In this Em Hotep Digest we study Snefru’s three large pyramids—the Meidum Pyramid, the Bent Pyramid, and the Red Pyramid.  As always we have photography from Em Hotep regular contributors Heidi Kontkanen and Richie O’Neill as well as some lovely photography from the Creative Commons.  Come with us as we examine the stage where the pattern for the large Fourth Dynasty pyramid complexes were worked out as the transition was made from step pyramids to the first true pyramid.

Contributors:  Celeste Albo, Jon Bodsworth, Yvonne Buskens, Lorraine Evans, Ia Georgia, Ivrienen, Heidi Kontkanen, Mark Lauria, Vicky Metafora, Richie O’Neill, Keith Payne, José Luis Santos, François Tonic, Chanel Wheeler and everyone who contributed to the various posts and conversations in the Em Hotep BBS Facebook group.

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The Red Pyramid (Photo by Richie O’Neill)

Snefru—Innovator and Builder of Three Grand Pyramids

From “The Old Kingdom” by Jaromir Malek in The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, Ian Shaw, ed.

“In the reign of King Snefru (Horus Nebmaat, 2613—2589 BC) the external form of the royal tomb changed to that of a true pyramid.  The might be regarded as a straightforward architectural development if it were not for other profound changes that occurred at the same time.  New elements were added to the overall plan, and together they now formed a pyramid complex.  A new orientation was applied to its plan (the main axis of the complex was now from east to west, while previously the north-south direction predominated).  The pyramid temple that served as the focus of the funerary cult was built against the eastern face of the pyramid (that of Djoser is to the north).  It was linked by a causeway to a valley temple, close to the edge of the cultivated area further to the east, which provided a monumental entrance to the whole complex.  A small satellite pyramid was placed near the southern face of the pyramid proper.  These architectural innovations must have resulted directly from changes in the doctrine concerning the king’s afterlife.  It seems that the earlier astronomically oriented star concepts were gradually being modified by the incorporation of ideas centered around the sun-god Re.  Although textual evidence is lacking, already at this early stage beliefs concerning Osiris were probably also beginning to influence Egyptian concepts of the afterlife.

The stele from the eastern chapel of the Bent Pyramid (Photo by Heidi Kontkanen)

“Snefru, probably as the result of planning that went wrong rather than by choice, had two pyramids constructed at Dashur, to the south of Saqqara.  The first is the southern Rhomboidal (or Bent) Pyramid, where the angle of the sloping sides was altered some two-thirds up its height after structural flaws had been discovered during its construction.  The other is the northern Red Pyramid (named from the color of the limestone blocks used in the core of the structure), in which Snefru was buried.  He may also have started, and towards the end of his reign completed, a third structure at Meidum, still further south.  Visitors who came to see it in the Eighteenth Dynasty, some 1200 years later, made it quite clear in their graffiti that they thought it belonged to Snefru.  It is possible that it was originally conceived as a step pyramid for Snefru’s predecessor Huni (more correctly known as Nysuteh, and perhaps also to be equated with Horus Qahedjet, 2637—2613 BC), but a substantial contribution to the pyramid of one’s predecessor would be unique in Egyptian history.  Snefru’s later reputation as a benign ruler may owe much to the etymology of his name, in that snefer can be translated as ‘to make beautiful’” (p. 93).

The Bent Pyramid from the Red Pyramid with pyramidion (Photo by Richie O’Neill)

Snefru’s First Pyramid:  The Meidum Pyramid

From The Complete Pyramids: Solving the Ancient Mysteries by Mark Lehner

“When Snefru, the first king of Manetho’s Fourth Dynasty, came to the throne around 2575 BC, Djoser’s was the only large royal pyramid that stood complete.  Snefru would become the greatest pyramid-builder in Egyptian history by constructing three colossal pyramids (at Meidum and the Bent and North [Red] pyramids at Dashur) and the smaller one at Seila—a total mass of stone that exceeds even that of his son Khufu, in the Great Pyramid at Giza.

The Meidum Pyramid (Photo by Chanel Wheeler)

“Like Djoser’s Step Pyramid, Meidum was built in stages, beginning with a step pyramid of seven steps.  Before builders finished the fourth or fifth step, the king enlarged the project to a pyramid of eight steps which was completed in Snefru’s first fourteen years.  Previously it was suggested that Huni was responsible for this pyramid, based solely on the need to identify a large royal tomb for this king.  However, the ancient name of Meidum, Djed Snefru (‘Snefru Endures’), and the fact that Snefru’s name, unlike Huni’s, appears in texts at the site, all point to the former as the builder of Meidum from start to finish.

