Buckling pyramid
| Buckling pyramid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_23.jpg) The Bent Pyramid of Sneferu
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The ancient Egyptian bent pyramid is the southern of the two great pyramids in Dahshur and differs from all other Egyptian pyramids due to its unique shape caused by construction problems .
It was made around 2650 BC. Built under Pharaoh Sneferu , the first king of the 4th Dynasty . This pyramid is the first structure that was planned from the ground up as a real pyramid, although Sneferu was already busy building a tomb in the form of a step pyramid for the Meidum pyramid . It is the fourth largest Egyptian pyramid. In contrast to all other pyramids, the outer cladding is largely preserved here. This pyramid was probably not used for burial, but only served as a cenotaph or place of worship, since with the red pyramid another real pyramid was built as a tomb for Sneferu.
In July 2019, the kink pyramid was made accessible to the public for the first time since 1965.
exploration
European travelers to Egypt such as Robert Huntington , Richard Melton and Richard Pococke described the unusually shaped pyramid in their travelogues as early as the 17th century . The pyramid complex was first systematically examined by John Shae Perring in September 1839. Likewise, in the 19th century Karl Richard Lepsius and in the early 20th century Flinders Petrie dealt with the building. After 1945 Abdel Salam Hussain and Alexandre Viarilles carried out research, but the documentation was not preserved. A fundamental investigation did not take place until the early 1950s under Ahmed Fakhry . Research by Vito Maragioglio and Celeste Rinaldi , Josef Dorner and by the German Archaeological Institute Cairo under the direction of Rainer Stadelmann followed around 1980.
Construction circumstances
The kink pyramid was started by King Snefru in the 15th year of his reign as a second tomb after the completion of his step pyramid in Meidum. He chose a new necropolis near today's Dahshur as the location . The reason he began building a second pyramid is unknown, but it may have to do with the relocation of the capital. The new structure was the first pyramid that was planned from the beginning as a real pyramid, even if it could not be completed as such due to construction problems.
The pyramid
The location of the structure with the name Apparition of Snefru - South Pyramid is a desert plateau, the subsurface of which consists of relatively soft clay slate . The pyramid was built in the previously unused area from roughly hewn blocks, broken from the locally occurring limestone. Gaps in the masonry were filled with rubble and debris and in some cases with plaster of paris.
First construction phase
In the first construction phase, a steep pyramid with a base length of 157 m and an inclination angle of around 58 ° (possibly even 60 °) was planned. If the pyramid had been completed in this form, it would have reached a height of about 125 m. The pyramid was erected in this form using the inclined layer technique that has been tried and tested in step pyramids. While this technique improved the stability of the step pyramids, in which the substructure was below the pyramid, it led to massive problems with this pyramid, since the inclined positions increased the pressure on the inside of the pyramid and in the chambers and in the pyramid body Corridors led to stability problems, cracks and even the risk of collapse. During this phase, the building was probably only half walled up when the stability problems became evident. Due to the good overall degree of preservation of the pyramid, this first construction phase can only be verified indirectly through offset points about 12.70 m from the entrance in the lower descending corridor and at about 11.60 m in the upper descending corridor.
Second construction phase
To improve stability, the builders reduced the angle of inclination to 54 °. For this purpose, an approximately 15.70 m wide belt was built around the pyramid of the first construction phase. This increased the base length to 188 m. Here, too, inclined wall layers were used. If the slope angle of 54 ° had been adhered to, it would have reached a height of 129.4 m and a volume of around 1,524,000 cubic meters. The bent pyramid would be the third highest pyramid in the world, but its volume would still be behind the Red Pyramid (1,694,000 cubic meters), so that it would only be the fourth largest pyramid in Egypt. Since the construction problems could not be solved by the measures, the construction was canceled at a height of 49 m. The masonry of this phase is clad with fine Tura limestone.
