MOUNDS OF MUD-BRICK
The large pyramids of Dynasty IV and the expansive wall reliefs of Dynasties V and VI do not characterize constructions of the Middle Kingdom when mudbricks shape the pyramids.
The ancients learned the lessons of the past. Seeing that the design of the huge Old Kingdom pyramids did not protect the king's mummy, Middle Kingdom architects created interiors with mazes of chambers and corridors to deceive tomb robbers. They also set traps along the corridors to catch these bandits of the night. Their success is testified by early archaeologists who unexpectedly happened upon the ancient corpses hanging from their legs.
Today, none of the Middle Kingdom pyramids are open to the public.
- all Dynasty XII pyramids have elaborate substructures;
- although still cased with fine Tura limestone, pyramid cores are built of mud-brick and sometimes the superstructures are made of limestone;
- for unknown reasons, Amenemhet I's pyramid at Lisht contains many blocks removed from the Old Kingdom pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Unas;
- entrances to the pyramids now pierce the east or south sides rather than the north;
- all burial chambers are small and lined with quartzite or red granite;
- the enclosure wall has two parts: an outer one made of mud-brick and an inner one built. of limestone - sometimes, decorated with the king's titles;
- small wooden boats encircle the pyramid of Senwosret III;
- beautiful caches of jewelry and individual pieces of lapis lazuli, amethyst and carnelian are found around the pyramids of princesses such as Khnumet, Ita, Sat-Hathor and Meret;
- Coffin Texts now appear to fulfil the same function as the Old Kingdom. Pyramid Texts, and
- the largest of the Middle Kingdom pyramids, that of Senwosret III, covers about 14 1/2 acres.
After a long period of civil war, Neb-hepet-Re Mentuhotep, moved the Egyptian capital to Thebes and there built his tomb on the west bank. In 1900, H. Carter was riding his horse in the valley and the horse tripped. The accident led to the discovery of the seated statue of Mentuhotep wrapped in fine linen. Shortly thereafter, E. Naville and H. Hall excavated the site in 1903-7 and D. Arnold worked here in 1966-71. Mentuhotep's complex has the same elements as an Old Kingdom complex. Naville, believed that the tomb once lay under a now disintegrated pyramid; but Arnold finds no evidence to support this hypothesis and believes that the tomb was a mastaba. It seems that Carter's find-known as Bab el-Hosan in Arabic, meaning "Door of the Horse"- is actually a cenotaph or a dummy tomb for Osiris rather than the king's burial.
Dynasty XII marks the peak of the Middle Kingdom. The dynasty's rulers are easy to remember: four kings are named Amenemhet, three are named Senwosret - called Sesostris by the Greeks, and the last ruler is a queen, Sobek Neferu.
The name Amenemhet means "Amun is at the Head." The first Amenemhet began his reign at Thebes but later moved the capital to It-tawi, meaning "Seizer of the Two Lands." We have not located -It-tawi, but based on the Old Kingdom examples, Lisht is probably its site because here we find the King's tomb. His complex imitates the Old Kingdom style with its upper temple, cause way and lower temple. His pyramid is cased with Tura limestone and its core is constructed of limestone from the plateau.
South of Amenemhet I's pyramid is that of his son, Senwosret I. This complex has three unique features. First, the causeway Ay is fined with statues of the King in Osirid style, similar to that of Mentuhotep at Thebes. Secondly, this is the first complex to have some ten subsidiary pyramids. Lastly, the pyramid is surrounded by beautiful statues. Noteworthy are the ten seated statues of the King and other wooden statues. We can identify the pyramid's owner thanks to Maspero's find in 1882 of a number of alabaster objects inscribed with Senwosret's name.
