The Bent Pyramid is one of the Old Kingdom Pyramids at Giza, Egypt; built in the 4th Dynasty, 2680-2565 B.C. for the 4th dynasty pharaoh, Sneferu.
The pyramid is called "bent" because it changes angles at about 2/3 of the way to the top. To be precise, the lower 165 feet of the pyramid's shape is angled at 54 degrees, 31 minutes, at which point it abruptly flattens out to 43 degrees, 21 minutes.
Sneferu began his pyramid, but far too steeply, at an original angle of 60 degrees, and intended it to go to over 400 feet in height. John Romer speculates that while men were working inside the pyramid, ominous groans and cracks began to be heard. They stopped work on it, and built the Red Pyramid before returning to the Bent Pyramid, buttressing up its lower courses and adding the crown.
Source
John Romer. 2007. The Great Pyramid. Cambridge University Press, New York.
More on Egyptian Pyramids
- Giza Plateau Pyramids: A Slide Show
- The Sphinx
- Khafre's Pyramid
- Khufu's Pyramid
- Menkaure's Pyramid
- Step Pyramid of Djoser
- The Great Pyramid (book review of John Romer's recent book
- Ancient Egypt Timeline and Definition
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
