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Egyptian Pyramids
Abu Rawash
Abusir
Dahshur
el-Lahun
Giza Plateau
Lisht
Meidum
Hawara
Mazghuna
Saqqara
Zawyet el-Aryan
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Ancient Egypt Pyramids > Saqqara Pyramids at SaqqaraWhile Memphis was the capital of Ancient Egypt, Saqqara served as its necropolis. Although it was eclipsed as the burial ground of royalty by Giza and later by the Valley of the Kings in Thebes, it remained an important complex for minor burials and cult ceremonies for more than 3,000 years, well into Ptolemaic and Roman times. The step pyramid at Saqqara was designed by Imhotep for King Djoser (c.2667-2648 BC). It is the oldest complete hewn-stone building complex known in history. It is also the location of the newly opened (in 2006) Imhotep Museum. Step Pyramid of Djoser at SaqqaraSaqqara was the principal necropolis for the ancient city of Memphis where, from 1st Dynasty onwards, the Egyptian elite built their tombs. The area is best known today as being the site of the first stone pyramid, built for a king of 3rd Dynasty whose Horus name was Netjerikhet. The pyramid has been attributed to a King Djoser since the New Kingdom, but only the name Netjerikhet has been found on the monument.
The pyramid structure rises above the plateau in a series of six stepped 'mastabas' and was surrounded by a complex of dummy buildings enclosed within a niched limestone wall over 10m high. Beyond the wall was a rectangular trench measuring 750m by 40m and although it is now filled by sand, it can be clearly seen on aerial photographs. The high limestone walls of the enclosure were decorated with niches and false doors which were carved into the wall after it was built - quite an enormous task! Some archaeologists believe that the enclosure wall may have represented the earthly residence of the King and so the term 'palace façade' became used for this type of decoration. It is thought that the design imitates the wooden framework covered by woven reed mats which would have been used in earlier structures although it has also been suggested that the motif may originate in Mesopotamia. The wall has been reconstructed on the southern rampart and near the entrance and this is the best place to examine the construction. The single entrance to the enclosure is the southernmost doorway on the eastern side of the wall (the only one of the 15 doorways which is not a false door) and leads to the entrance colonnade. 20 pairs of engaged columns, resembling bundles of reeds or palm ribs line the corridor. Between the columns are 24 small chambers, thought perhaps to represent the nomes of Upper and Lower Egypt, which may once have contained statues of the King or deities. The roof of the entrance colonnade was constructed to represent whole tree trunks. This is one of the places where the challenging experiment of copying natural materials in stone is most evident. The columns were not yet trusted to support the roof without being attached to the side walls and the small size of the stone blocks used in the construction reflects the fact that previous structures were built from mudbricks. At the end of the entrance hall two false stone doorleaves rest against the side walls of a transverse vestibule which has been reconstructed. Several statue fragments were found in the entrance colonnade but the most important was a statue base (now in Cairo Museum) inscribed with the Horus name and titles of Netjerikhet and also with the name of a High Priest of Heliopolis and royal architect, Imhotep. Imhotep, who may have been a son of Djoser, is credited with the invention of building in dressed stone and the design and construction of the Step Pyramid complex. He was deified as a god of wisdom in the Ptolemaic Period and worshipped as Asklepios, god of medicine, by the Greeks. Netjerikhet's name is directly linked to his predecessor Khasekhemy because mud sealings bearing his name were found in 1996 in Khasekhemy's Abydos tomb. Immediately to the north of the entrance colonnade, on the eastern side of a large open courtyard, is a series of reconstructed buildings thought to have been connected with the King's heb-sed, or jubilee festival. A rectangular building known as Temple 'T' is suggested to have been a model of the King's palace and contains an entrance colonnade, antechamber and three inner courts leading to a square chamber decorated with a frieze of 'djed' symbols. This structure leads into the southern end of the 'Jubilee Court', which is lined with dummy buildings representing Upper Egypt (on the eastern side) and Lower Egypt (on the western side). These buildings are purely symbolic structures. There were originally 12 chapels on the east with curved vaulted roofs representing the shape of Lower Egyptian shrines each having a statue niche which would have contained statues of the King. The 13 western chapels are modelled on the shrines of Upper Egypt with three fluted half-columns and simulated doorleaves at the entrances, topped by an arched vaulted roof. The two chapels at the south had a staircase leading to a statue niche, while the other western buildings had more simple façades and may have been robing rooms or other buildings connected with the sed festival. A model fence imitating wooden palings separated the shrines. All of the structures represent, in stone, the earlier building materials of wood and reed mats and it is thought that the columns would have been painted red to simulate wood. At the southern end of the Jubilee Court there is a large elevated dais which would have held the thrones of Upper and Lower Egypt where the King may have been symbolically crowned during the ceremonies. North of the Jubilee Court there are two mysterious buildings commonly called the 'House of the North' and the 'House of the South' and it is thought that these structures were originally partially buried, which would have given them a funerary significance. They each stand in their own courtyards and are currently believed to represent the archaic shrines of Nekhbet (from Hierakonpolis in the south) and Wadjet (from Buto in the north), although there have been many other theories suggesting their significance. The two buildings are again constructed with stone fashioned to represent organic materials. In the House of the South there is a continuous 'khekher' frieze over the entrance and the walls inside contain many New Kingdom graffiti, written in ink by ancient visitors, naming Djoser as the owner of the complex. The House of the North contains a shaft, 20m deep, with an underground gallery which led Lepsius to believe that the two buildings were pyramids when he first investigated them. Djoser's mortuary temple lies against the northern wall of the pyramid, unlike later pyramids which usually had the mortuary temples on the eastern side. This was the cult centre of the King but now is badly ruined and only the entrance wall is preserved. It is difficult to see the ground-plan of the temple, which seems to differ considerably from other pyramid mortuary temples. The original entrance shaft into the Step Pyramid can still be seen in the floor of the mortuary temple where it emerged to run through the structure above the ground. In excavations of the temple, clay sealings were found bearing the name of a King Sanakht, previously thought to have been a predecessor of Djoser, and these may provide evidence that he actually ruled after Djoser's time. On the north-eastern corner of the pyramid is a court, which contains a small structure known as a 'serdab'. Inside this tiny sealed chamber, which is tilted upwards at an angle of 30 degrees, a life-sized painted statue of the King, sat on his throne and gazed out through a peep-hole towards the northern stars and the land of Osiris. Today the original statue can be seen in Cairo Museum but you can peep into the serdab and see a replica statue of Djoser, disconcertingly staring back you. The statue would have represented the King's 'ka' emerging from his burial chamber in the pyramid. The Step Pyramid itself was thought to have been built in several stages, beginning with an initial square mastaba and that its plan was changed several times during construction. Scholars now doubt this theory and suggest that the whole structure was planned as a pyramid from the outset. Earlier mastaba tombs were always rectangular. Recent excavations at Abydos have shown that earlier enclosures contained a 'mound' of sand covered with mudbricks (possibly symbolising the 'mound of