Pyramid of Djedefre

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Pyramid of Djedefre

Description: There are ruins of the rarely visited Pyramid of Djedefre, located at Abu Rawash, north from the great pyramids of the Giza Plateau. Flinders Petrie, a famous British Egyptologist, considered the Pyramid of Djedefre the oldest one among the existing pyramids. It is generally believed that the ancient egyptians, during the time of the three “kingdom” periods, started destroying the completed pyramid to get the building materials for other construction sites. This state of affairs continued until the times of Copts and Arabs. Unfortunately, only a 12-meters height limestone hill remained from the pyramid structure. However, the height of the complete pyramid was almost 70 meters. The Pyramid of Djedefre is “a piece of good fortune” for the researchers, because the inner pyramid’s structure is out in the open.
Alternative names: Pyramid at Abu Rawash (Abu Roach),Pyramid of Radjedef (Djedefra)
Lepsius No: 2
Type: True Pyramid
Location: Abu Rawash
Country: Egypt

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Builder (Owner)

Djedefre (Redjedef)

Chronological Dating

Dynasty 4.

Pyramid Name

Translation: 'Djedefre is a Sehed-Star'.

Additional Data

F. Petrie suggested that the Pyramid at Abu Rawash is one of the earliest pyramids.

Complex Location

The East Side of Pyramid

Upper Temple

Height

???

Length

???

Width

66.0 m

Building Material

Mudbrick (adobe)

Additional Data

The upper temple appears to have been hastily built and its axis is displaced to the north from the central, east-west axis of the Pyramid. The temple consists of rather thick stone walls, finished with mudbricks to form small compartments and chambers.

Lower Temple

Height

???

Length

???

Width

???

Building Material

Limestone

Additional Data

The remains of the lower temple were not found.

Causeway

Height

???

Length

1700.0 m

Width

9.0 m

Building Material

Limestone

Additional Data

The causeway is in some places almost 12.19 m (40 ft) high.

Enclosure Wall

Height

3.6 m

Length North Side

???

Length South Side

???

Length West Side

???

Length East Side

???

Width

2.35 m

Building Material

Limestone

Additional Data

Fencing of the entire complex in the form of a rectangle, oriented from north to south, may have been the first attempt to rebuild a traditional 'courtyard' like the Pyramid complex of Djoser. The inner enclosure was 6 m (20 ft) from the northern base of the Pyramid.

Satellite Pyramids

Quantity

1.0

Location

Southwest Corner of Pyramid

Additional Data

South of the Pyramid, within the enclosure wall, was the satellite pyramid, now almost completely destroyed.

Boat Pits

Quantity

1.0

Location

The East Side of Pyramid

Additional Data

The boat pit is oriented north-south. The bottom of the pit is carved into the bedrock. E. Chassinat discovered fragments of a quartzite statue of Djedefre in the pit. Today the head of the statue is in the Louvre Museum.

Additional Information about the Pyramid Complex

The complex with the Pyramid is located 155 m above sea level on a limestone hill and 8 km north of the Giza Plateau. Around the complex, mastabas dated Dynasties 1-5 were found. The courtyard in front of the northern wall of the Pyramid was about 15 cubits wide and it was paved with blocks.

Height

67.0 m

Base side length

North Side

91.44 m

South Side

104.72 m

West Side

104.72 m

East Side

91.44 m

Azimuth

North Side

-0.862 °

South Side

-0.807 °

West Side

-0.847 °

East Side

-0.731 °

Angle of slope

52.0 °

Number of stone courses

10.0

Structural Features

Casing blocks are inclined at a slope of 12° slope towards to the core of the Pyramid.

Pyramid Base

11278.0 m2

Volume

131043.0 m3

Weight

440781.0 ton

Main Building Material

Limestone

Casing Material

Rose granite

Additional Data

The Pyramid was erected on a limestone hill. A line of granite debris is visible around the Pyramid, most of all on the north side, in front of the entrance. F. Petrie wrote that the Pyramid is "perhaps the most ancient in existence". It is believed that the casing began to be laid only after the core of the Pyramid was erected, and since the casing blocks were preserved in some places, it means that the Pyramid was completed.

Pyramidion

Base side length

???

Height

???

Angle of slope

???

Material

???

Additional Data

???

Entrance

Location

The North Side of Pyramid

Entrance location above ground level

???

Additional Data

???

Descending corridor

Height

???

Length

48.8 m

Width

5.6 m

Angle of slope

22.58 °

Casing Material

Rose granite

Additional Data

Rough measurements showed that the deviation of the descending ramp from the north is only 20' (0,33°).

Portcullis

Quantity

???

Location

???

Description

???

Material

???

Additional Data

Probably, the portcullis was placed between the burial chamber and the descending corridor, similar to the pyramids dated to Dynasties 5 and 6.

Burial chamber

Height

20.12 m

Length

22.1 m

Width

8.14 m

Casing Material

Rose granite

Type of Ceiling

Gable

Additional Data

The chamber measures about 40 (12.19 m) by 15 ft (4.57 m), and smaller chambers, similar to those located above the King's Chamber in the Great Pyramid of Giza, were probably built above it. A hieroglyphic inscription written in red ocher was found on some blocks of the western part of the pit, but the signs are difficult to discern.

Sarcophagus

External dimensions. Height

???

External dimensions. Length

???

External dimensions. Width

???

Internal dimensions. Height

???

Internal dimensions. Length

???

Internal dimensions. Width

???

Sarcophagus lid. Height

???

Sarcophagus lid. Length

???

Sarcophagus lid. Width

???

Material

Rose granite

Additional Data

At the bottom of the pit, F. Petrie discovered a fragment of pink granite, which, in his opinion, was a fragment of a sarcophagus.

Additional Data

In the lower part of the ramp, a passage was cut through by robbers, which crosses five carefully laid blocks. On a fragment of the block of this passage, a cartouche of Pharaoh Redjedef painted in red paint, was discovered.

Pyramid of Djedefre

Historical Data

The Pyramid Complex

External Features of the Pyramid

Internal Features of the Pyramid

Other structures and chambers of the Pyramid