Third construction phase
In the third construction phase, the angle was reduced to 43 ° and the masonry, as in the Red Pyramid , was laid in horizontal layers, which led to pressure relief inside. This created the unique kink that is not found in any other pyramid. Due to the lower angle of inclination of the upper part, the total height was reduced to 105 m. The total volume was 1,440,808 cubic meters. The upper area is also clad in fine Tura limestone.
Construction problems
The pyramid was built on a soft clay slate bed, not like most others on a solid bedrock. This was probably done to make the work on the substructure easier, as the slate was easier to cut. However, the subsoil offered insufficient support for the stone masses of the pyramid, and subsidence occurred, which could be seen through cracks in the masonry of the pyramid and in particular in the corridors and chambers. Combined with the problems caused by the inwardly sloping masonry, this apparently led to doubts about the stability and thus the suitability of the building as a tomb. Attempts were initially made to conceal cracks in the walls of the corridors with plaster of paris, later wooden beams were installed as supports in the chambers. Apparently the quality of the building was not sufficient for a burial of the king, which probably led to the fact that a little further north he commissioned another monument with the Red Pyramid . At the same time he operated the conversion of the Meidum pyramid into a real pyramid. The bent pyramid itself was completed with a reduced temple program and probably assumed the function of a cult pyramid for the red pyramid located to the north.
The substructure
The inner structures of the bent pyramid are unique in that two entrances to two separate burial chambers were created here, which are connected to one another by a corridor that was subsequently created.
Lower chamber system
_19.jpg)
An entrance is in the middle of the north side, about 11.80 m above ground level. During the first construction phase, the entrance was about 6 m high. A 25 ° steep, 74 m long passage with a height of 1.05 m and a width of 1.10 m leads down to an antechamber that is already underground. The dimensions of the antechamber are 5.40 m in length and 12.60 m in height with a width of only 1.10 m corresponding to the corridor. The ceiling of the antechamber is formed by a corbel vault made of massive limestone blocks.
A steep and narrow staircase leads to the actual lower main chamber at a height of 6.5 m. This also has a ceiling made of corbels and is 17.20 m high with a base area of 4.96 m × 6.30 m. There is no evidence that this chamber ever served a funeral. On the southern side of the cantilever vault, the connecting passage to the upper chamber system opens at a height of about 12 m. A short passage leads into a vertical shaft that lies exactly on the pyramid axis. This shaft is usually referred to as the "chimney". The shaft ends at the top with a small cantilever vault. A few meters above the short access to the shaft there is also a small cantilever vault that is open to the lower main chamber to relieve pressure.
Cantilever vault of the lower antechamber
Ladder to the passage to the lower main chamber
View from the lower main chamber into the antechamber
Main chamber of the lower chamber system. The scaffolding and ladders are modern.
.JPG)
.JPG)
Upper chamber system
The second entrance is 33.32 m high on the west side. A 67.66 m long passage leads downhill. At the end of the sloping corridor is a small pit that may have served as protection against rainwater ingress during construction. On the last section in front of the upper burial chamber, the now horizontal, about 20 m long corridor is provided with two barriers.
The locking systems are unique in that they did not consist of the usual falling stone locks, but of chambers with an inclined plane on which the locking stone could slide into position. Between the two barrier systems there is a shaft the full width of the aisle. Like all chambers, the paving stone chambers are provided with cantilever vaults. The outer of the two locking systems was locked. The blocking stone is still in position today, but has a rectangular opening. The internal locking mechanism was never closed. Its locking stone is still held in the open position by a wooden beam.
This burial chamber measures 7.97 m × 5.26 m and is 16.50 m high due to the vault cantilevered on all sides. The upper chamber was apparently never completed because the masonry was left raw and not smoothed. Cracks in the chamber and corridor walls were covered with plaster. One of the blocks walled up in the burial chamber had construction worker graphics with the name of Sneferu, with which the pyramid could be clearly assigned.
A sarcophagus was not found, but the lower part of the chamber was lined and remains of cedar beams were found. Vito Maragioglio and Celeste Rinaldi took the view that the brickwork was either a base for a coffin or a sarcophagus substitute for a wooden coffin. According to Rainer Stadelmann , both the masonry and the beams may have been used in preparation for smoothing the cantilever vault or to support the chamber against an impending collapse.