creation') and perhaps acting as a prototype for Djoser's structure. It would seem from recent study that the Step Pyramid was first constructed as a square mastaba which was enlarged and expanded in six stages, eventually becoming a 4-step mastaba and then a 6-step structure which was no longer square, but had become a rectangle oriented east-west. The limestone blocks were laid in courses which were inclined towards the centre of the pyramid. Below ground the Step Pyramid contains a maze of more than 5.5km of shafts, tunnels and chambers. A large central shaft to the burial chamber descends to a depth of 28m, while above ground the pyramid's six steps rise to a height of 60m. Inside the burial chamber, the pink granite blocks may have replaced original blocks of limestone or 'alabaster' - a theory based on Lauer's discovery of numerous fragments of limestone nearby. Some limestone blocks carved with stars were found to have been re-used with their decoration hidden and it is thought that Djoser's burial chamber may have contained the first example of a star ceiling. Little was found inside the granite burial vault - only a few small fragments of bone wrapped in linen in Old Kingdom style, including a left foot and part of an arm. These have now been radiocarbon dated and prove to be from a burial much later than Djoser's reign. In a passage north-west of the burial chamber a wooden box was found inscribed with Netjerikhet's name. Many galleries and magazines surround the central burial vault. In one of the galleries on the eastern side, three false doors were carved from limestone and the walls were decorated with exquisite tiny blue faience tiles inter-spaced with rows and motifs of limestone to represent wall-hangings of natural reed matting. A reconstruction of one of the panels is now displayed in the Cairo Museum. Reliefs of the King wearing the red crown and the white crown, and running or walking, probably depict the heb-sed rituals. Other walls were also found to be decorated with blue tiles, although some of the chambers were left unfinished. It is suggested that the decoration of these chambers was inspired by the King's private apartments in his palace at Memphis. Another series of galleries extended westwards from 11 shafts on the eastern side of the pyramid. These were thought to be for the burial of the King's wives and children. One of the galleries was found to contain an empty alabaster sarcophagus as well as a wooden coffin belonging to a small boy and Netjerikhet's name was found on a seal-impression in one of the shafts. In other shafts vast quantities of stone vessels were found (around forty thousand in total) in a wide variety of shapes and materials and many bearing inscriptions of Djoser's ancestors. The reason for these 'heirlooms' being in Djoser's tomb is still unexplained today and is the source of much debate among archaeologists. In front of the southern face of the Step Pyramid is a large open courtyard measuring 180m by 100m. In the centre of the court are two curious buildings whose low walls are shaped like the letter 'B' and are thought perhaps to have been associated with the heb-sed ceremonies. A limestone block was also found here bearing a text of Prince Khaemwaset (son of Rameses II) who was known to have restored many of the Old Kingdom monuments in his role of High Priest of Memphis. The court is bounded on the southern side by the south wall of the enclosure. At the south-west corner is an enigmatic building known as the 'South Tomb', which appears to be a miniature replica of the subterranean chambers of the Step Pyramid. The South Tomb contains similar decoration to the pyramid including the same blue faience tiles and false doors, but better preserved than in the pyramid galleries. Its purpose is unclear, the burial chamber is too small to have ever contained a sarcophagus. Many theories have been put forward by archaeologists as to its use, but the 'tomb' will perhaps always remain a mystery. Pyramids of Teti's Queens at SaqqaraThe Pyramid Complex of Iput IIput I was probably Teti's (6th Dynasty) principle queen, and may have legitimized his ascent to the throne of Egypt. She was probably the daughter of Unas (5th Dynasty) and the mother of Teti's successor, Pepi I. Her pyramid was discovered by Loret at the beginning of the 20th century, and later investigated by Firth, with Gunn's assistance, in the 1920s. Dr. Hawass, one of the current living legends of Egyptology, continues this investigation. This complex, located about 90 meters north of Teti's pyramid, has no valley temple, causeway or cult pyramid. This complex has a number of unusual features, The mortuary temple, located on the east side of the pyramid, has a far from standard floor plan. It was entered from Teti's pyramid to the south. The entrance hall had four limestone pillars followed by an antechamber with two pillars. There is also a pillared courtyard. The inner part of the temple consisted of an offering hall and rather then a complete chapel, three deep niches for statues of the queen just south of the offering hall. North of the offering hall was a storeroom. The Offering hall originally had a limestone false door on the wall facing the pyramid. In front of the false door was a pink granite altar that was inscribed with, "Queen mother (of the pyramid) 'Pepi's splendor is enduring'". This represents the oldest proof of a connection between a queen and the cult of the king. Dr. Hawass indicates that there are military scenes, unusual for an Old Kingdom monument, engraved in the pillared entrance hall and that in the inner sanctuary are reliefs of offering bearers, sacrificial scenes and a ritual performance held at the palace. It should be noted that this is not the only mortuary temple of this queen. Another has been found for her in the ancient city of Coptos, a center for the fertility god Min, in southern Egypt. The pyramid itself has a three step core. As with other contemporary pyramids, it has a north chapel but the entrance to this pyramid is unique, with a vertical shaft that began at the level of the second layer of the core. Because of this, we believe the pyramid was originally meant to be a mastaba and was later transformed into a pyramid probably after her son, Pepi I, ascended to the throne. However, all that is left of the pyramid is the original mastaba section. A limestone sarcophagus and fragments of a cedar coffin were found in the burial chamber, along with the bones of a middle aged woman, though Dr. Hawass tells us that it was that of a younger woman. Other items of funerary equipment originally found in the pyramid include five limestone canopic vessels, a gold bracelet and fragments of a necklace, an alabaster headrest, a small alabaster tablet with the names of the seven sacred oils, copper utensils, models of alabaster vessels and other items. The canopic jars are curious because there were usually only four to a set, meaning that the fifth must belong to some other burial. In recent excavations, Hawass also found a doorjamb made of limestone. It was decorated with images of snakes, recumbent jackals and lions. However, he believes this object probably came from Djoser's nearby complex. Khuit's Pyramid at SaqqaraDiscovered by Victor Loret in 1898, until fairly recently, the pyramid of one of Teti's other wives, Khuit, was though to be a mastaba. It was again investigated by Maragioglio and Rinaldi in the 1960s ,but then, in 1995, Dr. Hawass excavated the remains once more and confirmed that it was indeed a small pyramid. Its investigation is is still ongoing. Her pyramid sits just next to that of Ipu I's north of Teti's complex. The mortuary temple sits in front of the east wall of the pyramid. Little of this apparently has been excavated, but the previously excavated offering hall has the usual false door and altar. Offering bearers decorated the walls. Evidence of the solidly constructed underground compartments of the pyramid, along with a pink granite sarcophagus, has led Hawass to believe that Queen Khuit, like Iput I, had a significant status. The pyramid's original entrance was on the north side of the pyramid in the floor of the courtyard. It accessed a descending corridor leading to a burial chamber and east of it, a storage room. The burial chamber sits beneath the vertical axis of the pyramid. Buried Pyramid of Sekhemkhet at SaqqaraAlmost everything we know about Sekhemkhet ("Powerful in Body"), we know because of his unfinished (Buried) pyramid at Saqqara, and it seems to give us little facts about his life.
