TRCSF said:
I was under the impression that the largest antiquity pyramid was Aztec. Maybe that was tallest, not largest in volume.
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That would be strange for it to be taller but not larger in volume. It would require a steeper slope.
The height/slope of ancient structure both Aztec and Egyptian were ultimately limited by the same thing: construction materials. The pyramids are pyramid-shaped and have slopes as they do because it's the maximum slope achievable before the structure collapses.
Thus, for one to be taller, it pretty much has to be wider, thus having more volume.
I looked it up, I was essentially right the first time, it's the Quetzalcoatl pyramid in Mexico that's the largest in volume in the world. It's actually rather squat. Many of the more photogenic Aztec (or Mayan, I get them horribly confused, Incan too on a bad day) pyramids, such as at Chichen Icha, are indeed very, very steep, which was the source of my confusion.
I'm no engineer, but I believe the building materials were a major component of how steep you could build the things. The Egyptian pyramids were mostly low grade limestone, so they couldn't get very steep. The Mayans used mostly granite, if I'm not mistaken, which is why they could build those steep ones at Chichen Itza.
The big pyramid in question looked to be mostly dirt, like the Mississippian pyramids, which would explain the squatness.