects for wall reliefs are presumably typical of palaces (e.g., dominating scenes, perhaps those showing the king with gods, and the Sed festival scenes), and are also found in temples. On the other hand, temple walls bear scenes of the gods giving offerings to the king; such offering scenes do not appear in palaces. Regarding the statuary programme, clearly statues adorned both palaces and temples . The Sed festival takes place in the palace, while there is a Sed court in the pyramid complex. This suggests that the pyramid complex is a ritual palace closely linked with the ceremonial palace. Personnel for the complex fall into two groups: the cult priests who serve the temple and the administrative body that runs. the funerary establishment as a great palace complex. This evidence tallies to the conclusion that the pyramid complex must be considered a combination of a temple and a palace.
Thus, this analysis of the programmes shows that the pyramid complex was not built for the funeral Procession of the king, nor was the lower temple used for the mummification process, as believed by the majority of scholars. The mummification of the king's body was done in the royal workshop while the ritual mummification was conducted in a purification tent set outside the lower temple. The funeral procession of the king went outside the pyramid complex and reached the burial chamber of the pyramid through the pyramid court.
So the pyramid complex functions as much as a palace as it does a temple. The architecture and decorative programmes as well as other evidence show that the king as Horus and Re is worshipped inside the temples, and that the whole complex is created to worship the triad of Re, Horus, and Hathor and to celebrate the myth of the kingship.
