With more than 4,000 years of history, a newly discovered pyramid has been hitting the headlines , surrounded by sands in an underground hideaway in Saqqara, Egypt. This ancient burial site has been home to many other explorations into the ancient Egyptian past, but today, we will discuss the latest find, which dates back about 4,300 years.
One of the biggest questions that people ask when a new pyramid is found is ‘who did it belong to?’ It is assumed that this particular monument was built several hundred years after the infamous Great Pyramids of Giza, and probably belonged to the queen mother of the founder of Egypt’s 6th Dynasty. Reporters state that the only remains of the pyramid is a structure that reaches 16 feet into the air, which has been buried under 65 feet of sand.
The great amount of sand found on top of the pyramid made it quite difficult for anyone to imagine that something of value dwelled below. The discovery of pyramid marks the 118th of its kind found in Egypt. Saqqara is home to 12 of them so far. While most of the pyramids have been reduced to ruins over time, there are still close to a dozen that have retained their structure.
When analyzing a pyramid find, many different clues are used to conclude characteristics that are no longer visible. For instance, archeologists detected pieces of a casing consisting of white limestone that they believe once covered all of the pyramid. They used this clue to calculate the height of the pyramid to be 45 feet tall.
Discovering the pyramid is just one part of the extensive necropolis and burial site belonging to the rulers who dwelled in ancient Memphis, which served as the capital of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. The site is situated a little over 10 miles south of Giza. While finding a new pyramid is a joy for any archeological team, this one in particular was intriguing because it once belonged to a queen.
So, whom did it belong to? One theory is that it was once a structure belonging to Queen Sesheshet, who could have possibly played an important role in the establishment of the 6th Dynasty. Additionally, she may have encouraged the unification of two branches of the royal family who were at odds at the time. The queen’s son, Teti assumed power for close to 12 years until he was most likely assassinated (archeologists believe) because the nature of politics at that time was unsettled.
Other pyramid discoveries connected to this family line belonged to Teti’s two wives. They were found nearly 100 years ago and in 1994. They are all situated in the same vicinity and are part of a burial complex linked to the pyramid of Teti, which has since collapsed.
More digging will take place, as archeologists are searching for more clues. In two weeks, hopefully they will be able to enter the burial chamber located inside the pyramid, which should shed more light on who the pyramid truly belongs to. Luckily, they will uncover an inscription or sarcophagus as evidence.