Cult pyramid
A cult pyramid is a secondary pyramid serving cultic purposes - a second grave ( cenotaph ), which is located in the immediate vicinity of an ancient Egyptian main pyramid. The cult pyramid is located within the enclosure of the main pyramid.
In Egyptology, the term is differentiated from individual cenotaph pyramids, which also serve as sham graves, but do not have a function in direct connection with the ruler's grave ( Meidum pyramid , bent pyramid , Ahmose pyramid ).
function
The exact purpose has not yet been finally clarified. Within Egyptology, researchers advocate several theories :
- Burial place for the Ka of the buried ( Ka pyramid ),
- Burial place for the bowels ( canopic jars ),
- Representative place of the king as ruler of Upper Egypt,
- symbolic function at Sedfest (Hawass),
- Function in the sun cult .
The interpretation as a Ka grave is the most frequently mentioned theory.
The cult pyramid probably replaced the south grave , which served similar purposes in early step pyramids from the Djoser pyramid . With the appearance of the cult pyramid, no more southern graves were created. After the cult pyramid disappeared during the 12th dynasty , southern grave-like chambers reappeared in the pyramid complexes.
history
The first cult pyramid was found in the 4th dynasty near the Meidum pyramid , but is largely destroyed today. The oldest surviving and also the largest cult pyramid planned as such is that of the bent pyramid . The cult pyramid of the Mykerinos pyramid was probably converted into a queen pyramid during the construction of the pyramid complex.
While the first cult pyramids were similar to the main pyramids in terms of the angle of inclination , a trend towards significantly steeper angles of inclination began in the 5th Dynasty . From the 6th dynasty , the queen pyramids also have small cult pyramids. The last known use of a cult pyramid is found in the 12th dynasty in the complex of the Sesostris III pyramid .
The cult pyramid was - with a few exceptions - generally placed on the southwest corner of the main pyramid and was within its enclosure. Mostly it consisted of the same materials as the main pyramid and had a descending passage with a T-shaped main chamber. The small size of the main chamber precludes its use for a regular burial. The substructure of the cult pyramid of the bent pyramid is an exception, as its internal structure is more complicated and it has an ascending gallery and the chamber is located in the pyramid body. But even here the chamber is too small for a burial.
Degree of conservation
Due to their small size, the cult pyramids were much more exposed to stone robbery than the larger main pyramids. As a result, only the foundation walls and substructure of most of the cult pyramids have survived. Only the cult pyramid of the bent pyramid and the G-IIIa pyramid (queen pyramid) originally built as a cult pyramid in the Mykerinos complex of Giza are still so well preserved that the pyramid shape is still visible today.
List of pyramids with cult pyramids
There are currently 24 known cult pyramids. In addition, the secondary pyramid G-IIIa of the Mykerinos pyramid is regarded as a former cult pyramid. Queen pyramids with their own cult pyramids are indented within the associated complex.
| 4th dynasty | 5th dynasty |
6th dynasty
|
12th dynasty |
literature
- Julia Budka : The cult pyramid. Considerations on the history of development, meaning and function. In: Susanne Bickel, Antonio Loprieno (ed.): Basel Egyptological Papers 1. Junior Research in Egyptian History, Archeology and Philology (= Aegyptiaca Helvetica. Volume 17). Schwabe & Co, Basel 2003, pp. 145–162 ( online version ).
- Mark Lehner : Secret of the Pyramids. P. 18: The standard pyramid complex. ECON-Verlag, Düsseldorf 1997, ISBN 3-572-01039-X
- Miroslav Verner : The pyramids Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1999, ISBN 3-499-60890-1 , p. 72 The way to eternity: ritual and cult .