Stadelmann suspects that the western entrance was only planned during the construction, as one might already have to fight with subsidence problems in the lower chamber system at that time. Thus the “chimney” should have represented the originally planned access to the burial chamber.
The corridor of the upper chamber system was closed until the 1950s and only accessible through the connecting corridor from the lower chamber system. It was only opened to the outside of the pyramid during the exploration at the time.
Connecting passage
Both burial chambers are connected by a 0.74 m wide and 0.92 m high, slightly winding, sloping tunnel that began between the barriers in front of the upper chamber and ended high in the corbelled vault of the lower chamber. This corridor was only later carved into the masonry and testifies to an exact knowledge of the location of the chambers. Presumably it was supposed to connect the upper corridor system with the chimney shaft of the lower system. This shaft was apparently just missed and the passage ended in the upper cantilever vault of the lower main chamber.
The pyramid complex
| Elements of the pyramid complex | |
The entire pyramid complex is surrounded by a limestone wall with a square floor plan and 298.55 m side length, which also included a smaller secondary pyramid in a bulge.
Pyramid temple
In front of the east side of the bent pyramid, at the point where there is normally an extensive mortuary temple , there was a small chapel with two 9 m high limestone monoliths with the name of the king. The rest of one of these steles is now in the garden of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Since the pyramid was probably not used for the burial of the king, the complete mortuary temple was not necessary here, so that after the completion of the pyramid, only a small place of worship was built as a cenotaph or cult pyramid. The temple necessary for the cult of the dead was at the Red Pyramid.
Over time, the small chapel was surrounded with mud brick walls and expanded into a small temple. From the Middle Kingdom are renovations detected at the temple, which is a continuation of the cult Snefru over a long period of time witnessed.
Remains of the pyramid temple on the east side
Stele from the chapel of the bent pyramid with the name of Sneferu (now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo)
Reconstruction of the steles and the chapel (Gaston Maspero, 1930)
Secondary pyramid
| Secondary pyramid of the bent pyramid in hieroglyphics | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ḫwj S-nfr Snofru protects / Protection Snofrus |
|||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||
On the south side of the pyramid complex there is a secondary pyramid with a base length of 53 m and a height of 32 m. As in the upper part of the bent pyramid, the side slope is 43 °. Just like there, masonry was used in horizontal layers, suggesting that the secondary pyramid was built in the final phase of construction or after. In contrast to the main pyramid, the Tura limestone cladding has been largely destroyed. As a result, the overall picture of the secondary pyramid is very much shaped by erosion.
It is the largest secondary pyramid of all Egyptian pyramid complexes and also the only one that has a complex substructure.
The side pyramid was originally thought to be the tomb of Queen Hetepheres I by Herbert Ricke . Today's pyramid research recognizes a cult pyramid ( Rainer Stadelmann ) in this building , especially since the entire district of the bent pyramid was converted into a site for the royal cult and there is no evidence of a burial.
Substructure of the secondary pyramid
From an entrance about 2 m high on the east side of the secondary pyramid, a descending corridor runs about 10 m into the ground. From there an ascending gallery leads to the main chamber. This ascending gallery is the direct model of the great gallery of the Cheops pyramid in miniature .
The ascending gallery leads to a chamber with a floor height about 7 m above the surrounding level, which is the only chamber of a secondary pyramid in the pyramid body itself. The chamber, like that of the main pyramid, is provided with a cantilever vault. With a length of only 1.6 m, burial in this is excluded, so that the secondary pyramid can be safely identified as a cult pyramid.
Sacrificial site of the secondary pyramid
There was a small sacrificial site on the east side of the cult pyramid. This had an alabaster altar and was flanked by two 5 m high monolithic stone steles.