“In his fifteenth year on the throne Snefru and his court moved to the area around Dashur.  But then, during the last fifteen years of his reign, according to Rainer Stadelmann, he sent his workers back to Meidum to fill out the original step pyramid as a true pyramid.  The pyramid at Meidum thus represents the very beginning and end of Snefru’s pyramid-building program.

…

“Construction techniques for the superstructure were initially in the old step pyramid style, with accretions of stone courses laid at an inward slope.  Better quality stone, laid in more regular courses, was used for the outer faces of the accretions, and fine white Tura-quality limestone for the exterior surfaces of the steps” (p. 97).

The Meidum Pyramid (Photo by Heidi Kontkanen)

The Meidum Pyramid (Photo by Heidi Kontkanen)

From Ancient Egypt by Lorna Oakes and Lucia Gahlin

“The Meidum Pyramid complex set the pattern for the rest of the Old Kingdom.  It consisted of the main pyramid and at least one subsidiary pyramid within an enclosure, together with a mortuary temple, to ensure the king’s immortality.  This was connected by a causeway to the valley, or lower, temple, situated at the edge of the floodplain.  The valley temple was linked to the River Nile by a canal, so that the funeral procession of the king could land here and the body be taken up the covered causeway for burial within the pyramid in relative privacy.  The Meidum Pyramid is also remarkable for the first use of corbelling to roof the burial chamber” (p. 48).

The mortuary chapel at Meidum with the two round-topped blank stele showing (Photo by Heidi Kontkanen)

From Guide to the Pyramids of Egypt by Alberto Siliotti

“Although Mariette was the first to penetrate the pyramid, in 1881, the first systematic excavations in the Meidum area were performed by Petrie between 1888 and 1891.  He found several structures, such as the processional ramp and the funerary temple, which later characterized the pyramids of the Fourth Dynasty.

Inside the small chapel at Meidum (Photo by Heidi Kontkanen)

“The processional ramp, on an east-west axis, descends toward the cultivated plain, where it disappears, and the valley temple has never been found.  On the eastern side of the pyramid there is a chapel for offerings—an early form of the funerary temple, with a much simpler structure that includes two rooms leading to a tiny courtyard with two large stelae that flank a central altar.

The vertical shaft going up to the burial chamber at Meidum, the stairs are a modern addition (Photo by Heidi Kontkanen)

“On the north side of the pyramid, at a height of 18.5 m, is the entry to the 1.55 m high descending corridor, which leads to the burial chamber with its projecting [corbelled] vault similar to those pyramids at Dashur, and in which no trace of a sarcophagus has been found.  Meidum is the first place where the burial chamber is inserted into the body of the pyramid itself, and not in a shaft covered by a superstructure, as in the mastabas.  In addition, on the south side, in the space between the pyramid and the enclosure wall, a new structure appears:  the satellite pyramid” (p. 155).

Causeway to the Meidum Pyramid (Photo by Jon Bodsworth)

Snefru’s Second Pyramid:  The Bent Pyramid

From The Complete Pyramids: Solving the Ancient Mysteries by Mark Lehner

“When Snefru abandoned his step pyramid at Meidum and moved north to Dashur, there was as yet no blueprint for a true pyramid.  To us, with a clear image of the shape of the classic pyramid, with a slope of 52 or 53 degrees, this may seem strange.  It was, however, a time of great experimentation, comparable to the period when Djoser’s architect Imhotep was building the Step Pyramid.

The Bent Pyramid (Photo by Richie O’Neill)

The Bent Pyramid (Photo by Richie O’Neill)

“The old step pyramids had faces that sloped about 72 to 78 degrees, certainly too steep for a true pyramid.  The is evidence within the core of the Bent Pyramid that is began as a far smaller pyramid with a slope of about 60 degrees.  But structural problems with subsidence soon set in.  Emergency measures took the form of an added girdle around the stump of the pyramid, forming a slope of just under 55 degrees.

“These early stages were constructed using the traditional method of laying the courses with the stones sloping inward.  Even at the reduced angle it appears that there were still major problems until, about half way up, the builders began to set the courses horizontally.  It had become clear that the inward-leaning courses, far from aiding stability, actually increased the stress on the pyramid.

