Where’s that?
1- The pyramid of 9th and last sovereign of the 5th dynasty is at the south west corner of the funerary complex of Djoser .
2- It consists of a pyramid with a temple and causeway that leads to the valley temple .
3- smaller than the other pyramids ( the sides are less than 60 m ) it was already in a poor state of repair in 2000 B.C when Ramses II had it restored .
4- To the south of the pyramid is a 25 m deep shaft leading to 3 person tombs .
5- The mummified body of the deceased covered in gold and jewels was preserved in one of these .
The pyramid Texts
1- The walls of the burial chambers in Unas pyramid are completely covered with long columns of texts carved in hieroglyphs and inlaid with blue pigment .
2- These are the pyramids texts discovered in 1881 , such texts appeared first in this pyramid and were repeated in the tombs of pepi first , Mererra and Pepi second but ceased to be used during the chaos and anarchy of the first intermediate period .
The pyramid
- The first 4 rooms have flat roofs while the 5th or the uppermost has appointed roof. 10- The Name of king Cheops is written in red archer on some of their wall
3- 28 rectangular holes were cut on each side of the grand gallery perhaps for...........Holding the ends of the wooden platform which the coffin of the king dragged .
4- The grand gallery leads to a horizontal narrow passage , it measure 8.4 m long , its walls were lined with red granite.
5- Beyond this passage is the main burial chamber usually called “ the king’s chamber “ also lined with highly polished and granite slabs measuring 5.2 m by 10.8 m and 5.8 high.
6- The lidless sarcophagus of red Aswan granite was placed in the western end of the chamber .
7- there are 2 rectangular shafts cut in the north and south walls of the burial chamber about 1 m above the pavement level.
Both these shafts reach to the outer face of the pyramid their exact purpose is not certain.
Some scholars consider them as ventilation shafts while others think they have religious significance.
8- Above the burial chamber there are 5 rooms until in order to relieve the stress or the pressure of the weight of the pyramid on the roof of the kings chamber .
9- The first 4 rooms have flat roofs while the 5th or the uppermost has appointed roof .
10- The Name of king Cheops is written in red archer on some of their walls .
Serapeum
1- Located to the north east of the step pyramid.
2- The Serapeum was formed by a long underground gallery with side chambers .
3- Each containing an enormous granite Sarcophagus weighing a bout 60 tons where the bodies of mummified bulls were interred .
4- These bulls were considered to be deities and on death were therefore mummified and buried in the some way as a pharaoh portrayed as a bull with a solar disc between the horns , the center of the cult of the sacred Apis bull was in Memphis.
5- In order to be recognized as sacred , the animal had to have certain features that were known only to the priests .
6- on the death of an APIS bull , the priests sought out another animal .
7- The final choice being determined by numerous special characteristic including a white triangle on the forehead , a mark like an eagle on the neck and another in the shape of a crescent moon on its flank .
8- The word Serapeum is the Latin form of the Greek Serapeum and derives from the fact that once the Apis bull had become a divinity after death .
9- It was known as Asor Apis , which the Greeks modified into the name Serapis .
10- During the ptolemic period statues of Greek poets and philosophers including......
Plato - homer - Pindar - Heraclitus and Hesiod were placed in the open near to the Serapeum in the area known as the hemicycle .
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