On the way
A more than 700 m long path leads from the pyramid district to the valley temple. The driveway was lined with limestone walls. A roofing of the driveway could not be determined. In contrast to most of the other pyramid complexes, the path leads to the north side of the surrounding wall .
Temple in the Snofrutal
About halfway between the pyramid and the valley temple, the temple was in Snofrutal . It is a rectangular building that was enclosed with a wall. The entrance to the temple area was on the south-east side. On the opposite west side, the path led to the pyramid. The actual temple entrance was in the south wall. From there one got into an antechamber, from where two magazine chambers were accessible on each side. The inner courtyard was reached through the antechamber. On the north wall of the courtyard were six niches with statues of the Pharaoh, in front of them two rows of five rectangular pillars each. The walls of the courtyard were decorated with reliefs, depictions of the king's estates that sacrificed to him. There is evidence that the cult for and for King Sneferu was still carried out here in the Middle Kingdom . In the space between the temple and the wall, priests of the Sneferu cult built a number of dwellings up to the Middle Kingdom.
From this temple a 140 m long path led to the valley temple. Next to the lower pathway, the port basin of the bent pyramid was discovered, the foundation level of which is about 18 meters above sea level. d. M. lies. In addition, there were remains of workers' barracks as well as priestly quarters inside and outside the valley temple.
Settlement structures
In 2013, geomagnetic recordings revealed structures north of the valley temple of the Bent Pyramid, which indicate a close development in this area. In particular, an area around 300 meters by 200 meters has numerous square and rectangular parcels that are grouped along two streets.
After a garden had already been excavated, the remains of a 30 × 35 m building were uncovered in 2018. Its walls were made of unfired clay bricks, plastered with clay and also provided with a white lime plaster on the inside. The floor plan of this house is richly structured and shows in the western interior a complex that can almost be described as a labyrinth. In the east there is open space, in the north an open courtyard with storage facilities. The pottery found is numerous and dates to the early 4th dynasty. Most of it comes from beer mugs, bread molds and storage vessels. A large number of blue faience tiles of various sizes and designs also came to light, the large-format ones probably on floors and walls. The circumstances highlighted so far clearly indicate a longer period of use of the building.
meaning
With this pyramid a change took place in the conception of ancient Egyptian monumental tombs from the step pyramid to the real pyramid. However, the problems that occurred showed that the construction of the previous buildings could not be easily transferred to the new type of building. Based on the conceptual changes that the bent pyramid had undergone in the course of its three construction phases, it can be seen how the builders of the time reacted to the problems that occurred and thus experimentally developed the construction techniques that were necessary for the subsequent giant pyramids.
Unanswered questions
So far it is not clear which of the three pyramids Snofrus was actually used for his burial, but most Egyptologists assume that the red pyramid was the final resting place, as it had a complete mortuary temple. Ahmad Fachri, however, assumes that Sneferu was buried in the upper chamber of the bent pyramid.
Likewise, there is no satisfactory explanation for the two systems of corridors in the bent pyramid, which were not repeated in any other pyramid and for which there is no satisfactory theory within the framework of ancient Egyptian theology. A theory that the building as a "double pyramid" symbolizing Upper and Lower Egypt with two different inclinations and separate grave systems is not supported by finds.
literature
General overview
- Ahmad Fachri: The Monuments of Sneferu at Dahshur. Vol. I: The Bent Pyramid. Cairo 1959.
- Frank Müller-Römer : The construction of the pyramids in ancient Egypt , Utz 2011, ISBN 978-3-8316-4069-0 , p. 157 ff.
- 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 .
- IES Edwards : Dahshur, the Bent Pyramid. In: Kathryn A. Bard (Ed.): Encyclopedia of the Archeology of Ancient Egypt. Routledge, London 1999, ISBN 0-415-18589-0 , pp. 211-12.
- Miroslav Verner : The pyramids (= rororo non-fiction book. Volume 60890). Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1999, ISBN 3-499-60890-1 .
- Michael Haase : The field of tears. Ullstein, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-550-07141-8 .
- Christian Hölzl: The pyramids of Egypt. Brandstätter, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-85498-360-3 .
