Pyramid of Sésostris III

The pyramid of Sésostris {{III}} , of type with smooth faces was set up with the Moyen Empire during. It is located at the North-East of the red Pyramide with Dahchour. Discovered by John Shae Perring, she is excavated successively by Lepsius, Maspero, of Morgan and more recently Arnold. The discoveries of Jacques de Morgan remained famous under the name of treasure of Dahchour and amongst other things represent splendid jewels discovered in the galleries of the queens. The pyramid presents from now on the aspect of a hill with an enormous crater in its center.

The exploration of the monument

The ruins of the pyramidal complex were discovered by the engineer John Perring on September 8th, 1839. This last trenches of 49 meters out of 9 meters in the northern face of the pyramid in order to detect the entry of the pyramid but its efforts do not have any success. A block carrying a cartouche enables him to allot the pyramid to Sésostris {{III}}.

In 1843, Lepsius the place with row 47 on its list of the pyramids. He discovers the roadway and the pit with boat although he cannot identify it as tel. He also mentions a pyramid 48 (located at the south-east of the pyramid) which, in fact, does not exist. The current crater, located at the center of the northern face, is due to the French Egyptologist Gaston Maspero which, determined to find the apartments funerary, decides to make move thousands of tons of bricks of the body of the pyramid. Its research was vain.

The first scientific exhibition is carried out by Jacques de Morgan assisted Gustave Jéquier and Georges Legrain. During two seasons, they dig many tunnels in the mass of the pyramid in order to cross a possible corridor. They that point reach in 1894 after more than 140 meters of galleries dug but find a tomb empty. They update celebrates it treasure of Dahchour coming from the galleries of the queens of Sésostris. This work also made it possible to give a realistic overall picture of the complex. From 1990 to 1999, the German Egyptologist Dieter Arnold, working on behalf of the '' Metropolitan Museum off Fine Arts '' of Boston, completes to study the funerary unit and allows to extend knowledge on the funerary whole of the Moyen Empire.

The funerary complex

The initial plan of the complex was several times modified and increased. The principal pyramid was placed originally in the center of a Enceinte at steps out of stones and was surrounded by seven satellite pyramids. A court, and a funerary temple connected to a hypothetical temple of reception by a roadway, were located apart from the first enclosure. One second Enceinte with steps out of bricks surrounded this unit of construction. Final measurements were of 191,625 meters out of 200,925 meters (either 365 bent out of 381 bent). The overall plan follows the model of the complexes of Sésostris {{Ier}}, of Amenemhat {{II}} and of Sésostris {{II}}.

Indices show that the pyramid was exploited like career under the reign of Ramsès {{II}}. However inscriptions raised close to the pyramid report that the prince Khâemouaset thus protected and renovated the site during first half of the reign of Ramsès {{II}} before his exploitation. Moreover, many graffiti going back to this time rent this masterly work of the Moyen Empire. However, at the end of the New Empire, the complex presented already a state of advanced decay.

The pyramid

The pyramid of the type to smooth faces was composed of a brick body covered with a fine limestone facing with Tourah.

The entry is located at thirty-five meters in the south of the north-western corner of the pyramid and at six meters of the base. One reaches an eleven depth meters puit followed by a long corridor of thirty-two meters. This corridor ends in the funerary apartments made up of an anteroom, a Serdab and a covered funerary room of a vault with curvilinear under-surface. A gallery was dug in masonry starting from the serdab. By analyzing the design of the Cenotaph of Sésostris located at Abydos, one notices this same architectural detail, a corridor dug with very the rock and taking his starting point in the funerary room. It would not be thus astonishing to see an evolution with character symbolic system there.

The sarcophagus of Sésostris is located at the bottom of the funerary room, covered room of a system of discharge made up of enormous vaults laid out out of rafters with under-surface curvilinear and surmounted several arches of bricks. Cut in a red granite, the quality of execution of the sarcophagus is exceptional. Its base is decorated with reasons for Enceinte to steps. The funerary room was built out of red granite and it was the last time that the Egyptians used this stone for the design of a funerary room. In the southern wall of the crypt, a niche with canopes was conceived. With its discovery by of Morgan, this one empty although was still blocked. This index and the fact that no trace of violation was detected implies that the Pharaon forever being buried in this pyramid.

Sketch, plans and photographs of the mission of Jacques de Morgan

. Those delivered remarkable jewels such pectoral, beetles, collars or even of the containers. The following names were raised: Sésostris {{II}}, Sésostris {{III}} associated with the princess Sithator , Amenemhat {{III}} associated with the princess Méreret .

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