Detail of the casing stones on the corner of the Bent Pyramid showing the precision with which they were cut and laid (Photo by Heidi Kontkanen)

Detail of the casing stones on the Bent Pyramid (Photo by Richie O’Neill)

“The Bent Pyramid was then continued at a much decreased slope of around 42 to 44 degrees, giving it a pronounced bend.  It may have been at this point, before the upper part was finished, that the decision was taken to begin a new pyramid at North Dashur.  Around the same time, perhaps the thirtieth year of Snefru’s reign according to Stadelmann, work also began on the satellite pyramid.

The Bent Pyramid (Photo by Richie O’Neill)

“Other changes in construction methods are discernible.  Both core stones and casing stones are larger—the casing ones very much so—than in the Third Dynasty pyramids.  However, no great care was taken to lay the internal masonry neatly.  Substantial spaces between the stones are simply filled with limestone debris and even tafla in places.  Gypsum mortar was just beginning to be used more frequently, which, unlike the desert clay mortar, had to be specially prepared using fuel.  It was this combination of a lack of good mortar, carelessly laid blocks and, most importantly, the unstable desert surface, that caused the structural problems” (p. 102).

From Egyptian Pyramids and Mastaba Tombs by Philip Watson

“The Bent Pyramid is unique in having two substructures reached by separate entrances.  From the north face, the usual entrance position, a sloping corridor descends into bedrock ending in a corbelled chamber.  From the west face a second entrance, higher than the northern one, leads to another corbelled chamber higher than, but not directly above, the first.  This second entrance and chamber are built entirely within the superstructure of the pyramid.  Neither chamber contained any traces of a burial or sarcophagus.

Eastern chapel of the Bent Pyramid (Photo by Heidi Kontkanen)

Offering table chapel at the Bent Pyramid (Photo by Richie O’Neill)

“The mortuary temple near the east face of the pyramid was very simple, comprising essentially of an open altar screened by brick walls.  Immediately beyond the enclosure wall on the south side is a subsidiary pyramid which is unlikely to be a queen’s burial as in later reigns.  Rather it probably retains the function of the Third Dynasty south tomb as a canopic burial or as a dummy for the jubilee festival.  In the latter respect it should be noted that a fragmentary stela was found nearby depicting the king in jubilee attire.  The causeway, which was unroofed, led to a valley temple which is now much destroyed although originally of monumental size and decorated with reliefs” (p. 26).

From Guide to the Pyramids of Egypt by Alberto Siliotti

“The pyramid had a satellite pyramid on the south side, while on the east side was a small funerary temple built of unfired brick with two large stelae that framed a table for offerings.

The satellite pyramid at the side of the Bent Pyramid (Photo by Heidi Kontkanen)

The entrance to the Bent Pyramid as viewed from within (Photo by Ivrienen)

“The processional ramp, about 200 m long, began at the northeast corner and ran northeast to the imposing rectangular-shaped valley temple, which measured 47 x 26 m and was built of Tura limestone, surrounded by a wall of unfired brick.  The building, which was excavated in the early 1950s by the Egyptian archaeologist Ahmed Fakry, included a vestibule in which there were two large rectangular stelae incised with the royal names, and a central court that ended in six chapels.

The Bent Pyramid (Photo by Richie O’Neill)

Snefru’s Third Pyramid:  The Red Pyramid

From The Complete Pyramids: Solving the Ancient Mysteries by Mark Lehner

“In around his thirtieth year on the throne, Snefru abandoned the Bent Pyramid as his burial place, although, as at Meidum, he later completed it.  Instead, he began work on the North, or Red, Pyramid which was built at the gentler slope of 43 degrees 22’ from the beginning.  In many ways this was more elegant than the Bent Pyramid, where the builders obviously struggled and experimented with various solutions to the structural problems they were faced with.  The North Pyramid shows none of this—it is a neatly planned and executed construction, built with an efficient use of materials.

The Red Pyramid (Photo by Richie O’Neill)

“Rainer Stadelmann has been working at North Dashur for over a decade.  In the course of his excavations of the debris at the base of the pyramid he found hundreds of pieces of fine white limestone casing.  Many of these have graffiti inscribed on their rear faces by work gangs.  One from a corner bears the hieratic (shorthand hieroglyphic) inscription mentioning ‘beginning to earth year fifteen’.  This refers to counting year fifteen, which, if biennial, is equivalent to the thirtieth year of Snefru’s reign.  Some thirty courses higher Stadelmann was able to place a casing stone dated only four years later—this gives us a very clear picture of the length of time it took to build such pyramids.