The only evidence outside of this tomb is a scene depicted at Wadi Maghara in the Sinai which bears his name. It is a military scene, classical in that it probably shows Sekhemkhet, with his raised mace, about to smite his desert enemies. This relief actually shows a procession of Sekhemkhets. In front of the smiting king, who is wearing the White Crown is a second depiction of the king wearing the Red Crown, and in front of him, another of Sekhemkhet back in the White Crown. However, we are not really sure of much about this king. According to the Turin King-list, Djoser's immediate successor was identified by his personal name Djoser-Ti (Djoserty), and ruled for only six years. It now seems that most Egyptologists believe Djoser-Ti and Sekhemkhet were one and the same person, though some might still argue otherwise. His reign would have been from about 2649 until 2643 BC. Judging from an inscription on his pyramid at Saqqara, and from its very design, we can also tentatively guess that the great Imhotep survived Djoser, his predecessor, and was again the mind behind the funerary complex works. Also, because of his short reign, and particularly his truncated pyramid, many believe he came to a sudden and unexpected death, though we have no idea what might have caused it. Another possible building project of Imhotep may have been the pyramid of Sekhemkhet. Also located at Saqqara, it would be rather remarkable for this pyramid to have been designed by anyone else, or to have belonged to someone other then Sekhemkhet. In many ways, it duplicated elements from the Step Pyramid of Djoser. Sekhemkhet's step pyramid was perhaps first noticed by a young Egyptian archaeologist named Zakaria Goneim while he was working at Saqqara excavating the pyramid of Unas, just before World War II. When the war erupted, he set out that period in Luxor, but afterwards returned to Saqqara to further investigate the huge, rectangular structure barely visible beneath a sand dune. It was only about one hundred meters to the southwest of the site Goneim had been working before the war, and he could tell that it was roughly oriented north-south.
As he began to uncover the structure, he found that the four corners he had seen beneath the sand dune were actually the walls of an enclosure, and inside were the ruins of a previously unknown pyramid. Soon it was clear that this was a 3rd Dynasty pyramid, because the facade of the perimeter wall, with its facade ornamented with deep niches, was so very similar to the wall that Djoser had built for his complex. The pyramid was built upon an uneven rock surface, so the builders were forced to level the terrain, building large terraces, of which some were more then ten meters high. Why the king chose this site for his pyramid is a bit of a mystery, though there are some nearby royal tombs from the 2nd Dynasty that may have lured him there. The perimeter wall was built in to phases. In the first phase, it was a much less radical rectangle. Later it was extended south, and particularly north. With these extensions, it was close to the size of Djoser/s complex. Like Djoser's complex, it has rows of niches alternating in a regular intervals with false doors, though there was probably only one real door in the entire complex, which has never been found. The wall was cased in fine, white Tura limestone. The wall probably stood about ten meters tall, with a walkway and sentry posts just as in the complex of Djoser. It has been difficult to determine whether the core was originally planned as six or seven steps, but apparently, the pyramid itself was never completed, having only reached a height of about 26 feet. It was built using the accretion layer method with the stones laid inwards at a 15 degree slope. These stones were laid at right angles to the incline. Since the pyramid was unfinished, there was never any casing applied. The pyramid probably had a square floor plan, with sides about 119 meters in length. According to Lehner, if the pyramid was built in seven steps, it would have been higher then Djoser's, rising some 70 meters (230 ft) above its base.
An entrance to the pyramid was found in front of the north wall, leading into a corridor that eventually communicated with the burial chamber. However, this corridor was bisected by a vertical shaft that extended up into the masonry of the pyramid itself. This was a type of security system also found in other Egyptian tombs, specifically at Beit Khallaf, dating to this period. Within the shaft, Goneim found the bones of various animals, including cattle, rams and gazelles, that were doubtless offerings to the deceased. he also found 62 papyri from the 26th Dynasty written during the reign of Ahmose II. Below these were some seven hundred stone vessels and remarkably a gold treasure cache from the 3rd Dynasty. These artifacts included 21 bracelets, small mussel shells, and faience corals covered with gold leaf. The items are, so far, the oldest gold ornamentation discovered in Egypt. It was no doubt a part of Sekhemkhet's funerary goods, but how it ended up at the bottom of the shaft rather then stolen with the rest of the tomb's content remains a mystery. About 47 meters before reaching the burial chamber, a U shaped passage leads off to the east, and is lined with a series of narrow, long storage annexes. After the entrance to this auxiliary passage, the main corridor continues. It was between here, and the burial chamber that clay vessel stoppers were discovered bearing Sekhemkhet's name, which is another reason why we attribute the pyramid to him. The main corridor continues to descend down until reaching first a transverse corridor, and then to the burial chamber just to the other side, some 100 feet below the base of the pyramid. The burial chamber is lined up precisely with the pyramid's vertical axis. The walls within this north-south oriented burial chamber were left unfinished. Inside there apparently remains a highly polished alabaster sarcophagus cut from a single stone. This is very rare, for the only other alabaster we know of used in such a way was in the coffins of Queen Hetephere I, of the 4th Dynasty, and Seti I, of the 19th Dynasty. It also had no cover, but rather a sliding partition. There is an interesting story related to this sarcophagus and its unique sliding partition. When found, the partition to the sarcophagus was sealed, and even the remains of what he believed to be dried flowers (later determined to be bark and decomposed wood) lay atop it. Furthermore, Goneim also claims that the entrance to the pyramid was blocked by an in tact wall. Goneim was sure he had discovered an in tact sarcophagus still bearing the remains of its owner. Though he was warned by other Egyptologists, notably Lauer, that the substructure had been robbed, he nevertheless created a media sensation. he invited high state officials, journalists, reporters and film teams to the opening. Then came the shock of an empty sarcophagus. He apparently managed to survive this embarrassment, for after all, he had made a reasonably important discovery by finding the pyramid of Sekhemkhet. Many Egyptology professionals throughout the world had considerable interest in what was probably only the second pyramid built in Egypt. Just outside of the entrance to the burial chamber, the transverse corridor leads off the the right (westerly) and to the left, and then each makes a 90 degree tern back to the south past the burial chamber. These galleries were also unfinished, and may have been intended to lead to a larger mortuary apartment, similar to the one in Djoser's complex. Outside of the pyramid within the complex on the south, just as in the case of Djoser's complex, there is also a symbolic south tomb. The superstructure of the tomb consisted of a mastaba built of limestone blocks. It had an entrance on the west side, also like Djoser's complex. From there, a long corridor descended to the east, and like in the pyramid, was interrupted