Pyramid of Ahmose
The Ahmose Pyramid is an ancient Egyptian king at the time of Ahmose I. 1550-1525 BC [A 1 ] in the temple complex of Abydos pyramid built. She was the only king pyramid from the outset as a cenotaph (apparent grave ) and was not planned as a tomb. The Ahmose Pyramid was also the last king pyramid in Egypt, because as Ahmose I, all followers were no longer buried in pyramids. It is now a heavily damaged ruins and only appears as a flat scree hill.
Research
The complex was first investigated by Arthur Mace and Charles T. Currelly 1899-1902 on behalf of the Egypt Exploration Fund, the pyramid was identified. The work, however, remained fragmentary and only provided a general overview of the system and its structures. Excavations focused on the pyramid temple. Mace also dug a tunnel under the pyramid to find any existing substructure. Currelly conducted research in the area until 1904 on.
Since 1993, Stephen P. Harvey undertook new excavations at the complex, which showed, among other things, a variety of relief fragments and could clarify the nature of the Tetischeri Chapel as a pyramid. Also the ruins of several buildings of the temple complex were uncovered during these excavations.
Bauumstände
After his victory over the Hyksos, who had ruled over a period of more than 100 years in Egypt, Ahmose I became the full governance over the country (Upper and Lower Egypt ), thus establishing the New Kingdom. The driving force behind the efforts to unification seems to have been Ahmose's grandmother Tetischeri.
Although Abydos was an important location for worship and tombs since the early history of Egypt, the pyramid Ahmose was the first great pyramid, which was built there. However, various rulers of the 17th dynasty had burial sites in the form of small pyramids, but do not exceed a base length of 10 m. The investment of the pyramid and temple complex of Ahmose differed in structure fundamentally different from all previous pyramid complexes, since the typical scheme of the valley temple, causeway, pyramid temple and pyramid was not met here. With the terraced temple and the tomb of Osiris new elements were introduced in the construction of the pyramid complex.
The actual, original grave Ahmose, which has not yet been located, was probably in Dra Abu el- Naga. It is possible that this is a by Herbert E. Winlock in 1913 discovered small pyramid, it is this tomb attributed by other researchers also Ahmose's predecessor Kamose or his possible son Ahmose Sapair. His mummy and his grandmother Tetischeri found in the Deir el- Bahri, where they were placed in the 22nd Dynasty to protect against grave robbers.
The Ahmose - cult around this pyramid and temple complex is detected by a stele over a period of about 300 years to the time of Ramses II. The inscription testifies that a procession of boats Ahmosekults served the residents as an oracle of the deified king.
Pyramid
The pyramid had a base length of 52.5 m (equivalent to 100 King Sellen ) and consisted of a gravel and sand core, which was provided with a lining of fine limestone. The loose core was kept there by the cladding stones in shape and had no own stability. Mace found during excavations still two layers of casing stones from which a tilt angle of about 60 ° could be derived, which she was much steeper than the pyramids of the Old and Middle Kingdom. So the pyramid reached a height of 45 m.
After the cladding layer in later times, a victim of the robbery was stone, the loose core lost its cohesion and slumped to the today only 10 m high alluvial fan. The core material may be derived from the tailings of the underground Osirisgrabs in the southern area of the complex.
A crescent-shaped mud-brick structure between the north side of the pyramid and the pyramid temple could be identified by Harvey's work as representing an Baurampe.
The pyramid has only one of the larger pyramids on no substructure, and the function can be excluded as a tomb. Mace drove 1902 in vain a tunnel from the north side into the ruins to find hidden passages. Also, subsequent studies could not detect any substructure under the pyramid. Transitions in the pyramid body can be excluded because of the loose structure of the sand and debris construction of the core.
Complex
For the complex one so far in the pyramid is not used setup was chosen. While the usual setup consisted of a valley temple in the area of vegetation boundary and a further located in the desert pyramid, the pyramid here was arranged with associated temples on the downhill end of the complex near the flood point of the Nile. Next in the desert were a smaller pyramid and a cenotaph of Osiris and a terraced temple. The elongated plant reminiscent in structure to the tomb of Osiris, the Sesostris III. could invest in Abydos. The components are disposed along a line, and were thought to be associated with a straight road, however, is no longer detectable. An enclosure, as usual in previous pyramid complexes could not be found.
