The Black Pyramid is one of Egypt's most mysterious monuments, and a reminder not all pharaohs were as great as they thought. King Amenemhat was the sixth pharaoh of the 12th Dynasty. He wanted to stamp his authority on his people by building a towering pyramid next to the great Bent and Red Pyramids of King Sneferu, commissioned some 800 years previously. This new building would be some achievement, with a height of 75m and a 105m base.
Building began around 1860. Middle Kingdom pyramids were much more complex arrangements than their Old Kingdom counterparts, but Amenemhat's was far too ambitious. A myriad walkways, corridors and chamber lined its innards, and it was the first pyramid built both for a king and his queens - two in Amenemhat's case. Around 15 years into its construction, disaster struck. Beams began to crush and doorways crumbled, as the pyramid caved in under its own weight. Builders did their best to avert destruction, but the damage was done: the pyramid was abandoned, and the king instead turned his sights on Hawara, where he would build a successful temple many years later.
Today the pyramid is still abandoned, closed to the public because of its still-structural frailties. A French team first excavated the pyramid in 1892, with later projects undertaken up until 1983.
I’m going to be filing more detailed blogs at the end, once I have the time to do a proper write-up of all the research.
For now here are some news-briefs that I want to fill you in on.
-The Seila Pyramid is flat! No – it is not a step pyramid. It is a true pyramid. Professor Kerry Muhlestein of Brigham Young University, presented the latest research.
A team of engineers, using GPS equipment, completed a 3D model of the pyramid recently. Combined with (unpublished) excavation results it is now clear that it is not a step-pyramid.
Toronto is a good place to be for Egyptian lovers this month.
While the weather in Toronto isn’t exactly like Cairo (snowfall is common during November), there is going to be lots of important Egyptian activities happening.
Atet was the little-known wife of Prince Nefermaat, a vizier to the fourth dynasty King Sneferu - who was possibly his son. The two are principally known in posterity for their mastaba, or tomb in Meidum, which contains a well-known limestone relief displaying a number of pastoral scenes such as hunting and fishing. This reflects on Atet and her husband's porported affection for the arts. Atet reportedly bore five sons - Ankhreshet, Buneb, Hemiunu, Nebkhenet, and Shepsesneb. Hemiunu has since been implicated as one of the designers of the Great Pyramids. Little else is known of Atet, except that she wore the title 'Rxt-Njswt', or 'She who is known to the king'.
Pharaoh Sneferu (2613-2589 BCE) was responsible for building three large pyramids in the Egyptian desert, although archaeologists believe he may also have been responsible for two additional smaller ones.
His three main structures were at Meidum (30km south of Cairo) and Dahshur (20km south of Cairo).
Meidum was Sneferu's first pyramid, though it is thought it was originally started by and intended for his predecessor Huni. It is thought that it was a step pyramid that was later transformed into a pyramid with flat sides. However the entire shell is gone, so its original form is difficult to ascertain. What remains is a 65 metere, steep-sided cube with two terraced steps at the top.
Sneferu's next pyramid, at Dahshur, was the 'Bent' Pyramid, whose flat sides changed angles from 55 to 43 degrees. It was built around 2596 BCE.
The Red Pyramid, Sneferu's third, is 4km north of the Bent Pyramid. It was the world's first true smooth-sided pyramid. The poorer quality of the limestone used here has given the pyramid its name and colour. The Red Pyramid is the third-largest Egyptian pyramid, with only the efforts of Sneferu's son and grandson, Cheops and Chephren, exceeding the Red Pyramid in size.
The three day Egypt symposium, 
The Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities, and the 
