The Mayans put at least one tomb inside a pyramid,
Yes, but 'when' ? Just because a later civilization decides to put a notable person's tomb inside an existing pyramid doesn't mean that is what the original civilization built it for.
and of course the Giza pyramids were all used as tombs.
I have read that they have found tombs AROUND the pyramids. Are there any 'inside' and 'when' did they put them there ?
An Old Kingdom record survives regarding the plundering of the tomb of Khufu’s mother who died while the Great Pyramid was under construction, and interred near its base.
Again, it wasn't inside. Why wouldn't they put her tomb inside if that is what the pyramid was for ?
Menkaure, the smallest of the three large Giza pyramids, was used as that pharaoh’s tomb, and also reused as a tomb during the New Kingdom.
Menkaure... isn't he the one who died while building the pyramid ? Maybe he was buried in it by his son who continued building the pyramid. This is one case where I find someone was 'entombed' in the Pyramid, but still doesn't mean that is what the pyramid was built 'for'.
and also reused as a tomb during the New Kingdom.
Correct. Several additions were made to the 'pyramid complex', and those parts were used as tombs. Still, does nothing to prove that the purpose of the pyramid itself was to be a burial tomb for one person.
Not only the pyramid tombs, but also almost every last one of the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens tombs were robbed in antiquity — apart from those few which were missed back then and robbed during the Middle Ages and up until the 19th century.
Well, the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens may well have been the cemetery of the ruling elite, but in the case of the pyramids, how do we 'know' the bodies were there, if there are no bodies there ? I.E. We assume it was a 'tomb' for (most likely) one person, but we can't find the body. Seems like a weak argument.
I read that the reason we can't find some of the royal 'mummies' is because they were buried somewhere 'else' to keep them from being 'robbed/vandalized'. Was that true, or just an explanation for why the bodies weren't found inside the pyramids, but have been found in other places ?
One of the Mayan pyramids was built as a tomb. Prior to its discovery, it was believed (from past excavations) that the pyramids were just built like nesting dolls, one on top of the other, as part of their various calendar cycles. Turns out, that view was incorrect. And it’s now known that the Mayan cities were in a continual state of war, and rulers captured in battle would be, uh, vivisected.
There is NO BASIS for claiming that the Egyptian pyramids were NOT built as tombs. The burden of proof remains on those who make such claims. Saying that, just because they were used as tombs doesn’t mean they were built as tombs makes no sense at all.
The sarcophagus is right inside the “king’s chamber” in the Great Pyramid, but it was looted in antiquity. That pyramid was open to tourists during Ptolemaic and Greek times, then resealed during the Byzantine rule, which worked out because the muzzies took over in the 7th century.
During the Middle Ages one of the muzzie rulers decided to break into the Great Pyramid, but the location of the door was lost, and he had the hole chipped out that is used as the entrance today. After moling around the henchmen found their way into the lower corridor and viewed the original entrance from the back. Also during the Middle Ages the facing limestone was stripped from the Great Pyramid and Menkaure, and most of it was stripped from Khafre. Prior to that time, the exterior of the Great Pyramid had writing on it, which may still exist, but the stone was carted off to build mosques and other useless junk in Cairo.
During the archaeological era, the remnants of the painted plaster could still be seen inside the Great Pyramid, and the fragmentary text referred to such and such a year of the Cattle Drive from the reign of Khufu. Graffiti in one of the relieving chambers above the “king’s chamber” has Khufu’s name in a cartouche, and reads, “how mighty is the Great White Crown of Khufu work gang”, one of the worker squads that built the thing.
The pyramid as a structure began as a mastaba very early in Egyptian history. The mastaba was evolved into a stepped pyramid, some nice examples of which survive, but they were still of mud brick and despite the arid climate they are not structurally all that sound.
During the 4th dynasty Sneferu, father of Khufu, started building stone pyramids, the finest example of which is the Red Pyramid, which still contained fragments of human remains in the sarcophagus.
Khufu built the Great Pyramid. His son Djedjefre succeeded him and began building his pyramid at Abu Roash. He died after construction started but well before completion and was succeeded by his son who was a child. The unfinished Abu Roash pyramid was abandoned, and during recent centuries was rediscovered just in time to be carted away to build more stuff in Cairo.
Not long after Khufu’s younger son Khafre took over and began his own pyramid back at Giza. He was succeeded by his son Menkaure, who built quite a bit smaller pyramid, I suspect because of dynastic struggles that had led to multiple pharaohs. His son is placed in the 5th dynasty, and he was buried elsewhere, in a mastaba.