- Peter Jánosi : The pyramids. Beck, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-406-50831-6 .
- Roman Gundacker: Notes on the construction of the pyramids of Snefru. In: Sokar. No. 11, 2005, p. 19.
Questions of detail
- Josef Dorner: The shape of the kink pyramid. In: Göttinger Miscellen . No. 126. Göttingen 1992, pp. 39-46, ISSN 0344-385X .
- Josef Dorner: Shape and dimensions of the bent pyramid. New observations and measurements. In: Communications from the German Archaeological Institute, Cairo Department. Vol. 42. von Zabern, Mainz 1986, pp. 43-58, ISSN 0342-1279 .
- Rainer Stadelmann : Sneferu and the pyramids of Meidum and Dahschur. In: Communications from the German Archaeological Institute, Cairo Department. Vol. 36. von Zabern, Mainz 1980, pp. 437-449, ISSN 0342-1279 .
- Rainer Stadelmann, Nicole Alexanian, Herbert Ernst, Günter Heindl, Dietrich Raue: Pyramids and necropolis of Sneferu in Dahschur. Third preliminary report on the excavations of the German Archaeological Institute in Dahschur. In: Communications from the German Archaeological Institute, Cairo Department. Vol. 49. von Zabern, Mainz 1993, pp. 259-294, ISSN 0342-1279 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Roman Gundacker: On the structure of the pyramid names of the 4th dynasty . In: Sokar, No. 18, 2009, pp. 26-30
- ↑ a b c Mark Lehner: Secret of the pyramids. P. 97ff .: The first real pyramids: Meidum and Dahshur.
- ↑ Egypt opens bent pyramid , tagesschau.de, July 14, 2019
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. P. 201f .: The Bent Pyramid of Sneferu.
- ↑ a b c Alan Winston: The Pyramid of Snefru (Bent Pyramid) at Dahshur
- ↑ a b c d e f Mark Lehner: Mystery of the pyramids. P. 102: The kink pyramid - How the pyramid came to a kink.
- ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. P. 185 f .: The pyramid of Snefru in Meidum.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Rainer Stadelmann: The Egyptian pyramids. From brick construction to the wonder of the world. P. 87 ff.
- ↑ Mark Lehner: Secret of the pyramids. P. 17 Statistical information on the most important pyramids.
- ^ Rainer Stadelmann: The Egyptian pyramids. From brick construction to the wonder of the world. P. 98.
- ↑ a b c d e f Mark Lehner: Mystery of the pyramids. P. 103: The Bent Pyramid - The inside of the pyramid.
- ↑ Andrew Bayuk: Guardian's Dashur: The Bent Pyramid
- ↑ Vito Maragioglio, Celeste Rinaldi: L'Architettura delle Piramidi Menfite. Tome III, 1963-77.
- ↑ a b c d e Mark Lehner: Secret of the pyramids. P. 103: The Bent Pyramid - The Pyramid Complex.
- ↑ N. Alexanian, SJ Seidlmayer: Search for traces on the path of the Knickpyramid. In: Sokar. No. 18, 2009, pp. 22-23.
- ^ A b Daniela Rosenow: Dahshur, Egypt. In: e-research reports of the DAI 2019. PDF .
Web links
- Alan Winston: The Pyramid of Snefru (Bent Pyramid) at Dahshur
- Guardian's Dashur: The Bent Pyramid (numerous photos of the interior of the pyramid)
- Guardian's Egypt: The Southern Pyramid of Sneferu
- Floor plan of the bent pyramid
- Description of the bent pyramid ( Memento from December 12, 2009 in the Internet Archive ).
- The Bent Pyramid (Engl.)
- Video: Muon scan of the kink pyramid
| before | Tallest building in the world | after that |
| Meidum pyramid | (104 m) around 2600 BC Chr. |
Red pyramid of Dahshur |
Coordinates: 29 ° 47 ′ 25 ″ N , 31 ° 12 ′ 33 ″ E
