Pyramid of Senusret I

The Sesostris I. Pyramid ( ancient Egyptian Senwosret -peter - taui ) is assigned to Sesostris I of the 12th Dynasty, and the pyramid of his father Amenemhet was about 1.6 km south I. erected.

Construction details

Also Sesostris I took the grave districts of the Old Kingdom as models for his investment. Especially the pyramid temple is an exact copy of such a temple of the 6th Dynasty. The pyramid builders improved the construction of the pyramid over that of Amenemhat I., but centuries of stone robbery also put this structure too much. The result was an almost utter exposure of the wall core.

Archaeological investigations were found in several of these core blocks control marks the ancient craftsmen. The earliest dates from the tenth, the latest in the 24th year of King. From this it can be inferred about a 14 to 15 -year construction activity. The grave chamber inside the pyramid has never been exposed, and now submerged in the groundwater.

The pyramid had a satellite pyramid and nine pyramids for queens and princesses. Most of these side pyramids, however, are so strong robbed that not even the names of the owners are known today. Only the Pyramid of the wife of the ruler Neferu and daughter Itaykat could be identified with certainty.

Excavations

The first systematic excavations took place in 1894 by J. Gautier and G. Jéquier. Between 1906 and 1943 digging the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which at that time appeared no publications except preliminary reports. Excavations there were 1984 to 1997 by Dieter Arnold. This also presented an excavation publication of the actual building and the complex. Many individual findings, however, are still not published.