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Pyramid of Userkaf
| Pyramid of Userkaf | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 North side of the pyramid with the entrance to the subterranean structures, 2007 | |||||||||||||||||
| Userkaf | |||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 29°52′25″N 31°13′08″E / 29.87361°N 31.21889°E | ||||||||||||||||
| Ancient name |
Wˁb-swt-wsr-k3=f Wab-sut-Userkaf The pure sites of Userkaf | ||||||||||||||||
| Constructed | c. 2490 BC | ||||||||||||||||
| Type | True (now ruined) | ||||||||||||||||
| Material | Limestone | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 49 metres (161 ft) | ||||||||||||||||
| Base | 73.5 metres (241 ft) | ||||||||||||||||
| Volume | 87,906 m3 (114,977 cu yd) | ||||||||||||||||
| Slope | 53°07'48" | ||||||||||||||||
The pyramid complex of Userkaf was built c. 2490 BC[1] for the king Userkaf, founder of the 5th Dynasty of Egypt (c. 2494–2345 BC). It is located in the pyramid field at Saqqara, on the north-east of the step pyramid of Djoser. Constructed in dressed stone with a core of rubble, the pyramid is now ruined and resembles a conical hill in the sands of Saqqara.[1] For this reason, it is known locally as El-Haram el-Maharbish, the "Heap of Stone",[2] and was recognized as a royal pyramid by western archaeologists in the 19th century.
Userkaf's pyramid is part of a larger mortuary complex comprising a mortuary temple, an offering chapel and a cult pyramid as well as separate pyramid and mortuary temple for Userkaf's wife, queen Neferhetepes.[3] Userkaf's mortuary temple and cult pyramid are today completely ruined and difficult to recognize. The pyramid of the queen is no more than a mound of rubble, with its funerary chamber exposed by stone robbers.[4]
The complex is markedly different from those built during the 4th Dynasty (c. 2613–2494 BC) in its size, architecture and location, being at Saqqara rather than the Giza Plateau. As such, Userkaf's pyramid complex could be a manifestation of the profound changes in the ideology of kingship that took place between the 4th and 5th dynasties,[1] changes that may have started during the reign of Userkaf's likely immediate predecessor, Shepseskaf.[5] More than 1,200 years after its construction, the pyramid complex was restored under Ramesses II. During the much later Saite period (664–525 BC), it was used as a cemetery.
- ^ a b c Mark Lehner, The Complete Pyramids, Thames & Hudson, ISBN 978-0-500-28547-3, p. 140
- ^ Jean-Phillipe Lauer (in French): Saqqarah, Une vie, Entretiens avec Phillipe Flandrin, Petite Bibliotheque Payot 107, 1988, ISBN 2-86930-136-7
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
LabrousseLauerwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
verner-userkafwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Ian Shaw, The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-280293-3
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