by a vertical shaft. Further down the main corridor, though this tomb had probably not been meant for a burial, the excavators found the fragments of a small coffin that had held the remains of about a two year old child. The burial chamber in the south tomb was small, but found within it were fragments of thin gold leaf impressed with a pattern imitating reed matting. Also found were animal bones and stone vessels. Unfortunately, Goneim would never finish excavating the pyramid. Having achieved some amount of fame, he went off to the United States on a lecture tour, and even wrote a book about his discovery named The Buried Pyramid. The book was successful, and even translated into different languages, but when he returned to Egypt, everything fell apart. He was accused of smuggling a large, valuable vessel that Quibell and Lauer had found two years earlier near in the Djoser complex out of the country. There was no hard evidence, only accusations and slander, but it devastated Goneim, who one must remember is also Egyptian. He was repeatedly interrogated by the police. It was his friend Lauer who attempted to finally help him. In 1957, he tracked the missing vessel to a corner of the Egyptian Museum's depository. But like an Egyptian tragedy, even as Lauer was hurrying back to Saqqara to redeem his friend, Goneim was jumping into the Nile to commit suicide. In fact, it was Lauer who returned to the site in about 1963 for a hurried search for answers. It was he who discovered the south tomb, along with the south side of the perimeter wall. But unfortunately, no one yet has excavated the mortuary temple or the rest of the grounds. Many questions remain about this pyramid. For example, was Sekhemkhet ever buried, here, and if he was not, what happened to this king. The sealed sarcophagus seems to indicate, though not with certainty, that it never held his remains. By all indications, he came to an abrupt end, if we consider his attempted pyramid as evidence. In fact, most Egyptologist seem to agree that he probably only ruled for about six years. Perhaps he died in some remote expedition, his body never again seen. On the other hand, some future excavation may give us real answers to these questions. Pyramid of Unas at SaqqaraThe Pyramid of Unas at Saqqara is the smallest of the Old Kingdom Royal pyramids and considerably more famous and better known then the king who built it. This is because, for the first time that we know of, the 128 magical spells of the Pyramid Text appear on the walls of its subterranean chambers. It was once called "Beautiful are the (cult) Places of Unas", but today it is little more then a pile of rubble that, sitting next to the famous Step Pyramid, seems hardly noticeable.
Unas' pyramid did not go unnoticed by Perring and shortly afterwards, of Lepsius, who numbered it 35 on his archaeological map. But its significance was not known until after Maspero, already having found parts of the Pyramid Text in Pepi I and Merenre I's pyramids, decided to reexamine Unas' pyramid in 1881. In 1899, at Maspero's request, Alexandre Barsanti began an investigation, that unfortunately was not all that systematic, of the pyramid that would last until 1901. He also partially excavated Unas' mortuary temple, as well as other nearby structures. Firth continued the excavation of the temple in 1929, but he regrettably died in 1931. His work was taken up by Lauer from 1936 until 1939, and then by Hassain, Goneim and Hussan, all Egyptian archaeologists. They continued to excavate the site until 1949. In the 1970s, Ahmad Musa, another Egyptian, excavated the lower half of the causeway and the valley temple. The causeway is not straight, making two turns in order to probably avoid uneven ground or even other buildings. In fact, material from older buildings was used in the causeway's underpaving. In the 1970s the Egyptian archaeologist, Mousa, reconstructed the "tomb of the two brothers", Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep", which is now a popular tourist stop, mostly from blocks found in Unas' causeway. Polychrome bas-relief scenes adorn the walls of the causeway. They show men hunting for lions, leopards and giraffes, boats transporting granite palm columns from Aswan, battles with Asian enemies, the transport of prisoners, and of course, the well known scene of starving natives. However, the meaning of this last scene is, if anything, less clear today then ever. It was originally believed that the scenes record the decline of this period, but new theories counter this assumption. Just south of the upper part of the causeway were two forty-five foot white limestone structures that at one time probably held long, slender wooden boats. Passing through the pink granite gateway that bears the name and title of Teti, one first enters the alabaster paved entrance hall. Here, one finds relief scenes depicting offering goods being delivered. After the entrance hall is the open courtyard. The ambulatory was supported by eighteen pink granite columns shaped as palms. These columns are no longer here, but some have survived by being reused in the Delta at modern Tanis, and in the Louvre and British Museums. Many of the reliefs are also gone, at least one showing up in Amenemhat I's pyramid complex in Lisht. To either side of the entrance hall and courtyard are storage annexes, where in the Late Period, large shaft tombs were also dug. From here, several entrances led past the small cult pyramid and into the inner temple and a five niche chapel, though nothing remains of this. Also destroyed is the antechamber which led into the offering hall. But aside from a pink granite false door, little else remains of the offering hall. On the false door, a block of which is also in the Egyptian Antiquities Museum in Cairo, are inscriptions referring to the tutelary divinities protecting the residents of Nekhen and Buto. Around the offering hall are more storage annexes. Unas had a long reign, perhaps as long as thirty years. Therefore, he had time to build a larger pyramid, but we believe that it was probably a time of decreasing wealth, so he limited the size of this building project. Around the whole pyramid, and a smaller cult pyramid, there was once a massive stone wall that was at least seven meters high. The core of the pyramid consists of six layers, with rough blocks of local limestone decreasing in size as the builders reached the top layer. The casing was of fine, white limestone, some of which remains on the very lowest levels. The plan of the substructure, as well as Unas' mortuary temple, is very similar to the Djedkare complex, with the original entrance under the north chapel. The north chapel is now all but gone. It is a single room, and on its south wall next to the pyramid itself, there was an altar shaped in the hieroglyphic sign for a hetep (offering table). Behind the altar was a stela. Inside, there are corridors leading to an antechamber and burial chamber, both of which originally had gabled ceilings. Corridors, the antechamber and burial chamber all painted on their ceilings yellow stars on a blue background. In both of the chambers, the Pyramid Text was written in bas-relief painted in a blue green on all but the west wall of the burial chamber. This color signifies the morning and the belief in rebirth. The west wall of the burial chamber was coated with a layer of alabaster that was painted white, black, yellow, blue and red, the five colors of the royal palace facade. Pyramid Complex of Userkaf at SaqqaraThe pyramid lying immediately to the north-east of Djoser's Step Pyramid complex at Saqqara, belongs to Userkaf who was the traditional founder of 5th Dynasty. Today his mortuary monument is known as the 'Ruined Pyramid' (el-haram el-makherbish) because of its poor condition - attributed to the removal of the limestone casing in antiquity. The most interesting remains here are the mortuary temple ruins, situated on the south side of the pyramid.
