Pyramids of Perception

I’d hazard a guess that for pretty much anybody, when you say the word ‘archaeology’ there are certain things that spring to mind – specific items or sites that seem to characterise the essence of archaeology in popular or modern culture; Indiana Jones, Stonehenge, the Pyramids of Egypt. What I love about archaeology is that each of these prevalent associations is just the tip of the iceberg, just the beginning of something bigger.

For starters, I’m sure most people don’t know that the academic Indiana Jones is meant to be influenced by the Marxist Archaeologist, V. Gordon Childe, who proposed a theory of (moderate) cultural diffusion. Indiana Jones obviously didn’t share in Childe’s avoidance of fieldwork, but that’s perhaps a story for another blog.

The Mayans gained quite a lot of popularity/notoriety last year, due to the hype over the end of the Mayan calendar, believe by some to signify the end of the world. Luckily, that didn’t happen, and we were all able to sing in 2013 free of death and destruction. However, the intricacies of the Mayan calendar are just one of many fascinating points about these peoples.

Pyramid at Chichén Itzá

While the Egyptian pyramids might arguable be the most famous, they are not the only ones.[1] There are pyramids and similar sites dotted throughout Mesoamerica.  Why were such geographically disparate people building such similar structures? What lies in the human psyche that fuels this need to build?

It has been suggested that the height of a pyramid creates a separation between the general population that exists at ground level, and any dominating elite/ruler who took their place at the summit. In Mesoamerica this contrast is supplemented by evidence for animal (rarely ever human, if at all) sacrifice found in conjunction with pyramids.

La Pirámide del Sol from below – what’s the difference between the bottom and the top? [2]

Having visited several of these Mesoamerican pyramid sites, it is easy to understand this contrast, but perhaps in a different sense. For example, if the only way you experienced the site of Teotihuacán was from ground level, then on a hot Mexican summer’s day, this experience is far removed from someone who has climbed to the top of La Pirámide del Sol (the largest) – there is a physical and mental division. They also create a very different atmosphere to those in Egypt – which were a separation between life and death.

This week’s blog is not about the archaeological evidence found at these sites, because I can’t claim to know much more than what’s found on Wikipedia. What this week is, is a challenge perhaps, to just think about the way that structures and buildings affect us. Pyramids are huge structures, whether in Egypt or Mexico, and they dominate whatever landscape they are placed in – what does this domination mean for those living under their shadow? And how can we begin to understand what they meant for the people who built them?

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[1] The largest pyramid at Giza has a base area of 5.3 hectares – larger than many hillforts.

[2] Images are my own.