White Pyramid
Encyclopedia
Located in the pyramid
field at Dahshur
, the White Pyramid of Amenemhat II
is now nothing more than a pile of rubble
, having been heavily quarried for stone. The remaining limestone
rubble has given rise to its modern name.
The pyramid is surrounded by a large rectangular enclosure wall. A number of intact tombs were found inside this enclosure wall belogning to the relatives of Amenemhat II including the tombs of prince Amenemhetankh and princesses Ita, Khnumet, Itiueret and Sithathormeret. A wide variety of funerary furniture was recovered from these tombs including wooden coffins, alabaster perfume jars, and canopic chests. There was also a large quantity of beautiful jewellery in the tombs of Ita and Khnumet.
In 1894 and 1895 Jaques de Morgan dug in the pyramid complex, concentrating on the surrounding royal graves, with other areas not being explored, a full scale investigation of the whole complex has yet to be undertaken.
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
field at Dahshur
Dahshur
Dahshur , is a royal necropolis located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile approximately 40 kilometres south of Cairo...
, the White Pyramid of Amenemhat II
Amenemhat II
Nubkhaure Amenemhat II was the third pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. Not much is known about his reign. He ruled Egypt for 35 years from 1929 BC to 1895 BC and was the son of Senusret I through the latter's chief wife, Queen Nefru. His queen is not known; although recently a...
is now nothing more than a pile of rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
, having been heavily quarried for stone. The remaining limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
rubble has given rise to its modern name.
The pyramid is surrounded by a large rectangular enclosure wall. A number of intact tombs were found inside this enclosure wall belogning to the relatives of Amenemhat II including the tombs of prince Amenemhetankh and princesses Ita, Khnumet, Itiueret and Sithathormeret. A wide variety of funerary furniture was recovered from these tombs including wooden coffins, alabaster perfume jars, and canopic chests. There was also a large quantity of beautiful jewellery in the tombs of Ita and Khnumet.
In 1894 and 1895 Jaques de Morgan dug in the pyramid complex, concentrating on the surrounding royal graves, with other areas not being explored, a full scale investigation of the whole complex has yet to be undertaken.
Further reading
- Verner, Miroslav, The Pyramids Their Archaeology and History, Atlantic Books, 2001, ISBN 1-84354-171-8
- Lehner, Mark, The Complete Pyramids, Thames & Hudson ISBN 0-500-05084-8