Userkaf's pyramid was first entered by Perring, through a robbers' tunnel in 1839, but it was not known at the time who the structure belonged to. The pyramid was later excavated by Cecil Firth in 1928, who discovered the owner's name, then in the 1950s Jean-Philippe Lauer continued investigations. The entrance to the robbers' tunnel was completely buried by rubble during an earthquake in 1991. The pyramid's original entrance was from a pavement in the court in front of the north face and led to a descending passage running south towards a T-shaped magazine or storeroom, an antechamber and the burial chamber. These rooms were blocked off at the bottom of the passage by a large portcullis of pink granite. The antechamber lies directly under the centre of the pyramid and was lined with white limestone, as was the burial chamber which is about twice the length of the former room. Both chambers have a gabled ceiling of enormous white limestone slabs. Archaeologists found remains of a black basalt sarcophagus, empty and undecorated, set into the floor of the burial chamber. In a departure from tradition the mortuary temple was situated on the south side of the pyramid - these structures had previously been found on the north or east side of earlier pyramids. Archaeologists suggest several reasons for this departure. It may have been due to the ground on the east being too uneven for building, or perhaps because of a huge trench around Djoser's pyramid enclosure or even for ideological reasons such as the flourishing of the Heliopolitan sun cult. 'Solar' temples began to be introduced around this time. The whole plan of the temple seems to have been untraditional. The usual elements face south, away from, rather than towards the pyramid and the small offering chapel with its false door on the east side of the pyramid (now ruined) is entirely separate from the rest of the temple. The mortuary temple remains are today badly damaged, having been robbed for stone, but also because of the position of a large Saite shaft tomb which was built within the structure. A valley temple and causeway (still unexcavated) led to the south-east corner of the pyramid complex and into an area of storage chambers, a vestibule, an L-shaped entrance hall and a colonnaded court. The surviving remains suggest that there was a staircase leading to a roof terrace near the entrance. The court contained pink granite pillars on three sides with hieroglyphic inscriptions of Userkaf's names and titles and the floor was paved with basalt. Remains of the paving can still be seen. Around the sides of the court a basalt dado was beautifully decorated with naturalistic scenes, including birds in a papyrus thicket (in Cairo Museum) and an orchard scene with birds caught in a net. There were also fragments of scenes of a boat with its crew and names of Upper and Lower Egyptian estates. The head of one of the oldest royal colossal statues - Userkaf wearing a memes headdress with uraeus, was found here in the debris of the court and is now on display in the Cairo Museum. The inner parts of the mortuary temple consisted of a hall with eight pink granite columns and a chapel with niches for cult statues of the King. On the south-west corner of the complex and within the original enclosure wall, stood a small satellite pyramid, 21m square, with a subterranean chamber entered from the northern side. Only the lower two levels of the core remain today. Another small pyramid with its own decorated mortuary temple is situated outside the south enclosure wall and is thought to belong to an unnamed queen. Its underground chambers were a smaller version of those in the King's pyramid, but without the magazine. There are still many questions surrounding the location of Userkaf's pyramid, and the whole history of the beginning of 5th Dynasty, which perhaps one day could be answered by further excavations at Saqqara, an area which is revealing more information every year. Pyramid of Khendjer at SaqqaraLocated between the pyramid of Pepi II and and the pyramid of Senusret III in far South Saqqara only a short distance from Cairo are the slim remains of the only 13th Dynasty Pyramid to be completed. This is the mortuary complex of Khendjer, who's name is vaguely Syrian or Palestinian. His odd name mean's "boar", and he may have been a leader of foreign troops serving in Egypt. The pyramid was discovered by Jequier in 1929. The complex was enclosed by both inner and outer walls. The inner wall was made of limestone and as often found during this period, had niches and panels. However, this wall apparently replaced an earlier wavy wall. Stradelmann believes that the wavy wall design may have been a less costly substitute used to save resources, or perhaps when time was limited. The outer wall was made of mudbrick. The mortuary temple was located on the east side, and transverses both inner and outer enclosure walls. Typically, this would provide for the outer section of the temple to be placed outside the inner wall, with the inner sanctuary on the inside of the inner wall. The only remains of the temple are parts of the pavement and bits of reliefs and columns. While the pyramid was once about 37.35 meters (123 ft) tall, today it is reduced to no more then about one meter (a little over three feet), a sad but common result of using a mudbrick core. Over the mudbrick core was placed backing stones and casing of limestone, which, when quarried by stone robbers, left the core to disintegrate. A mostly whole, but fragmentary pyramidion was found on the east side. This pyramidion is now restored. The cartouche of King Userkare is inscribed on one side. This is believed by many to have been the king's throne name. There was also a north chapel built out to the inner enclosure wall and against the pyramid face. It was raised on a platform reached by two stairways. In its north wall was a yellow quartzite false door. This was highly unusual, for the closest wall to the pyramid was the south wall. Fragments of reliefs from this chapel have been recovered, and reveal standard scenes of offering. It is possible that the pyramid was earlier suppose to have a somewhat different substructure plan, for their is an aborted stairway in the southeast corner that was later blocked. Another possibility is that the entrance would have lead to a "ka" burial chamber that was never finished. The actual entrance to the pyramid is somewhat towards the southern end at the base of the west face. Here, we find a not untypical arrangement of a stairway leading down into a barrier (portcullises) room. The barrier was never engaged, but this might not mean that there was no burial. Another 39 step stairway lead to a second barrier room on the same axis. This chamber was once closed by a double leaf wooden door. From here, the corridor continued for a short distance before taking a 90 degree left turn to the north. Apparently, the burial chamber could be reached from here, or from corridors that continued along the northern and western sides of the burial chamber. These corridors changed levels no less then four times. The burial chamber was built prior to the construction of the superstructurein in a ditch just beyond the second barrier. Also like some other pyramids of this period, the burial chamber was in fact a monolithic block of quartzite in which niches were formed to hold the king's coffin and canopic chest. These niches were covered by a roof formed of two huge quartzite slaps. The method of sealing the burial chamber was the same as that found in Amenemhat III's pyramid at Hawara and in the south Mazghuna pyramids. The blocks that held the northern of the two cover slabs rested on sand filled shafts. When the sand was drained through channels, the huge slab was lowered into place. The builders took several structural precautions. After building the last barrier and the burial chamber, they roofed the corridors and build a gabled roof of limestone beams above the burial chamber. They also constructed a brick vault above the limestone construct to help relieve some of the stress created by the superstructure. After the burial took place, they filled the corridors with masonry and paved over the openings into the corridors. Between the inner and outer enclosure walls on the northeast corner of the complex is the only known 13th Dynasty subsidiary pyramid. This pyramid has a simple substructure consisting of a corridor and closing system. A stairway and ramp lead to a corridor and through two barriers before arriving at a central antechamber. There, two burial chambers are found to the north and south. Both contained quartzite coffers, but the lids were propped on blocks and the coffins never apparently used. This is thought to have been a queen's pyramid, but it is not impossible that it could have been a small cult pyramid instead. Also within the enclosure walls, Jequier discovered shaft tombs most likely belonging to other family members. Here, the excavators also discovered a juglet of late Yehodiyya ware, and another flared neck jar of mid to late 13th Dynasty date similar to others found at Haraga. Pyramid of Djedkare at SaqqaraThe pyramid of Djedkare in South Saqqara was originally called, "Beautiful is Djedkare". Never let it be said that pharaohs had no ego. Today it is called Haram el-Shawaf, meaning the "Sentinel Pyramid", and was probably built under the supervision of Snedjemib, an overseer of works. It was investigated by Perring, and shortly afterwards by the Lepsius expedition. In 1880, Maspero entered the substructure to look for pyramid texts. No systematic investigation of the pyramid was begun until the 20th century, when Abdel Salam Hussain and Alexandre Varille examined it, but unfortunately their work was interrupted and their work research lost. It seems just about the same thing happened when Fakhry investigated it during the 1950s. It was further investigated by Mahmud Abdel Razek in the 1980s but at this point damage has made it difficult to excavate. The valley temple has never bee researched at all.
