Pyramid of Seila

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Pyramid of Seila
SeilaPyramidSouthSide.jpg
Western and southern sides of the pyramid of Seila, 2003
Owner uncertain, possibly Sneferu
Coordinates 29°22′57″N31°3′13″E / 29.38250°N 31.05361°E / 29.38250; 31.05361
Constructedc. 2600 BC
TypeStep pyramid
Material limestone
Heightc. 6.65 meters
Basec. 25 meters
Egypt relief location map.jpg
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Location within Egypt
North side of the pyramid of Seila, 2003 SeilaPyramidNorthSide.jpg
North side of the pyramid of Seila, 2003

The pyramid of Seila is one of a group of seven small step pyramids which are very similar to one another, along with the Edfu South pyramid, the pyramid of Elephantine, the pyramid of El-Kula, the pyramid of Naqada, the pyramid of Zawyet el-Maiyitin, and the pyramid of Sinki. These pyramids were all built far from the major centres of Egypt and very little is known about them. The pyramid is located on an outcrop between the Faiyum Oasis and the Nile Valley, about 6 km north of the motorway from Wasta to Faiyum. Its builder may have been Snefru, the founder of the Fourth Dynasty. It was discovered in 1889/1890 by Flinders Petrie [1] and revisited in 1898 by Ludwig Borchardt. [2]

Contents

Description

The pyramid is about 25 m long on each side and now stands 6.5-6.8 m tall. It is not oriented exactly to the cardinal directions, but diverges about 12° to the northwest. The reason for this orientation is that, like the pyramids at Elephantine, Naqada, and Saufet el-Meitin, the structure was oriented to be parallel to the course of the Nile, which would have been difficult to accomplish given the great distance of the pyramid from the river. The pyramid originally had four steps and consisted of three layers, which encased an inner core. The building material was local limestone, with a mixture of Nile mud and sand being used for mortar. There does not seem to have been a burial chamber.

Construction and function

In 1987, fragments of an offering table, two stele and the remains of a causeway were found on the east side of the pyramid. One of the steles bore the name Snefru, which may indicate that he was the builder. The purpose of the structure remains unclear. Jean-Philippe Lauer suggested that it might have been the original tomb of the queen Hetepheres I, but this is unlikely given the absence of a burial chamber. Egyptologists generally consider the group of seven step pyramids named above to have been a unified project, but have not reached an agreement on what the purpose of the group was. Different scholars have suggested that they were representations of the primeval mound, symbols of the political and religious unity of Egypt, or monuments commemorating the royal wives.

References

  1. ↑ Flinders Petrie, W. M. (1891). Illahun, Kahun and Gurob : 1889-1890. London: Nutt. pp. 31, §§ 58 f., tbl. XXX.
  2. ↑ Borchardt, Ludwig (1900). "Die Pyramide von Silah. Auszug aus einem Berichte". Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte. 1: 211–214.

Bibliography

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