The Pyramidion. Used to Attach a Plating of Electrum to the Pyramidion
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EDITED BY ZAHI HAWASS Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and Director of the Giza Pyramids Excavations PROJECT EDITORS Laura Accomazzo Valeria Manferto De Fabianis GRAPHIC DESICN Paola Piacco WHITE STAR PUBLISHERS THE TREASURES OF THE PYRAMIDS Contents INTRODUCTION Page 5 CHAPTER 8 by H.E. Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak THE ROYAL MORTUARY ENCLOSURES OF ABYDOS AND HIERAKONPOLIS by Matthew Adams and David O'Connor Page 78 THE PYRAMIDS Page 12 by Zahi Hawass CHAPTER 9 THE STEP PYRAMIDS CHRONOLOGY Page is by Ali Radwan Page 86 CHAPTER I CHAPTER 10 WHY A PYRAMID? PYRAMID RELIGION THE PYRAMIDS OF THE FOURTH DYNASTY by James P. Allen Page 22 by Rainer Stadelmann Page 112 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER \ \ THE QUEENS' PYRAMIDS OF THE FOURTH DYNASTY AT GIZA THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PYRAMID by Zahi Hawass Page 138 by Vassil Dobrev Page 28 CHAPTER 12 CHAPTER 3 THE SATELLITE PYRAMID OF KHUFU BUILDING AN OLD KINGDOM PYRAMID by Zahi Hawass Page 150 by Mark Lehner Page 32 CHAPTER 13 CHAPTER A THE MYSTERY OF HETEPHERES THE ARCHITECTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE EGYPTIAN ROYAL TOMB by Zahi Hawass Page 152 by Zahi Hawass Page 46 CHAPTER 14 CHAPTER 5 THE SECRET DOORS INSIDE THE GREAT PYRAMID by Zahi Hawass Page 156 THE ARCHITECTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE PYRAMID COMPLEX CHAPTER 15 by Zahi Hawass Page 50 THE PYRAMIDION CHAPTER e by Zahi Hawass Page 160 THE PREDYNASTIC PERIOD CHAPTER \6 by Renee Friedman Page 54 THE ROYAL BOATS AT GIZA by Zahi Hawass Page 164 CHAPTER I THE TOMBS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND DYNASTIES CHAPTER a AT ABYDOS AND SAQOARA THE SPHINX by Giinter Dreyer Page 62 by Mark Lehner Page 172 10 CHAPTER IS The Publisher would like to thank: H.E. Farouk Hosny - The Egyptian Minister of Culture, THE TOMBS OF THE HIGH OFFICIALS AT GIZA Nabil Osman - President of the Egyptian Information Center by Peter Der Manuelian Page 190 Attiya Shakran - General Director of the Cairo Press Center, CHAPTER 19 M. El-Damaty - Director of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Mena House Oberoi Hotel, Cairo, THE 'UNFINISHED' PYRAMIDS OF THE FOURTH DYNASTY Gamal Sbafik of the Cairo Press Center, by Michel Valloggia Pag. 224 The curators and assistants of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, CHAPTER 20 Rajiv Kaul, Guido Paradisi and Fabio Calamante - photographers' iiss/staiifs. THE PYRAMIDS OF THE FIFTH DYNASTY by Miroslav Verner Pag. 236 CHAPTER 21 The Editor would like to thank Mark Linz and Neil Hewison of the American University in Cairo Press. He also wants to thank Essam Shehab of the Giza Inspectorate, and THE SURPRISING ABUSIR BLOCKS. Mohamed Ismail, Mobamed Megahed, Brook Myers, and Sahar Mabroukfrom the by Zahi Hawass and Miroslav Verner Pag. 260 Technical Office of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. CHAPTER 22 THE PYRAMIDS OF THE SIXTH DYNASTY by Audran Labrousse Pag. 264 CHAPTER 23 10-11 THE DECORATIVE PROGRAM OF THE OLD KINCDOM PYRAMID COMPLEXES Scene showing the 'Meidum geese,' by Zahi Hawass Page 282 Egyptian Museum Cairo, Old CHAPTER 24 Kingdom. THE TOMBS OF THE FIFTH AND SIXTH DYNASTIES AT SAQQARA by Karol Mys'liwiec Page 286 CHAPTER 25 THE PYRAMIDS OF THE MIDDLE KINGDOM © 2003 White Star S.r.l. by Dieter Arnold Page 326 Via C Sassone, 22/24 13100 Vercelli, Italy CHAPTER 26 www.whitestar.it All rights reserved. No pan ol this publication may be THE TOMBS OF THE NOBLES IN THE MIDDLE KINGDOM reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, by David P. Silverman Page 348 photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. CHAPTER 21 ISBN 88-8095-233-1 ROYAL AND PRIVATE STATUES OF THE OLD AND MIDDLE KINGDOMS Reprints: by Hourig Sourouzian Page 366 12 3 4 5 6 07 06 05 04 03 Printed in Italy by Officine Grafiche De Agostini INDEX AND BIBLIOGRAPHY Page 392 Color separation by Fotomcc, Turin I I Chapter i 5 The Pyramidion by Zahi Hawass T. h e term 'pyramidion refers to a miniature pyramid which is different from all the other pyramids at Giza. that was placed on the top of the larger pyramid to serve Nabil Swelim believes that two pieces of polished as its apex. It was made of a special type of stone, in the diorite, discovered by Selim Hassan, could be part of the Old Kingdom, either diorite, granite, or a vety fine pyramidion of Khafre. He reconstructs this pyramid as limestone which was then cased with gold or electrum having a whitish-gold outer facing with a course of rose was used, In the Middle Kingdom, the pyramidion was granite below a dark