Djedkare was Menkauhor's successor in the 5th Dynasty, and was either his son, his brother with Nyuserre as both men's father, or his cousin (with Neferefre and Nyuserre being their fathers). Varille began excavations of the valley temple but did not get very far. A later report by Leslie Grinsell and Fakhrey, however, indicate that they found the remains of walls with reliefs, along with a few pink granite blocks scattered about the houses in a nearby village. The ruins of the temple lie under the first houses of the village of Saqqara. The causeway deviated slightly to the south from an east-west axis. Razek apparently discovered a necropolis for sacred snakes probably dating from the Late Period at the causeways upper end. The desert in front of the pyramid's east side slopes sharply downward and therefore required much preparation before the mortuary temple's foundation could be laid. On the east side of the mortuary temple were two massive, tower like structures. They had inclined walls on a square ground plan, and there was probably a stairway leading to the roof of each. These reflect back to similar structures found in the Nyuserre complex, and may be the forerunners of the massive pylons of later temples. The temple's entrance hall probably had a vaulted ceiling, judging from its massive walls. There were six storage annexes to either side of the entrance. The entrance was apparently paved in alabaster, which continued on into the temple courtyard. Like the courtyard in Sahure's mortuary temple, the courtyard has sixteen pink granite palm columns with the names and titles of Djedkare.
The inner sanctum of the mortuary temple was entered by way of a low staircase in the middle of the west wall of the transverse corridor between the outer public part of the mortuary temple and the inner, private section. A passage led through the five niche chapel and the antechamber to the offering hall. There were pink granite columns in the offering hall also bearing Djedkare's name and titles. Because this room was south of the temple's main axis, there is also an image of the Upper Egypt protector goddess, Nekhbet. Another interesting aspect of this room is that its western part was incorporated with the masonry of the pyramid. It would have also incorporated a false door so that the dead pharaoh could enter the room for his symbolic meals. On both sides of the inner part of the temple were a large number of storage rooms. The mortuary temple is so damaged that little of the decorative program can be determined. Added to this was the loss of early records related to its investigation. However, fragments that have been found seem to indicate that the art was similar to other pyramids of a contemporary date, both in contest and workmanship. The small cult pyramid near the southeast corner of the main pyramid is very similar to others built during this period. It was made of three cores, with a single underground chamber. The entrance was from the cult pyramids north wall, where a descending corridor lead to the subterranean chamber. The cult pyramid was enclosed within a small perimeter wall. His pyramid originally had a core of six steps, but the upper three layers no longer exist. It was originally about 49 meters (163 feet) high. Today, the pyramid is only about 24 meters tall. Each is step approximately seven meters high, built up from fairly small, irregular pieces of limestone bound with clay mortar. Most of the casing is long gone, but some parts of the pyramid, such as the north side, are well preserved. Like Userkaf's pyramid at Saqqara, the entrance to this pyramid is on the north, but not on the pyramid face. Rather, it is located in the pavement of the pyramid's courtyard. A chapel once stood over the opening, but this structure is now all but gone. There is a small ceiling block with astronomical decorations near the entrance that probably was a part of this chapel.
