Description: It is called the 'False' Pyramid in Egyptian Arabic. The Pyramid rises above the desert landscape, as it is located close to the Faiyum Oasis. It looks more like a ruined stepped tower, rather than a true pyramid. Today, one can clearly see only three steps of the Pyramid, however, the medieval sources tell us about the five of them. In 1882 a famous French Egyptologist Gaston Maspero was the first one, who could get inside the Pyramid. But it was absolutely empty. At the end of the last century, the relieving chambers and the passage, above other rooms, were discovered. The discovery of the previously unknown and hidden cavities is an excellent proof that the great pyramids of Egypt still keep unrevealed secrets. Alternative names: Irregular Pyramid (Arabic),False Pyramid (Arabic: "Haram el-Kaddab"),South Pyramid of Snefru (before 1945),Stable Pyramid. Lepsius No: 65 Type: True Pyramid Location: Meidum Country: Egypt
Snefru. However, there is no scientific consensus, who is its owner.
Snefru
Snofru
Huni
Snofru
Snofru
Snofru
Sneferu
Snefru
Chronological Dating
Dynasty IV.
Dynasty III.
2575-2551 BCE.
4800 BCE.
2613-2589 BCE.
Pyramid Name
"Khâ rîsi" - "Southern sunrise" - most likely, this was the name of the Pyramid at Meidum.
Translation: "Sneferu Endures" (Djed Sneferu).
Translation: 'Snofru's Longevit'.
Additional Data
Pharaoh Ramses II, having little respect for the deeds of his predecessors, destroyed part of the Pyramid in order to cheaply purchase materials for the buildings so that he rebuilt in Heracleopolis.
Archaeological research has shown that the Pyramid was destroyed at the end of the New Kingdom, since secondary graves from the 22nd dynasty were found in the rubble piles at its foot, at an altitude of 7 to 10 m above the floor of the upper temple. It is assumed that the plundering of blocks from the Pyramid had already begun during the reign of Ramses II.
Egyptians from Old to New Kingdom believed that the Pyramid was built by Pharaoh Snofru. Perhaps, like all the pharaohs of the 3rd Dynasty, Huni built himself a step pyramid. Following him, his son Snofru, in the 17th year of his reign, as follows from the anonymous graffiti on the facing blocks of the Pyramid, decided to give the step pyramid a true pyramidal shape.
On the eastern side of the Pyramid, the upper temple has been preserved, which consists of two small covered rooms and has its own fence. In a small open courtyard, built at the very base of the Pyramid, there was a table for offerings, and two tall rounded steles stood on either side of it. Inscriptions were found on the inner walls of the steles. One of them belongs to the end of the Old Kingdom, but most of them belong to the 18th dynasty.
The width of the walls of the temple varies from 1.42 m to 1.47 m.
A small temple on the eastern side of the Pyramid was added when Sneferu's builders returned to build the true Pyramid. The inner plan of the temple has the same winding passages as in front of the chapels of the Djoser's Step Pyramid Complex. In a small covered courtyard stood two rounded-topped steles 4.2 m (almost 14 feet) high.
It was the first mortuary temple built on the eastern side of the pyramid rather than the northern side. The site of the temple is linked to the entire conceptual transformation of the Pyramid Complex during the E3 construction phase. The almost square temple consists of three parts: two rooms and an open courtyard with two steles. The steles are made of fine limestone, rounded at the top and stand close to the foot of the Pyramid. There are no inscriptions, images on them, and between them there is an altar for offerings. The absence of any decorations emphasizes the simplicity of the temple and shows that it was not used for cult purposes. The temple may have had a profound influence on visitors in antiquity, as indicated by graffiti (“to see the wonderful temple of Horus Snefru”), which date mainly from the 18th dynasty.
The upper temple is built separately from the Pyramid, but the sides are attached to its casing. The temple is solid, small and simple, unlike later temples. Its hardness and simplicity is reminiscent of the granite temple near the Sphinx, while the rounded edges of the ceiling and the tops of the walls are reminiscent of the rounded corners in Mastaba No. 17, which dates from the time of the construction of the Pyramid. In addition, stones at the corners of the walls tend to run several inches around the corner, as in the granite temple and in Mastaba No. 17. The blocks of the walls were carved out after laying, as its corners have a typical twist. The walls of the temple were covered with graffiti. In the courtyard between the temple and the Pyramid there are two steles and an altar between them.
