ABSTRACT
Monumental architecture is often considered one marker of a great civilization and includes pyramids constructed by civilizations around the world, including the Aztecs, Mayans, Nubians, and others. It also includes great mounds such as in the Americas, large temples or churches, and large groups of stones. Scholars may never know the true purpose of some of the structures, such as Stonehenge or Easter Island, but the Egyptian pyramids are among the most famous and well-documented. The earliest Egyptian pyramid that still exists is a tomb for the Pharaoh Djoser, who lived around 2660 BCE. Influenced by ancient Greeks’ dislike of Egyptians, later peoples assumed that ordinary Egyptians and Jews resented laboring on the tombs. Eventually the tokens were replaced by tablets with writing meant to convey meaning on a wide range of subjects. By 2500 BCE, the pictures in cuneiform had changed to include symbols representing the Sumerian language.