Following Amenemhet I, three kings join the mighty Snofru at Dahshur Amenemhet II, Senwosret III and Amenemhet Ell. The pyramid complex of Amenemhet IL known as the White Pyramid, is famous for the treasures of princesses Khnumet and Ita found by J., de Morgan. Senwosret II, however, chose El-Lahun at the entrance to the Fayoum for his pyramid. Here Petrie excavated portion of the workmen's quarter and the pyramid city that housed the priests and officials who maintained the cult of the king. The name of Rameses II was later inscribed on a temple block. Within the complex, on the north-east side, is the mud-brick subsidiary pyramid used for the burial of a queen. On the southeast and west sides of the temple, the architect planted trees in round holes. Egyptologists believe that the trees numbered 42 possibly representing the 42 judges who sat in Osiris' hall of justice.
Amenemhet III has two pyramids. The entrance of the first pyramid at Hawara is located on the south side. The other, at Dahshur, has the entrance is on the east side and the pyramid towers above the burial of five members of the royal family. This is the first time in the Middle Kingdom for relatives to be buried with the king following Djoser's Old Kingdom example. Amenemhet III is the most important king of the period because of his achievements and beautiful portraits. He is famous for his upper temple at Hawara with its myriad rooms. It is known as the Labyrinth after the mythical tales of Minos' palace on Crete.
Senwosret III selected the area North of his grandfather's pyramid for his complex. The lower temple remains hidden, but we have uncovered the causeway decorated with beautiful reliefs. Although the northern chapel follows the plan of predecessors from Dynasties V and XII, Arnold believes that the pyramid's style follows the much earlier plan of Djoser's Dynasty III pyramid. similarity in features is remarkable. Here, too, de Morgan made the surprising find of boats and caches, of the finest Middle Kingdom jewelry for the princesses Sat-Hathor and Meret. just 5km South of Dahshur is the site of Mazghuna and the burials of Amenemhet IV and Sobek Neferu, the last ruler of Dynasty XII.
Two Dynasty XIII pyramids are situated at the southernmost end of Saqqara. One belongs to a king named Khendjer. The end of Dynasty XIII heralds the period of darkness known as the Second Intermediate Period. No pyramids rise for 100 years until Ahmose, the first king of Dynasty XVIII, builds a cenotaph in the shape of a pyramid and a dummy pyramid for his grandmother Teti Sheri at Abydos. The Iput papyrus mentions that there were mud-brick pyramids built for the princess of Thebes.
The kings of the New Kingdom learned from the past. Realizing that the huge pyramids of the Old Kingdom and the complicated corridors of the Middle Kingdom did not preserve the kings' mummies, they resolved to find an alternative. On the west bank of Thebes they found a natural rock formation rising about 300m and shaped like a pyramid. Here, beneath the "pyramid" they carved their pharaohs' tombs and separated the tombs from the temples. The queens, once buried in subsidiary pyramids, now he in the adjacent valley, known as the Valley of the Queens. The satellite pyramids of the Old Kingdom now become part of the tomb and the valley temples of old are reflected in the temples of Karnak. No longer are the tombs of the nobles and officials attached to the pyramid-now they have their own valley; and the Old Kingdom tombs of artisans recently discovered at Giza seem to be prototypes for the private tombs at Deir el Medineh that are also topped with a pyramid shape.
Egyptians are not the only people to build pyramids. There are Sudanese examples at Dongola and Kush. Their small steps rise at a very sharp angle. They are built of sandstone and are much smaller than the Egyptian pyramids. At El Kurru, there are pyramids built of mud, sand and stone rubble. The most important example is the tomb of Piankhy dated to 747 BC. All the Merotic pyramids are built of stone except those built after AD 200. After the fall of the Merotic Kingdom ca. AD 250, neither the Egyptians nor the Sudanese build pyramids, but the pyramid shape becomes popular in many countries, such as Indonesia, Mexico and South America.
I participated in a conference held at the Museum of Natural History in Denver which sought to find the relationship between the pyramids of the New World those of Egypt. We did not find any evidence for contact. A single similarity links them, that is their purpose as tombs. Throughout time the Egyptian pyramids continue to captivate mankind on the spiritual level with their power and magic.