A small, well-preserved chapel adjoins the eastern edge of the Pyramid. In the courtyard of the temple there are two steles almost 14 ft (4.27 m) high, with an altar between them. Graffiti was found on the walls of the temple, which prove that during the 18th dynasty this place was already visited, admired the beauty of the monument and believed that king Snofru built it for himself and his queen Meresankh.
The causeway is surrounded by walls, but there was no roof. The causeway was paved with stones, and the walls were crowned with a rounded cornice.
The causeway is directed at an angle relatively to the eastern wall enclosing the Pyramid, and leads down into the valley at an inclination of 3° 40'. It suggests that the lower temple was located 14.9 m lower than the upper temple.
The causeway leads to the water. Had there been pumps powerful enough, F. Petrie could have figured out how high the water level rose when the Nile flooded. The causeway is a large-scale, well-designed work. It is cut into the bedrock to a depth of 6-8 feet (1.8-2.4 m). The cut reaches 5.1 m (201 in) at its widest point and 3.1 m (123 in) at its narrowest point. The causeway points to grooves in the eastern edge of the inner step pyramid, suggesting that there is a chamber for the Ka.
During excavations, F. Petrie discovered a long trench in the east-southeast direction, lined with mudbricks on the sides. This was south of the actual causeway, and having completed side walls of limestone.
The ruins of the satellite pyramid are located on the southern side of the Pyramid.
In the courtyard, near the southwest corner of the Pyramid, there was a small pyramid, probably built originally as a step pyramid. This is the oldest known example of a cult pyramid. Its substructure was accessible from the north via a descending passage. A fragment of a limestone stele with the image of the falcon god Horus was found in its ruins.
The ruins of the satellite pyramid are located on the southern side of the Pyramid. This small pyramid may have been completed initially, but when F. Petrie found it, it had been badly destroyed.
On the eastern side of the Pyramid, next to the enclosure wall, there was a huge Mastaba No. 17, whose owner's name could not be established. Structurally and architecturally, it is noteworthy that the rubble from the Pyramid was used for its construction, and that its brickwork was originally plastered and whitewashed.
During excavations on the eastern side of the Pyramid, an upper temple was discovered along with an old ceremonial road with mudbrick walls. Later, this road was probably covered with stone debris. The road pointed directly to the grooves on the inner casing of the eastern side of the Pyramid.
The Pyramid was built in 3 phases: phase 1 (E1) is a 7-step pyramid; phase 2 (E2) - the design was changed and increased to an 8-step pyramid; phase 3 (E3) was the transformation of a step pyramid into a true one. The blocks of phases E1 and E2 were not laid vertically but rather inclined inwards. However, the blocks of phase E3 are already laid horizontally.
The outer masonry (phase E3), which gives the Pyramid its true shape, was erected on the sand, while the central stepped core (phases E1 and E2) was built directly on the bedrock. The masonry of the inner step pyramid is laid inclined inwards, while in the outer true pyramid, the masonry is horizontal. Information according to Jean-Philippe Lauer (1967).
The Pyramid superstructure has 3 steps. The bottom step side is 199 ft (60.66 m) long and 69 ft 6 in (21.18 m) high; the second step's base side is about 127 ft (38.71 m) long and 32 ft 6 in (9.91 m) heigh; the third, topmost step, has been completely destroyed and is currently only about 22 ft 6 in (6.86 m) high. The angle of inclination of the inner masonry is 74° 10'. The inner masonry is inclined inward. The outer masonry is laid horizontally.