The Red Pyramid (Photo by Richie O’Neill)

“Remarkably, Stadelmann also found pieces of the pyramid’s capstone.  This was a simple culmination of the structure—a block with no carving or inscription and made of good quality limestone rather than any costlier material.  Its pieces were found near the base, rejected by those who were stripping the outer mantle of its finer limestone” (pp. 104-5).

The pyramidion of the Red Pyramid (Photo by Richie O’Neill)

From Ancient Egypt by Lorna Oakes and Lucia Gahlin

“The Red Pyramid is perfectly constructed.  There is no sign of experimentation whatsoever, and it is generally recognized as the first true pyramid.  It was built of local limestone containing iron oxide, which gives it the reddish color from which it gets its name.  The outer casing of white Tura limestone has almost entirely disappeared, but the pyramid is otherwise intact.  Noteworthy features are the low angle of inclination (43 degrees) and the horizontal line of the core blocks.  In earlier pyramids, the blocks were laid at an angle in the belief that this method gave greater stability to the building.  As in the Bent Pyramid, the antechamber and burial chamber are roofed with very fine corbelled blocks.

…

Corbelling in the second chamber of the Red Pyramid (Photo by Jon Bodsworth)

“The mortuary temple was on the east side of the Red Pyramid and the ground plan has been reconstructed.  Enough remained to make possible a reconstruction on paper of the temple’s original appearance.  It seems to have been much larger than the mortuary temples of the Meidum and Bent Pyramids, and was a worthy forerunner of the even larger Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza.  Lying in the mortuary temple is the reconstructed pyramidion, or solid limestone capstone, that once topped the pyramid” (p. 49).

The pyramidion in the restored floor plan of the mortuary temple (Photo by Kurohito)

From Guide to the Pyramids of Egypt by Alberto Siliotti

“The entrance to the long corridor that leads to the inner chambers is located on the north side at a height of 28 meters from the ground.  After continuing for 60 m the corridor opens into an extraordinarily beautiful room with a projecting vaulted [corbelled] ceiling over 12 m high, constructed of eleven beds of limestone blocks, each of which projects a few centimeters out from the one below.  From here the corridor leads to a second room, whose center corresponds to the center of the pyramid.  It also has a projecting vaulted [corbelled] ceiling.  From the second room the corridor ascends for a few meters to reach a third room, with its main axis perpendicular to the preceding rooms.  The ceiling of this room, again vaulted and projecting, is 16 m high” (p. 143).

Link and Online Reads

Ia Georgia provided a link to Charles Rigano’s article “New Perspectives on the Bent Pyramid” from The Ostracon.

Another share from Ia Georgia, “Preliminary Report of the General Survey at Dashur North, Spring 1996”.

Ia Georgia shared this article from Harvard Magazine on “Who Built the Pyramids”, a more general treatment of pyramids in general.

Passage from the second back to the first chamber in the Red Pyramid (Photo by Jon Bodsworth)

Vicky Metafora provided this link to a large album of photography Francesco Jose Neves collected on Facebook regarding Snefru’s pyramids, a true labor of love!

Keith Payne shared a link to the National Geographic Online article on the Pyramid of Snefru at Meidum, which leads to articles on the other two pyramids as well.

The Meidum Pyramid (Photo by H. W. Dunning)

From the New and On the Blogs

Daily News Egypt: “Restoration Centre at the Grand Egyptian Museum” (Lorraine Evans)

Daily News Egypt:  “Grand Egyptian Museum to open August 2015, says Minister” (Richie O’Neill)

History in the Headlines:  “Ancient Egyptian Pigments Gets a Second Chance to Shine” (Mark Lauria)

Ahram Online:  “Egypt won’t rent Pyramids to foreign firms, says antiquities ministry” (Lorraine Evans)

Close-up of the two round-topped stelae in situ at the eastern chapel of the Bent Pyramid (Photo by Heidi Kontkanen)

Terrae Antiqvae:“Templo de Kalabsha. Aswan, Nubia, Egipto (video)” (José Luis Santos)

Pharon Magazine:  “Thebes During the First Millenium:  Conference Summary from October 2012, Pt. 1” (François Tonic)

Karnak Great Hypostyle Hall Project: “Interior Wall Scenes” (Celeste Albo)

Copyright by Keith Payne, 2013.  All rights reserved

All photography by Richie O’Neill and Heidi Kontkanen are copyrighted by the respective creators, who retain all rights.  Used by permission.  All other photography and images are either in the public domain or are shared via Creative Commons.

Tags: Bent Pyramid, Meidum Pyramid, Pyramidion, Red Pyramid, Snefru