green, diorite pyramidion. usually granite, which was then inscribed with texts and The only other Fourth Dynasty pyramidion symbols. discovered was found near one of the subsidiary A number of examples of pyramidions, or capstones, pyramids of Menkaure. Only the square base of this have been discovered around Old and Middle Kingdom pyramidion has been preserved; a second piece that pyramids. The oldest pyramidion ever discovered was would have been on top is missing. The lower stirface is found by Rainer Stadelmann in 1982 in the area of the smooth and pierced with holes that could have been Red Pyramid of Sneferu at Dahshur. It is made of fine, used to secure the stone to the pyramid This base is white Tura limestone and is uninscribed. The pyramidion made of limestone, I believe that the upper part was was found in pieces,- it has now been reconstructed, and made of a dilferent type of stone, otherwise it would stands at a height of about three quarters of a merer. It most likely have been made in one piece. has been placed on a stand located on the east side of The pyramids of the Fifth Dynasty were also the Red Pyramid at Dahshur. surmounted by special pyramidions, A relief found The second oldest pyramidion was found east of the within the pyramid complex of Djcdkare Isesi shows Great Pyramid of Khutu in 1991, near the Tecenlly that his pyramid once had a pyramidion: one scene discovered satellite pyramid that it once surmounted. shows King Isesi standing with a staff in his hand; in The east side of Khufu's pyramid had been explored front of him is an inscription that reads: "Following the before, but all previous excavators had missed this small pyramidion to the pyramid of Isesi," The actual pyramid. The pyramidion was found to the south of the pyramidion of this pyramid has not been found The satellite pyramid, its top and base had been destroyed Gzech expedition under the direction of Mirsolav and were reconstructed by Josef Dorner. A trapezoidal Verner found a fragment of a basalt pyramidion from the block from the third course from the top was also found pyramid of Khentkaus II, a consort of Neferirkarc, that near the satellite pyramid; this block and the pyramidion was originally cased with metal (copper and gold?). have been set up just to the north of the satellite pyramid. Blocks from the causeway of Sahure at Abusir, Many people believed that the pyramid of Khafre discovered recently when work was being done never had a pyramidion because they thought that the to prepare the site for the public, are decorated casing of white limestone continued to the top of the with scenes related to the installation of the pyramid, However, Italian scholars Maragioglio and pyramidion. One unique scene shows the Rinaldi surveyed the top of this pyramid and pointed out pyramidion being dragged toward the that the summit of the pyramid had been destroyed and pyramid. Workmen pull a rape connected now ended in a small platform. Another Italian to the pyramidion (depicted on the next expedition recently surveyed this pyramid to assess block to the right, which has not been found). In damage from an earthquake. They discovered that the this scene, one can see part of the sledge on which the casing stone of the top is only live centimeters thick, pyramidion rested, as well as the workmen who pull the iti The black granite pyramidion .1. i i.; from idf reign of Amenemhet IH, Twelfth Dynasty, found at Lisfct ffiMswra HO cm in haghx and the itase is i 85 cm. Nou> in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Chap/Ur f.s I 160 Pyra m id ion sledge and pour water in front of the runners to reduce coated with electrum. Several pyramidions have also friction with the ground. Other scenes show women, been found that date horn the Middle Kingdom. labeled as members of the khener, wearing a special Fragments of pyramidions made of red granite have been uniform, standing with their right hand upraised and found near two of the queens' pyramids in the complex their left hand on their waist. The word kbener has of Scnusrct I, second king of the Twelfth Dynasty, at traditionally been translated as 'harem,' but has recently Lisht. From Amenemhct Ill's pyramid at Dahshur comes been reinterpreted as 'musical troop.' However, this a pyramidion of black granite, with a band of meaning seems rather narrow and does not express the hieroglyphs running around its base and the image of nuance of constraint that the original word conveys, wings and a sun disk protecting the eyes, names, and They may well have been restricted in their freedom, titles of the king. This was found in good condition. It and some of them may also have served as concubines may never have been set at the apex of the pyramid, to the king.