According to L. Borchardt, the Pyramid was erected in phases. The earliest structure was probably a two-step pyramid, with a base side length of only about 42 m, where the entrance was in front of the pyramid's base. It may have been later rebuilt into a larger three-step pyramid with an entrance at the base of the lowest step. This assumption can be supported by the findings of Wainwright and Petrie. They found drawings of 2 and 3-step pyramids on the masonry. The next was phase E1 - a seven-step pyramid, which was larger than the previous structure. The entrance to this structure was at the base of the second step's casing. Each step was formed with a cover layer. Today, from the rough cladding of phase E1, only the large, rough bottom part of the main step is visible, nothing else. As far as we can tell, the construction of the E1 part was completed. The visible surfaces were well-leveled. The next phase was E2, this is a larger step pyramid of eight steps. For this, the sides of the casing were raised, and a new level was added on the outside. Parts of the outer casing were not smoothed out, but remained rough. However, this concerned only 7-8 layers in each smooth step of phase E1, which remained untreated. The parts protruding outside of it were leveled because they are visible surfaces. In phase E2, the entrance is located at the base of the second step's casing, as in phase E1. The finished step pyramid E2 was cased on all sides. The last phase, E3, consisted mainly of large blocks and was faced with blocks of better quality white limestone, giving the pyramid its true pyramidal shape. Today it is difficult to determine whether phase E3 was ever completed or not.
The core of the Pyramid is built of accretionary layers of limestone blocks inclined at an angle of about 75° and standing on a square base with a side of about 38 m. According to L. Bochardt, the Pyramid was erected in 3 phases. Originally, a pyramid of seven steps was built on a bedrock, after which it was increased to eight steps. Each of the two phases, which L. Bochardt designated as E1 and E2, was to become the final structure. This makes it difficult to explain why they were eventually rebuilt in order to turn them into a true pyramid (phase E3). Unlike phases E1 and E2, phase E3 was built not on a bedrock, but on three layers of limestone blocks laid on the sand. The construction method for phase E3 was also different. In phases E1 and E2, the blocks were inclined towards the centre of the Pyramid, as in the case of the Pyramid of Djoser, and this significantly increased the strength of the structure. However, in phase E3, the blocks were already laid horizontally. The leveling of the casing of the visible steps (individual phases) probably reduced the adhesion of the layers and degraded the whole structure of the Pyramid.
The Pyramid was built in phases. From the beginning, a step pyramid was erected by superimposing seven mastabas. Then it was enlarged and turned into a true pyramid with smooth edges. The platform was aligned around the entire Pyramid with a discrepancy of only 1/4 in (0.635 cm) over 2000 ft (609.6 m) in length. As a result, the obtained levels of pavement surfaces at the corners are: northeast +0.5 in, southeast +0.2 in, southwest +2 in, northwest -2.8 in. Thus, the leveling accuracy of the platform is comparable to that of the Great Pyramid, although this edifice is much smaller in size and area than the pyramid on the Giza Plateau. The casing stones show red paint stains left after using the painted trial-plate when leveling the casing. The angle of inclination of the outer edges is different: the angle of inclination of the upper part of phase E1 is 73° 20', in the lower part it is 73° 54'. The angle of inclination of the edges of phase E2 is 74° 40' and 75°.
The outer casing of the Pyramid was destroyed in antiquity, possibly in the New Kingdom, and its remains cover the lower part of the structure. According to F. Petrie's research, the Pyramid stands on a pre-prepared platform or pavement, which is located under the casing blocks. The above-ground part of the Pyramid consists of a core, which is based on mastaba. To it were added 8 layers of masonry, which turned it into an eight-step mastaba. In each subsequent phase of construction, the building was carefully cased and smoothly leveled out. At the end of the construction, the steps were filled in, re-cased, thus creating a true pyramid for the first time.
The Pyramid was built in 3 phases: 1. Phase E1 was the erection of a seven-step pyramid (E1.1. - E1.7.) with a side length at the base of 108.38 m; 2. Phase E2 was increasing the Pyramid up to 8 steps (E2.1 - E2.8.) with a side length at the base of 118.5 m; 3. Phase E3 was the transformation of the step pyramid into a true pyramid with a side length at the base of 144 m. The internal masonry was laid inclined inwards, but the blocks of phase E3 were laid horizontally. The angle of inclination of the inner masonry is 73° 20' at the top (average value), 74° 21' (average value) at the bottom.
Pyramid Base
20786.43 m2
Volume
650000.0 m3
652504.0 m3
638733.0 m3
Weight
1141882.0 ton
Main Building Material
Limestone
Limestone
Limestone
Casing Material
Fine limestone
Fine limestone
Fine limestone
Additional Data
The "truncated" Pyramid is surrounded on all four sides by gravel mounds, which are striking in their size, but their stratification shows that the erosion of the Pyramid occurred gradually over a long period of time, and therefore there could be no sudden slipping of the masonry.
