pyramidion
Sign in to saveAlso known as pyramid capstone, obelisk capstone, pyramidia, Benben stone
thumb|right|Close-up of the Pyramidion of Amenemhat III at Dahshur. [[Egyptian Museum, Cairo]]A pyramidion (plural: pyramidia) is the capstone of an Egyptian pyramid or the upper section of an obelisk. Speakers of the Ancient Egyptian language referred to pyramidia as benbenet and associated the pyramid as a whole with the sacred benben stone.
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- architectural element
- Image
- Pyramidion of the Pyramid of Amenemhet III at Dahshur.jpg
Show 2 more facts
- Commons category
- Pyramidia
- described by source
- Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~4 min read
Encyclopedic overview
11 sectionsContents
- Notable pyramidia
- Egyptian Museum
- Red Pyramid
- Washington Monument
- Private brick pyramids with pyramidia
- Scribe Mose pyramidion
- Ptahemwia pyramidion
- Gallery
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|right|Close-up of the Pyramidion of Amenemhat III at Dahshur. [[Egyptian Museum, Cairo]]A pyramidion (plural: pyramidia) is the capstone of an Egyptian pyramid or the upper section of an obelisk. Speakers of the Ancient Egyptian language referred to pyramidia as benbenet and associated the pyramid as a whole with the sacred benben stone.
Pyramidia were usually made of limestone, sandstone, basalt or granite, and were sometimes covered with plates of copper, gold or electrum. From the Middle Kingdom onward, they were often "inscribed with royal titles and religious symbols".
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “pyramidion” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.