The entrance corridor angles slightly east, but this is the last pyramid built with this arrangement. Descending, it leads first to a vestibule. Just on the other side of the vestibule was the barrier made of pink granite consisting of three huge plugging blocks. This corridor is still partially blocked by this barrier. Here the corridor is level and leads to an antechamber. However, just before the antechamber is another granite barrier. An unusual feature of this pyramid was a third room, or storage annex connected with the funerary apartment (the antechamber and burial chamber). This storage chamber had a flat ceiling, while the antechamber and burial chamber had a saddle ceiling, constructed of three superimposed layers of huge limestone blocks. The burial chamber once held a dark gray basalt sarcophagus in which the mummy's head was oriented to the north. In front of the sarcophagus on the southeast corner was a small, square hole for the alabaster canopic jars. However, of the sarcophagus and canopic jars, only fragments were found, along with the mummified body of a man thought to be around 50 years old. The mummy is believed to be that of Djedkare, and a papyri recently discovered in Neferefre's mortuary temple in Abusir shows Djedkare reigned for some thirty years, confirming he would have been of advanced age. While the grounds around this pyramid have not been fully explored, we do find burials in private tombs, as well as other structures. What is interesting, however, is that these burials may not hold Djedkare's relatives, or at least not all of them. His daughters, a son and some of his official's tombs were located south of Nyuserre's causeway at Abusir. It also must be noted that the pyramid of an unknown queen thought to be that of Djedkare's, is almost integrated with Djedkare's pyramid. Pyramid of Merenre at SaqqaraMerenre (Nemtyemsaf) was the son of Pepi I, who came to the throne at a young age and reigned for only a few years before he was succeeded by his younger brother, Pepi II. We know that Merenre must have reigned for at least a period of nine years, possibly in a co-regency with his father. He is reported by the contemporary biographer Weni, a Governor of Upper Egypt during Merenre's reign, to have visited Aswan in his ninth reignal year to receive a group of southern chieftains. The remains of Merenre's pyramid lie to the west of the pyramid of Djedkare-Isesi at South Saqqara, but it is badly destroyed. and there is now little to see. Perring investigated the monument in the 1830s and reported casing blocks of white limestone, but these are no longer visible and the whole of the ruins are now covered with drifted sand. The Brugsch brothers at Gaston Maspero's request, entered the pyramid in 1880 and so made a second discovery of the hieroglyphic inscriptions known as the 'Pyramid Texts'. (The first example had been found in the Pyramid of Pepi I in the same year). The clearance of the burial chamber in January 1881 also revealed the remains of the owner - the oldest known royal mummy. The underground chambers of Merenre's pyramid are similar to those in his father's monument. The entrance is in the north wall, where cornerstones of an entrance chapel have been found. A sloping passage led to a small vestibule and a horizontal corridor blocked by three granite portcullis slabs. Robbers had entered the pyramid in antiquity by tunnelling around the stone slabs, and the Brugsch brothers also entered by this route. The corridor led to an antechamber with a niched statue chamber on the east and the vaulted burial chamber on the west. The ceiling of the burial chamber was decorated with white stars on a black background. The west wall contained a colourful relief of the reed-hut motif and in the debris, many fragments of Pyramid Texts were found which are thought to have differed little to Pepy I's texts. Merenre's greywacke sarcophagus was found against the west wall of the burial chamber, in good condition and with its lid complete but pushed back. The mummy was removed to Cairo Egyptian Museum and proclaimed by Maspero to be that of a young man, still wearing his hair in a 'sidelock of youth'. The mummy was for many years thought to be an intrusive burial, probably from the New Kingdom because of the style of the linen wrappings, but now Egyptologists consider it to be Merenre's remains, although it has never been properly studied. The pyramid is now so destroyed that the plan of the mortuary temple, causeway and valley temple is unknown. Perring noted remains of a mudbrick enclosure wall and 250 metres of causeway which went around Djedkare-Isesi's complex, towards the eastern edge of the desert. There was no mention of a valley temple. In recent decades the French Archaeological Mission at Saqqara have been continuing the investigation of Merenre's complex and have uncovered limestone paving from the mortuary temple, with some fragmentary reliefs and traces of an offering table. It is suggested that the temple was incomplete at the time of the King's burial as some of the reliefs were sketched out but not carved. So far there has been no full survey of the area. The Pyramid of Merenre is not open to visitors and is difficult to get to. Pyramid of Pepi I at SaqqaraPepi I was the second ruler of ancient Egypt's 6th Dynasty, and his pyramid at South Saqqara, though no more then a twelve meter high ruin today, has actually had a significant effect on Egyptology. From the fragments of Khamuaset's restoration text, we do know that the pyramid was in good shape during the 19th Dynasty, with few improvements.
This pyramid was first investigated by Perring in the 1830s, but in 1881, Maspero entered the subterranean section of the pyramid and there for the first time discovered pyramid texts. This pyramid continues to be scrutinized by the French archaeological mission in Saqqara, originally lead by Lauer and Sainte Fare Garnot, but since 1963 by Leclant and Labrousse. Among other finds, they have discovered the small pyramid complexes of Pepi's consorts. There was apparently a valley temple and causeway, though we have no information on these structures. The mortuary complex is almost a duplicate of that in Teti's complex. It is fairly symmetrical and as usual, consisted of inner and outer sections. The causeway leads in from the northeast, leading into first an entrance corridor which in turn leads to a columned courtyard. A transverse corridor splits the outer and inner sections. An doorway in the middle of the back wall of this corridor leads into a five niche chapel, which then leads to the offering hall with its false door on the wall adjacent to the pyramid. While stone thieves seriously damaged the complex, important discovered were nevertheless made. These included limestone statues of kneeling enemies of Egypt with their hands tied behind their backs. They once stood in the open courtyard, and may also adorned the entrance corridor. These types of statues have been found in several pyramids and perhaps had the function of frightening away anyone who might wish to damage the structure. They symbolized conquered evil. On the foundation of the pyramid was also found a small cult pyramid. Pepi I's pyramid has a core of six steps and was constructed in much the same way as Djedkare's pyramid, which used small blocks of limestone bound with a clay mortar. Interestingly, blocks from Teti's mother, queen Sesheshet, were discovered within the core of this pyramid. This was Pepi's grandmother, and may have been removed from a destroyed building. The pyramid was, as usual, cased with fine white limestone, though it remains intact only at the lowest levels.
The pyramid's entrance is in its courtyard pavement next to its north face. There was probably a chapel here, but nothing of it remains today. The subterranean levels are similar to earlier pyramids of the 5th and 6th Dynasties, beginning with a descending limestone corridor that that leads to a vestibule. After the vestibule, the next corridor is level but is reinforced at three places with pink granite. Located about in the middle of this second corridor is the barrier made of three portcullis blocks also of pink granite. This corridor leads to an antechamber on the pyramid's vertical axis. West of the antechamber is the burial chamber, and to its east is a serdab with three niches. The gabled ceilings of the antechamber and burial chamber consists of three layers of blocks, each layer having sixteen blocks. All together, these ceilings weighed some five thousand tons. The ceiling is astronomical, but with white stars on a black background. Some burial equipment was found within the pyramid. fragments of a sarcophagus that stood on the west wall of the burial chamber suggest that it was probably a substitute, the original having broken in transportation or perhaps developed flaws. A fragment of a mummy was found that could have been that of Pepi I, but is uncertain, along with some fine linen wrappings. Fourteen shards of yellow alabaster canopic vessels were discovered, together with a small flint knife, a piece of pleated linen and a left sandal of reddish wood, possibly made of sycamore. Pyramid text not only cover the walls of the antechamber and burial chamber, but also the corridors. Some of these texts remain in place, while others parts are in fragments (about three thousand fragments). In piecing this all together, the French team has discovered that about two thirds of the inscriptions were altered by reducing the size of the glyphs. Near the pyramid, archaeologists expected to find several queen's pyramids, but instead discovered six. They include the pyramid of Nebuunet and Inenek-Inti, who may also have been wives of Pepi I. Recently, another of these pyramids has been identified as that of Ankhnesmerire II, though in this report she is referred to as Ankhes-en Pepi. Pyramids of Pepi I's Queens and Family at SaqqaraThe Pyramid of Queen Nebwenet
