Ibi pyramid
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The Ibi pyramid in Saqqara is the tomb of the ancient Egyptian king ( pharaoh ) Qakare Ibi from the 8th dynasty . It is located in the south of the necropolis near the Pepi II pyramid and the Mastabat al-Firʿaun of Sheepseskaf . The Ibi pyramid is the last known pharaoh's tomb in which the so-called pyramid texts were placed. It is unclear whether the heavily damaged tomb was actually built by Ibi himself or was only used again. The great similarity to the queen pyramids Pepis II allows the assumption that a wife of this king was originally buried here, perhaps Anchenespepi IV.
The pyramid was first recorded by Karl Richard Lepsius in the middle of the 19th century , but was only explored in more detail by Gustave Jéquier in the early 1930s .
The pyramid
The pyramid is not oriented according to the cardinal points, as is usual, but deviates considerably to the northwest. Its side length is about 31.5 meters (60 cubits) and thus corresponds to the dimensions of the queen pyramids Pepis II. The building was badly damaged by stone robbery and is now only three meters high. Small limestone blocks of local origin were used as building material for the pyramid core. These are arranged in two belts that wrap around the chamber system in them. On some blocks there were inscriptions applied in red paint with the title "Chief of the Libyans" . The meaning of these inscriptions, however, is unclear. A full foundation had already been laid for the outer cladding, but the actual cladding never appears to have been attached.
The substructure
On the north side, a limestone-clad corridor with an incline of 25 ° leads about eight meters and ends in front of a granite stone device. Behind this is the burial chamber. It has a flat ceiling that is decorated with stars. On the west side of the chamber is a huge granite block on which the sarcophagus once rested. The remains of a false door can be seen above this block . To the east of the burial chamber is a serdab . Both the corridor and the burial chamber are decorated with pyramid texts. They seem to have been attached directly by Ibi and not only subsequently transferred to him. The application of the individual sayings seems relatively random.
The pyramid complex
Only the mortuary temple was identified from the Ibis pyramid complex, which is located on the east side of the pyramid and was built only from bricks. Its entrance is in the north. Immediately on the pyramid wall is a sacrificial room that contains the foundations of a stele or false door as well as a stone basin. A tray of alabaster and a mortar made of obsidian were found here. The southern part of the temple is occupied by storage rooms.
literature
- Gustave Jéquier : La pyramide d'Aba (= Fouilles à Saqqarah. ). Imprimerie de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale, Cairo 1935 ( online ).
- Mark Lehner : The Secret of the Pyramids in Egypt. Orbis, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-572-01039-X , p. 164.
- Rainer Stadelmann : The Egyptian pyramids. From brick construction to the wonder of the world (= cultural history of the ancient world . Volume 30). 3rd, updated and expanded edition. Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1997, ISBN 3-8053-1142-7 , pp. 203-204.
- Christoffer Theis : The Pyramids of the First Intermediate Period. According to philological and archaeological sources (= studies on ancient Egyptian culture. Vol. 39, 2010). Pp. 321-339 ( online ).
- Miroslav Verner : The pyramids (= rororo non-fiction book. Volume 60890). Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1999, ISBN 3-499-60890-1 , pp. 415-416.
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 29 ° 50 ′ 30 ″ N , 31 ° 13 ′ 3 ″ E