Sun sanctuary of the Sahure
| Sun sanctuary of Sahure in hieroglyphics | |
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The sun sanctuary of Sahure is a previously undiscovered ancient Egyptian temple structure from the time of the 5th dynasty , which was built under the king ( Pharaoh ) Sahure , who lived around 2490 to 2475 BC. Ruled. The structure apparently remained unfinished and was possibly in the vicinity of the Niuserre pyramid in Abusir .
Written mentions
The information from the Palermostein shows that Sahure had his solar sanctuary built at the beginning of his term of office and supplied with offerings. Otherwise the structure is only mentioned in the graves of five priests. In contemporary administrative texts, such as the Abusir papyri or seal impressions, there is no mention whatsoever, from which it can be concluded that the sanctuary remained unfinished.
Archaeological finds
Already Ludwig Borchardt found at the beginning of the 20th century in his excavations of Niuserre pyramid complex blocks which bore the name of Sahure sanctuary and in the southern part surrounding wall were built. This discovery led Werner Kaiser to the assumption that Sahure's solar sanctuary had been at the point where Niuserre later had his pyramid built. Czechoslovak archaeologists made another find northeast of the pyramid in 1974 . There they discovered numerous fragments of an obelisk made of red granite , which was originally coated with copper and perhaps also gilded , between a structure known as the “northern corner building” and the mastaba of the priest Ptahshepses . In addition to the northern corner building, Borchardt also found a stone platform that could have served as a pedestal for the obelisk. Obelisks were typical components of sun sanctuaries, but extremely unusual for a pyramid temple of the 5th Dynasty.
literature
- Miroslav Verner : The Sun Sanctuaries of the 5th Dynasty . In: Sokar, No. 10, 2005, pp. 42-43
- Susanne Voss: Investigations into the sun sanctuaries of the 5th dynasty. Significance and function of a singular temple type in the Old Kingdom. Hamburg 2004 (also: Dissertation, University of Hamburg 2000), pp. 135–139, ( PDF; 2.5 MB ).
