The pyramid of Amenemhat I is an
Egyptian burial structure built at
Lisht by the founder of the
Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt,
Amenemhat I.
This structure returned to the approximate size and form of
Old Kingdom pyramids.
[Lehner, M. (1997b). The Complete Pyramids. London:Thames and Hudson ltd. ] It also established a new tradition though of giving each component structure in the pyramid complex its own unique name. The structures together were known as "The places of the appearances of Amenemhat".
Construction
Archaeological evidence suggests that Amenemhat started to build his pyramid at
Thebes but for unknown reasons switched his capital and the location of his pyramid to Lisht (1991–1778 BC).
The pyramid upon its completion rose to a height of 55 m, with a base length of 83 m and a slope of 54 degrees.
The core of the pyramid was made with small rough blocks of local
limestone with a loose fill of sand debris and
mud brick. Some of the limestone was stripped from other monuments - blocks of stone from the pyramids of
Khufu,
Khafre
Khafre (also read as Khafra and gr, Χεφρήν Khephren or Chephren) was an ancient Egyptian King (pharaoh) of the 4th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. He was the son of Khufu and the successor of Djedefre. According to the ancient historia ...
,
Unas
Unas or Wenis, also spelled Unis ( egy, wnjs, hellenized form Oenas or Onnos), was a pharaoh, the ninth and last ruler of the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt during the Old Kingdom. Unas reigned for 15 to 30 years in the mid-24th century BC (circa 23 ...
and
Pepi II
Pepi II Neferkare (2284 BC – after 2247 BC, probably either 2216 or 2184 BC) was a pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty in Egypt's Old Kingdom who reigned from 2278 BC. His second name, Neferkare (''Nefer-ka-Re''), means "Beautiful is ...
(or possibly
Pepi I) have been found in the pyramid.
Inside the pyramid a sloped shaft blocked with granite plugs upon burial ran from the ground level entrance chapel to a vertical shaft that descended directly to the burial chamber.
The overall construction of the pyramid was poor and little of it remains today.
Around the pyramid were found tombs of high officials serving the king. These include the tombs of the high steward
Nakht, the treasurer
Rehuerdjersen and the vizier
Intefiqer.
Excavation
The first excavation of the site was undertaken by the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
Egyptologist Gaston Maspero in 1882. His work as later continued by a French archaeological expedition under the direction of
J.E. Gautier
Je or JE may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''JE'' (TV series), a Canadian television newsmagazine series on TVA
* Joy Electric, an analogue purist synthpop group
Businesses and organizations
* Johnny's Entertainment, a Japanese talent agen ...
and
Gustave Jéquier
Gustave Jéquier (14 August 1868 – 24 March 1946) was born in and died in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He was an Egyptologist and one of the first archaeologists to excavate ancient Persian cities in what is now Iran. He was a member of Jacques de ...
in 1894 and 1895. The investigations were continued from 1920 to 1934 by
Albert Lythgoe
Albert Morton Lythgoe (March 15, 1868 – January 29, 1934) was an American archaeologist and Egyptologist. He is best known for his work for the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, and for the support he gave to the excavation of Tutankhamun ...
and
Arthur Mace
Arthur Cruttenden Mace (17 July 1874 – 6 April 1928) was a Tasmanian-born English archaeologist and Egyptologist. He is best known for his work for the New York Metropolitan Museum, and as a part of Howard Carter's team during the excavat ...
in a team from the
Metropolitan Museum in
New York City. By the time of these excavations the pyramid had undergone much disintegration and is now only 20 meters high with most of the surrounding complex gone.
None of the expeditions successfully explored the interior of the pyramid due to the internal passageways being flooded with groundwater.
See also
*
Egyptian pyramid construction techniques
Egyptian pyramid construction techniques are the controversial subject of many hypotheses. These techniques seem to have developed over time; later pyramids were not constructed in the same way as earlier ones. Most of the construction hypotheses ...
*
List of Egyptian pyramids
*
Lepsius list of pyramids
The Lepsius list of pyramids is a list of sixty-seven ancient Egyptian pyramids established in 1842–1843 by Karl Richard Lepsius (1810–1884), an Egyptologist and leader of the " Prussian expedition to Egypt" from 1842 until 1846.
The Lepsiu ...
*
Pyramid of Senusret I
References
Sources
*
*
*
External links
Pyramid of Amenemhet I at el-Lisht
{{coord, 29.5749, N, 31.2253, E, source:wikidata, display=title
Amenemhat I
Lisht
Buildings and structures completed in the 20th century BC
20th century BC in Egypt
Amenemhat I