On the casing stones of the two inner steps of the Pyramid, wide, shallow grooves are noticeable. In 1891, F. Petrie suggested that they were similar to the grooves in successive layers of brick mastaba, thus indicating where the false door and the Ka chamber lay behind them. Consequently, these depressions may indicate that the first structure ("Sneferu's mastaba") contained the Ka chamber. Removing the broken casing stones from the eastern side of the Pyramid revealed graffiti left by the builders.
The Pyramid currently consists of three square steps with inclined sides, reminiscent of three mastabas, located one above the other. Several centuries ago it was possible to define five, and in ancient times, even before the devastation began, as many as seven steps. It is noticeable that the surface of the facing blocks was poorly leveled. Large facing blocks are still preserved at the base of the Pyramid, and probably originally covered the entire Pyramid at one angle from top to base, giving it its true pyramidal shape.
It seems that two steps of the Pyramid disappeared between the visit of Sheikh Abu-Mohammed Abdallah in 1117-19 and the visit of F. L. Norden in 1737, when the Pyramid had already three steps, as it is today. In 1899, M. A. Robert, Surveyor of the Land Registry, climbed the Pyramid to attach a pole for his research. At the top level, he got the impression that the highest step was never completed. Some of the discovered inscriptions in Greek and three small hieroglyphs indicate that already in ancient times there was access to the top of the Pyramid. To attach the geodetic pole, M. A. Robert was not required to make a hole in the top of the Pyramid, since there was already a hole in the center of the upper step. This hole was probably used by the ancient builders to secure some kind of stick and guide diagonal lines when they erected the casing of the true Pyramid around the old step pyramid.
On some of the casing blocks, Wainwright and Petrie found graffiti left by the builders, where years 15, 16, 17 were marked. The oldest Egyptian pharaohs did not count the years of their reign sequentially, but appointed them in accordance with the serial number of the "census" of livestock, people, etc. The census was carried out every two years, while the year between such censuses had its own name - "the year after such and such a census." There is now evidence that such chronology was practiced under Snefru, so probably the 17th year, understood as the "year of the 17th census," corresponded to the 33rd or 34th year of the reign. For the construction of the Pyramid, L. Borchardt believed that at least three ramps were required: one ramp for delivering stone blocks, a second ramp for delivering mortar, and a third ramp for lowering workers and tools. The ruins of the ramps were discovered by Wainwright and Petrie on the east side of the Pyramid, and the remains of one ramp on the south side. L.Borchardt also discovered the ruins of these ramps.
The entrance is located approximately 73 m from the northern corner of the Pyramid.
The stone plug at the entrance to the seven-step Pyramid (stage E1) was not carefully designed. Presumably, the entrance of the eight-step Pyramid (phase E2) was sealed with a single stone slab. At the level of five palms behind the outer surface in the walls of the corridor, two pairs of recesses are carved, which are located opposite to each other, on the left wall of the passage they have the shape of a large Latin letter D, and on the right wall of the passage the shape of this letter is turned to the left. The straight front side of each of these niches has a height of 10 cm. Here metal inserts had to be used, in front of which there was a portcullis, which, to enable the closing process, should have been slightly smaller than the size of the entrance. The narrow hole that remains in the upper part after closing the entrance was probably clamped by a stone insert. The entrance to the true Pyramid (phase E3) was closed with three blocks, the same as the сasing blocks, so the location of the entrance was probably not visible.
A few meters below the base of the Pyramid, the descending corridor breaks off, turning into a horizontal passage and finally exits into the burial chamber. There are niches on the east and west sides of the horizontal part of the corridor.
Initially, the entrance to the Pyramid was tightly closed with wedge-shaped blocks. At a distance of 326.3 in (8.29 m) from the entrance in the descending corridor, the docked blocks of the true Pyramid and the inner mastaba are visible, the angle of inclination of which is 75°. The ceiling is 7.3 in (0.19 m) higher here, and this section is 48.2 in (1.22 m) long. At this point in the wall, two "D" -shaped holes are visible on both sides of the wall. There were probably metal inserts that held the door in place. Below this place, due to salt deposits, the descending corridor is severely destroyed and looks like a cave. However, the joints between the blocks make it clear that the masonry is of very high quality. The seams are 1/100 in (0.025 cm). The end of the descending corridor is located 362.1 in (9.2 m) below the northern base of the Pyramid. The corridor's azimuth is 21' 33" west of north, which is close to the azimuth of the Pyramid faces, the difference is only about 2 in.
