| Pyramid of Pepi I | |
|---|---|
| Pepi I | |
| Coordinates | 29°51′16″N 31°13′8″E / 29.85444°N 31.21889°E |
| Ancient name | |
| Architect | Inenek-Inti[3] |
| Constructed | Sixth Dynasty (c. 24th/23rd century BC) |
| Type | True (now ruined) |
| Material | Limestone[4] |
| Height | 52.5 m (172 ft; 100.2 cu)[2] (original) 12 m (39 ft; 23 cu) (current)[5] |
| Base | 78.75 m (258.4 ft; 150.29 cu)[2] |
| Volume | ~ 107,835 m3 (141,043 cu yd)[6][7] |
| Slope | 53°7'48''[2] |
  Location within Lower Egypt | |
The pyramid of Pepi I (in ancient Egyptian Men-nefer-Pepi meaning Pepi's splendour is enduring) is the pyramid complex built for the Egyptian pharaoh Pepi I of the Sixth Dynasty in the 24th or 23rd century BC.[8][a] The complex gave its name to the capital city of Egypt, Memphis. As in the pyramids of his predecessors, Pepi I's substructure was filled with vertical columns of hieroglyphic texts, Pyramid Texts. It was in Pepi I's pyramid that these texts were initially discovered in 1880 by Gaston Maspero, though they originated in the pyramid of Unas. The corpus of Pepi I's texts is also the largest from the Old Kingdom, comprising 2,263 columns and lines of hieroglyphs.
Pepi I sited his pyramid complex in South Saqqara an approximate 2.4 km (1.5 mi) north of Djedkare Isesi's pyramid. It is unclear why Pepi I relocated to South Saqqara. Perhaps Pepi I had moved the royal palace south and away from the city, or perhaps no viable sites were left in North and Central Saqqara after Teti built his pyramid there. Pepi I entrusted one of his wives, Inenek-Inti, with the construction of the funerary monument. The pyramid and substructure replicated the basic design of Djedkare-Isesi's and is proportionally very similar. The pyramid has been extensively damaged and now stands as a small ruinous mound. The mortuary temple has also seen extensive damage from stone thieves, but the work carried out by the Mission archéologique française de Saqqâra/Mission archéologique franco-suisse de Saqqâra (MAFS) has revealed that the temple is laid out in near exactly the same manner as those of his predecessor's. Excavation work at the causeway has only extended out to a few metres, and the valley temple and pyramid town remain unexcavated.
The most significant finds at the complex are the queens' pyramids. As of 2017, a total of nine pyramids have been discovered south-west of Pepi I's complex. These pyramids belong to Nebuunet, Inenek-Inti, Meritites IV, Ankhesenpepi II and Ankhesenpepi III, Mehaa with a tomb belonging to her son Hornetjerikhet to its north, Behenu, Reherishefnakht and one, the Western Pyramid, remains anonymous. The pyramids of Queens Ankhesenpepi II and Behenu contain Pyramid Texts. The pyramid of Reherishefnakht contains both Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts. This find is significant for two reasons. The first is that it is the oldest known pyramid not built for a member of the royal family. The second is that its epigraphy represents a link between the Old and Middle Kingdoms.
- ^ a b c Verner 2001c, p. 351.
- ^ a b c d Lehner 2008, p. 158.
- ^ Dobrev 1998, p. 155.
- ^ Verner 2001c, p. 352.
- ^ Lehner 2008, p. 157.
- ^ Lehner 2008, p. 17.
- ^ Bárta 2005, p. 180.
- ^ Altenmüller 2001, pp. 602–603.
- ^ Altenmüller 2001, p. 602.
- ^ Verner 2001a, p. 590.
- ^ Chauvet 2001, p. 177.
- ^ Clayton 1994, p. 30.
- ^ Malek 2003, p. 104.
- ^ Shaw 2003, p. 482.
- ^ Hays 2012, p. xxxiii.
- ^ Lehner 2008, p. 8.
- ^ Allen et al. 1999, p. xx.
- ^ Allen 2005, p. 97.
- ^ Dodson & Hilton 2004, p. 288.
- ^ Grimal 1992, p. 82.
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