User:Jmlies721/Ligourio Pyramid

The Ligourio Pyramid is an ancient pyramidal building in Greece. It and the Pyramid of Hellinikon are the two most studied pyramids in Greece. Today, most archeologists believe the Ligourio Pyramid was either a group mausoleum or an observation tower.

=General Information=

Location
The ruins of the Ligourio Pyramid are in the ancient town of Ligourio in the Argolid region of Greece. The ruins lie in an area of countryside 1.5 kilometers west of the center of the town, not far from the ruins of Epidarus. Today, only the ruins of the pyramid remain. Tourists are able to visit the ruins.

Dating
Different methods have been used to determine the age of the Ligourio Pyramid. One is thermoluminescence dating of pottery whose results place the Ligourio Pyramid as far back as 2260 B.C. Fragments of pottery dating back to the 4th century B.C. were discovered during excavations in the early 1900s and for a long time it was thought that the Ligourio Pyramid was constructed in the same time period. Some argue that we cannot be entirely sure of the date of the pyramid's construction because the original structure may have been modified and point out that thermoluminescence dating is not 100%. The age of the pyramid is therefore a topic of some debate

Size
The Ligourio Pyramid is approximately 14 X 12 meters at the incompletely preserved base. The relatively small size of the pyramid leads people to question whether the Greeks built pyramids to imitate the ancient Egypt.

=History=

Earliest Mention
Pausanias, a second century CE traveler, was the first to identify Greek pyramids during his travel to the Argolid region. He wrote about them in a book known as his Guide to Greece that was geared towards Roman elites. Pausanias reported buildings resembling Egyptian pyramids that were much smaller and were decorated with Argolid shields. He was told they were tombs for people who had died in battle. Pausanias did not see the Ligourio Pyramid, but it is thought to be similar in both appearance and function.

Archaeological Investigations
The first excavations of the Ligourio Pyramid were done in 1901 and in 1937 by the American School of Archeology. In 1991, Dr. __________ Liritzis of the Academy of Athens went back for further research. The Academy of Athens published dating of the Ligourio Pyramid using thermoluminescence dating applications.

What Remains Today
Today, only ruins of the Ligourio Pyramid remain can be seen on the surface of the site. It has been noted that there are up to sixteen pyramids spread throughout Greece, however; it has been highly debated whether or not one could call the pyramidal buildings pyramids at all.

=Interpretation= The most common conjecture is that it is a mausoleum or observation tower. Remnants of pottery found within it may be the remains of mortuary offerings. Another theory is that the pyramid was used as an observation tower.

There are popular beliefs that the pyramid was either built or influenced by the Egyptians. Archeologists are doubtful that the Ligourio Pyramid was intended to mimic the Egyptian Pyramids or be anything like them at all.