Pyramid of Sekhemkhet

Pyramid of Sekhemkhet

Sekhemkhet's pyramid, Like King Djoser's Pyramid, was intended as a step-pyramid. In the construction of the pyramid, the same technique was practiced as for Djoser's: accumulations leaning inwards by 15°, with sloping courses of comparatively small stone blocks were set at right angles to the run. As a result of the pyramid not being broken, the outer casing never appears to have been added. Had it been finished, the pyramid would have risen in 7 steps to a height of 70 metres, thus great Djoser's. Probably due to the short prevail of Sekhemkhet, it was gave at a very early stage and it never rose above the surface of its rectangular enclosure. In its present state, all that is gave are a few courses of center masonry, nowhere higher than 7 metres above ground level. The foot of the pyramid wasn't as complex as Djoser's. A black set of 132 galleries or magazines built in U-shape about the North, East and West position of the  pyramid was never finished.

The capture to the substructure is set to its North, but last of the actual pyramid. A descending entrance corridor leads to the burial chamber, past 3 positions of blockings which seemed intact. A wide vertical shaft enters the roof of this passage, rising direct the rock and the core of the pyramid. This shaft was credibly used to lower blocks into the passage when the tomb needed to be secret. The roughly rectangular burial chamber of the pyramid, placed directly under the centre of the repository, measured 8.9 by 5.22 by 4.55 metres and was left raw. Corridors led to different but again unfinished galleries, that may have been involved to be "apartments", as was the case in the pyramid of Djoser. The alabaster sarcophagus named in the sepulture chamber is unique in that it was made of a single part of stone with a slippery door at one end. On top of it lay some rotted plant material, originally thought to be a funerary wreath, but analysis has shown that it was bark and wood. Although the sarcophagus was closed and obscure with mortar when it was found, it was clean. Because it was obscure and because the down passage was still blocked when it was cleared by archaeologists, it is unlikely that this tomb had been broke by tomb-robbers. The question what found to Sekhemkhet's body and why it never appears to have been placed inside the sarcophagus thought for it has never been answered satisfactorily.

Sekhemkhet (Djoser Teti) (2611—2603)

Cartouche of Sekhemkhet

King Sekhmekhet was the third king of the third Dynasty. His name is engraved on a cliff near Wadi Maghara. The king has an bare pyramid at Saqqara with an alabaster coffin within.   Matching to the Turin King-list, Netjerikhet's close successor, Sekhemkhet, named by his own name Djoser-Ti, ruled for only 6 years. His funerary memorial, the Buried Pyramid built to the south-west of Djoser’s, was never broken, which may corroborate the short reign due to Sekhemkhet by the Turin King-list. If it would have been finished, yet, it would have been an even more magnificent building than Djoser’s.  When this memorial was discovered, its sarcophagus was found secret and empty. It does not seem to have been used. The human remains got in the South Tomb of Sekhemkhet's pyramid complex belong to a 2 year old child and are thus unlikely to have belonged to Sekhemkhet himself.

A ease in the Wadi Maghara in the Sinai indicating Sekhemkhet as an grown slaying a foe is sometimes seen as resistant that Sekhemkhet was an adult during his reign. Such stereotyped representation, however, should be seen for what they are: conform to the standard way of representing a king, regardless of his actual physical state, age or even sex. Sekhmekhet was the third king of the 3rd Dynasty. His name is carved on a cliff near Wadi Maghara. The king has an unfinished pyramid at Saqqara with an alabaster coffin inside. This king was completely unknown until 1951 when his repository was located at Saqqara.

Aside look at photographs taken from the air archaeologists knew that a long right area was situated just  200 meters south west of Djoser's complex. This cut to be the remains of the now called "Buried Pyramid" placed within an area intended to be enclosed by a wall. The whole building had been abandoned afterward a few years of work. The first one and a half steps were set in place and it had a height of eight meters. Probably it had been twice as high before the work had been stopped apparently because the king died, and the site had later been a stone quarry for construction material. 

Djoser Age Artifact

Serdab Stone of Djoser Pyramid

A beautifully kept limestone statue of Netjerikhet was observed in the Serdab of his funerary complex at Saqqara. Measuring 1 meter 42 in height, this statue does the king regally sat on a throne with a high backrest, wear the typical cloak of the Heb-Sed. So, the king was thought to continue the Heb-Sed jubilees after his death, which would guarantee him of an eternal life.

The statue's left hand is open and breathing palm down on his left leg. His right arm is held across his chest, with the hand closed. An new nemes head cloth partly covers a heavy wig. The black paint on this wig and on the false beard is still visible, as is the brown paint on characters of his face. The eyes were once mounted with glass. The nose is somewhat damaged and taces of a black painted moustache are yet present.

An lettering on the front of the base of the statue places the king as: The King of Upper and Lower Egypt, the one of, the Two Ladies, Netjerikhet.