Lepsius XXIX pyramid
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The Lepsius XXIX pyramid in Saqqara is an ancient Egyptian royal tomb. Its owner has not yet been clearly identified. Their construction is very similar to the pyramids of the 5th dynasty , which is why many Egyptologists ascribe them to King Menkauhor , who dates back to this time . A fragment of an inscription found in their vicinity was also seen as an indication that Merikare , a ruler from the 9th / 10th centuries. Dynasty who was the actual builder. The building is located in the extreme north of the necropolis , east of the Teti pyramid and is also known as the " headless pyramid ".
exploration
The pyramid has not yet been adequately researched. A first brief description was provided by Karl Richard Lepsius , who visited its ruin in 1843 and cataloged it with the number XXIX (29) in his list of pyramids . Gaston Maspero was the first to enter the underground chamber system in 1881. The first, only very short and unsystematic excavation of the ruins was not carried out until 1930 by Cecil M. Firth . Then the ruins were covered with sand again.
A systematic excavation of the substructure in the years 2007-2008 under Zahi Hawass corroborated the assignment to the 5th dynasty due to the structure and materials that are typical for this epoch. Even if no name inscription was found, Hawass ascribes the building to Menkauhor.
The pyramid
The pyramid has a side length of about 52 meters and is not oriented towards the cardinal points, as is the case with most other pyramids, but, like the neighboring Teti pyramid, on the course of the Nile at that time. Apart from the foundation, practically nothing is left of its superstructure today. The entrance to the underground chamber system is located on the north side of the building. The passage to the antechamber and the burial chamber is blocked by two granite blocking stones . A broken sarcophagus lid was found in the burial chamber .
literature
- Mark Lehner : The Secret of the Pyramids in Egypt . Orbis Verlag, Munich 1999, p. 165, ISBN 357201039X .
- Miroslav Verner : The pyramids (= rororo non-fiction book. Volume 60890). Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1999, ISBN 3-499-60890-1 , pp. 358-360.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Reuters report: Jonathan Wright: Eroded pyramid attributed to early pharaoh ( Memento of August 4, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), June 5, 2008 (Eng.)
Coordinates: 29 ° 52 ′ 34 ″ N , 31 ° 13 ′ 22 ″ E