Temple Complex
The pyramid temple was located on the north side of the pyramid, but not limited to these. The building had thick walls and a passage to an airport situated in the middle of the courtyard, at the back of a colonnade could have found. Next to the entrance there were two pits that may have been planted with one tree. Harvey found in the temple area over 2000 painted relief fragments show the motives of the struggle against the Hyksos, Ahmose and adorned the temple. On the pictures, the earliest known depictions of horses with chariots found in Egypt.
Another small temple ("Temple A" ) was located at the northeast corner and was used for worship of Ahmose and his wife and sister Ahmose Nefertari. This building was held by some researchers due to the situation mistaken for a cult pyramid. Directly east of it are the remains of another temple to find ("Temple B"), Ahmose is assigned. A larger temple ("Temple C") is located north of it and adjacent to the pyramid temple of Ahmose Nefertari - is attributed.
In the east, adjacent are the ruins of an economic or administrative building. However, the eastern parts of the building complex are overbuilt by a modern Muslim cemetery and thus an exploration not accessible.
Pyramid of Tetischeri
Halfway between the Ahmose Pyramid and the terraced temple, the remains of a brick structure located at the base dimensions of 21 m × 23 m, which was originally identified as a shrine of Ahmose's grandmother Tetischeri due to inscriptions found there. It has also been found in 1902 in the ruins of a stela (CG 34002 ), which refers to the pyramid and the temple Tetischeris. In the inscriptions thereon Ahmose shares his wife plans to build a memorial for his pyramid buried in Thebes with grandmother. [A 2]
"I 'm the one on my mother's mother ( Ahhotep I. ), thinking of my father's mother, the Great Royal Wife and King's Mother, Tetischeri, blessed. She has her grave chapel still on earth of Thebes and Abydos. My Majesty desires that one you built a pyramid and a mortuary temple near my lofty monuments in the country. The lake of the mortuary temple was dug, planted the trees and offerings set, with fields he was enfeoffed and equipped with stoves. "
At the time of the discovery of the stele has been suggested that the name of the pyramid would be only symbolic, since the ruins were not yet identified as a pyramid. The located, according to the inscription on the pyramid garden and the artificial lake are archaeologically not yet been demonstrated.
Recent work by Harvey could prove that it is indeed a pyramid in the building. Unusually, however, is that this was built on a foundation of rubble filled with mud-brick casemates. A passage extends to the middle of the casemates foundation. These excavations also fragments of the pyramidion were found, so the proof of a similar inclination angle as the Ahmose Pyramid was possible. These findings allowed the explanation of the pyramid name for this construction in the text of the above stele. In addition, an existing of mud brick enclosure of 90 m × 70 m was found around the small pyramid. Within the enclosure there were several small buildings whose purpose is not yet clear.
Osiris
In the southern district of the complex was Ahmose's tomb of Osiris. This represented a symbolic grave of the dead god Osiris, whose dismembered body in ancient Egyptian myth was spread over the whole country. Similarly, it may be regarded as a symbol of the underworld.
The tomb of Osiris was in the nature of Sesostris III the. performed similarly, but very sloppy and gross. The entrance pit was very inconspicuous and hardly differed from a grave of an ordinary citizen. The tortuous underground passage was roughly hewn out of the rock of the underground. Shortly after the entrance was followed by two small lateral chambers. In the middle of the course of transition reached a hall with 18 out of the rock pillars left standing, but in the height corresponded to only the aisle. Behind the hall led the transition more expensive to a simple grotto. The walls of the chambers and corridors were not smoothed or decorated. The system of Osirisgrabs is oriented transverse to the orientation line of the pyramid to the temple terrace, on which the buildings of the complex are located.
Temple Terrace
At the southern end was in front of the steep wall of the cliff top terrace temple. At this temple buried votive offerings in the form of pottery, models were found of boats and stone vases. The temple was entered through a multistep stairs and trapezoidal rooms ascent. Up led a corridor to the south to a small chamber in which probably was a set up on a pedestal ruler statue.
Importance
The Ahmose pyramid pyramids ended the era of king in Egypt. While the resumption of the pyramids were built during the Middle Kingdom attracted a number of Folgebauten by itself, it remained in the New Kingdom with a single pyramid. None of the following rulers to Ahmose I, such a construction project could be detected. Only the Nubian kings who ruled in the 25th dynasty of Egypt, still building tombs in pyramid form. These, however, were located outside the traditional to Egypt scoring territory of the Reich. In Egypt itself private tombs were provided with small pyramid-shaped structures in the New Kingdom.