A few metres from the entrance there are holes in the wall of the descending corridor. At a distance of 53.95 m from the entrance, a shaft with a depth of 2.92 m was cut into the floor.
The celing of the chamber consists of three horizontal courses of masonry. Sneferu was buried in the chamber for a long time, then the robbers found a way to the burial chamber, ruined and smashed his mummy, scattered fragments of his coffin on the ground and carried away the stone sarcophagus. According to G. Maspero, a mechanism made of beams and cords, which the robbers used to lower the sarcophagus, hung in its place over the mouth of the vertical shaft.
No traces of a sarcophagus were found in the burial chamber. F. Petrie discovered pieces of a wooden coffin at the bottom of the vertical shaft, which are now in University College, London.
The burial chamber is located in the Pyramid along the north-south axis. The corbelled vault is composed of large blocks of limestone. The burial chamber is located above the vertical shaft, the upper part of which opens in the northeastern corner of the chamber's floor. G. Maspero was the first archaeologist to enter the Pyramid and discovered ropes and wooden beams inside. The newly discovered chambers to the north of the burial chamber and above the horizontal section of the corridor are likely the result of a change in the construction plan of the Pyramid. There was no sarcophagus in the burial chamber.
The northern wall of the burial chamber is 2,918 inches (74.12 m) south of the northern base of the Pyramid, and the southern wall is 3151 inches (80.04 m) south of it, which means that the chamber is 233 inches (5.92 m) long. The chamber is 76 inches (1.93 m) south of the center of the Pyramid. The chamber's floor is 119 inches (3.02 m) below the north pavement. The ceiling of the chamber is 106 inches (2.69 m) above the north pavement.
Holes for crossbeams are visible in the corbelled vault; in one of them a cedar beam still sticks out. The floor of the chamber is level with the base of the Pyramid.
No traces of a sarcophagus were found in the burial chamber. F. Petrie discovered pieces of a wooden coffin at the bottom of the vertical shaft, which are now in University College, London.
In 1891, F. Petrie discovered the remains of a wooden coffin in the vertical shaft.
At the bottom of the vertical shaft, fragments of a wooden sarcophagus were found, which was brutally opened and destroyed. This confirms the purpose of the Pyramid as a tomb.
Additional Data
At the end of the horizontal corridor, a vertical shaft begins, leading to the burial chamber. Fragments of wood were found at the bottom of the shaft. It is possible that portcullis were once in the niches of the horizontal corridor.
In 1891, F. Petrie discovered the remains of a wooden coffin in the vertical shaft.
No traces of a sarcophagus were found in the burial chamber. F. Petrie discovered pieces of a wooden coffin at the bottom of the vertical shaft, which are now in University College, London. The vertical shaft contains cedar beams embedded in the masonry.
Wooden beams are visible in the walls of the shaft. At the bottom of the vertical shaft, fragments of a wooden sarcophagus were found, which was rudely opened and destroyed. This confirms the purpose of the Pyramid as a tomb.
In September 1999 and March 2000, a closed relieving corridor survey was conducted above the Pyramid's descending corridor. It turned out that the floor of the relieving corridor is the upper edges of the blocks that overlap the descending corridor, and this floor is 1.2 m above the ceiling of the descending corridor.
In September 1999, a study was carried out of closed relieving chamber No. 1 (northern) above niche No. 1. It turned out that the floor of the relieving chamber is the upper edges of the blocks that span the niche, and this floor is 1.3 m above the ceiling of the niche. The chamber itself is composed of 7 courses of masonry.
In 1999, a study was conducted of closed relieving chamber No. 2 (southern) above niche No. 2. It turned out that the floor of the relieving chamber is the upper edges of the blocks that span the niche, and this floor is 1 m above the ceiling of the niche. The chamber itself is composed of 7 courses of masonry.
In May 1998, a study was carried out on an open relieving chamber in the north wall of the burial chamber. It turned out that the floor of the chamber is 3.4 m above the ceiling of the horizontal corridor No. 2. Later, the blocks covering the relieving chamber were removed and the chamber was re-measured.