The small, simple mortuary temple was located in front of the pyramid's east wall. The temple entrance was located in a small antechamber to the north and a path from this room also led to the open courtyard around the pyramid. The entrance to the mortuary temple first led to a chapel-like room with three niches for statues, and then into the offering hall complete with a false door. The offering halls is somewhat south of the pyramid's east-west axis. The pyramid was, as most were at Saqqara, built of limestone. The entrance to the pyramid was in its north courtyard in the pavement under a north chapel made of mudbrick only a fragment of a limestone alter was found in the chapel's ruins. The entrance led to a corridor that descended, later becoming wider and flat thus constituting a small vestibule. Just before the burial chamber was a simple pink granite barrier. The burial chamber itself is located just south of the pyramid's vertical axis. It is oriented east-west. It had a flat ceiling, and no inscriptions on the walls such as the pyramid text found not only in Pepi I's pyramid but also there was no mummy found in the burial chamber, but fragments of a pink granite sarcophagus were recovered. A side room, or serdab, to the east o the burial chamber contained fragments of funerary equipment including a cylindrical wooden weight used in weaving, wooden objects in the form of ostrich feathers (possibly symbolic of the goddess Mat), and other items. The Pyramid of Queen Inenek-Inti Both the pyramid and the mortuary temple of Queen Inenek-Inti are somewhat larger then those of Queen Nebwenet, and the complex also has its own enclosure wall. It apparently even had its own cult pyramid on the pyramid's southeast corner. The mortuary temple itself is highly unusual, wrapping about the pyramid on the east, north and south sides. It was entered from the north into a small chamber that led directly into a columned courtyard near the northeast corner of the pyramid. West of this courtyard was a two columned chamber and then a number of storage rooms. To the courtyard's south we first encounter a three niche chapel-like area for statues, and then an offering hall. The pyramid itself, though slightly larger, has just about the same ground floor as that of Queen Nebwenet. It too was entered from the pavement of the pyramid courtyard on the north side, where a north chapel was located. It had a descending corridor, becoming level and wider and leading to a burial chamber, with a small room off to its east. However, in this pyramid, the burial chamber is centered on the pyramid's axis. The Southwestern Pyramid The mortuary temple we are told was built in haste, and very little of it remains. An unusual aspect though is that the chapel like niche room only had two niches for statues. There was, of course, also an offering hall, but the general layout is unknown. There were a number of relief fragments found within the ruins, portraying scenes of processions of courtiers, mortuary estates, and a fragment of a cartouche containing the name of Pepi I. The ruins of this pyramid only stand about three meters high, but its original size was very similar to that of Queen Nebwenet's pyramid, even though the substructure differed substantially. While the entrance and entrance corridor was very similar to that of both Nebwenet's and Inenek-Inti's pyramid, here, the burial chamber sits on the pyramid's vertical axis, and the small adjoining room {Serdab) is to the south of the burial chamber. Within this small chamber was found two rolls of fine linen, a gilded wooden sandal and copper utensils. Parts of a pink granite sarcophagus and other items similar to those in Nebwenet's pyramid were found within the burial chamber. These included wooden weights used in weaving, wooden feathers (symbolic of Matt), copper fishhooks and large vessels made of fired clay. The Pyramid of Meritites The Pyramid of Ankhesenpepi III The Pyramid of Ankhesenpepi II A fragment of the pyramid text from the pyramid of Ankhesenpepi II. In addition, we find in her burial chamber the pyramid text. It is engraved in relief and painted green. While Pepi I's pyramid contains such text, there is no indication that any of the other subsidiary pyramids did so with the exception of this one. In fact, she is the first of any woman we know of that was accorded this privilege. In addition, there was also found an enormous, carefully crafted basalt sarcophagus with the queen's name and titles inscribed upon its lid and on the partially exposed east and north sides. Obviously, there are many more mysteries around the pyramid of Pepi I that need to be worked out Perhaps someday, the riddles of his rule will unravel from the efforts of the French team now excavating the area. Pyramid of Pepi II Neferkar at SaqqaraePepi II's pyramid complex (originally known as Pepi's Life is Enduring) is located in Saqqara, close to many other Old Kingdom pharaohs. His pyramid is a modest affair compared to the great pyramid builders of the Fourth Dynasty, but was comparable to earlier pharaohs from his own dynasty. It was originally 78.5 metres high, but erosion and relatively poor construction has reduced it 52 metres.
The pyramid was the center of a sizable funerary complex, complete with a separate mortuary complex, a small, eastern satellite pyramid. This was flanked by two of his wives' pyramids to the north and north-west (Neith and Iput II respectively), and one to the south-east (Udjebten), each with their own mortuary complexes. Perhaps reflecting the decline at the end of his rule, the fourth wife, Ankhenespepy IV was not given her own pyramid but was instead buried in a store room of the Iput's mortuary chapel. Similarly, Prince Ptahshepses, who likely died near the end of Pepi II's reign, was buried in the funerary complex of a previous pharaoh, Unas, within a "recycled" sarcophagus dating to the 4th Dynasty. The ceiling of the burial chamber is decorated with stars, and the walls are lined with passages from the Pyramid texts. An empty black sarcophagus bearing the names and titles of Pepi II was discovered inside. Following in the tradition of the final pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty, Unas and of his more immediate predecessors Teti, Pepi I and Merenre, the interior of Pepi II's pyramid is decorated with what has become known as the pyramid texts, magical spells designed to protect the dead. Well over 800 individual texts (known as "utterances") are known to exist, and Pepi II's contains 675 such utterances, the most in any one place.
It is thought that this pyramid complex was completed no later than the thirtieth year of Pepi II's reign. No notable funerary constructions of note happened again for at least 30, and possibly as long as 60 years, due indirectly to the king's incredibly long reign. This meant there was a significant generational break for the trained stonecutters, masons, and engineers who had no major state project to work on and to pass along their practical skills. This may help explain why no major pyramid projects were undertaken by the subsequent regional kings of Herakleopolis during the First Intermediate Period. The complex was first investigated by John Shae Perring, but it was Gaston Maspero who entered it first in 1881. Gustav Jéquier investigated in detail between 1926 and 1936. Jéquier was the first excavator to start actually finding any remains from the tomb reliefs, and he was the first to publish a thorough excavation report on the complex. Only two statues identified as representing Pepi II exist, even though he was the longest reigning monarch of Ancient Egypt. Even more curious, both of these portraits depict Pepi II as a young child. The first of these, in the Brooklyn Museum, depicts Queen Ankhenesmerire II balancing the youthful Pepi II on her lap, with Pepi II wearing the royal nemes headdress signifying kingship. The second, a small statue in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo shows Pepi II as a naked child, squatting on the child with his legs apart with his right hand (now missing) touching his mouth (a symbolic gesture of childhood for the god Horus). No other statues of Pepi II are known, though portraits of him as a grown man appear as relief carvings on his funerary complex. |
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The Egyptian Pyramid Mystery Is Solved!: Volume 1: The Mysteries
How the Great Pyramid Was Built
