The Pyramid of Seila, not Senusret I’s pyramid, is a small four-step monument south of Kom el-Hammam in Egypt’s Fayum. A broken statue and stela bearing Sneferu’s name link it to the Fourth Dynasty king, and it is often counted as a possible fourth Sneferu pyramid. Petrie documented it in 1889–90, and Borchardt excavated it in 1898. The solid structure has no known burial chamber and stands under 7 m high on a natural mound.
Seila step pyramid in Fayum attributed to King Sneferu
EgyptArchitecture
Key facts
- The monument is the Pyramid of Seila, a Fourth Dynasty structure attributed to Sneferu, not a pyramid of Senusret I.
- It is a small four-step pyramid south of Kom el-Hammam in Egypt's Fayum region, about 10 km (6 miles) from Meidum.
- The attribution is based on a broken statue and a stela bearing Sneferu's name; the pyramid is sometimes counted as his possible fourth pyramid.
- It stands on a natural mound about 20 m high. Its original base was about 30 m per side and is now roughly 25 m.
- Its surviving height is under 7 m, compared with an estimated original height of 7–8 m.
- It was built from local limestone using mud-and-sand mortar.
- Flinders Petrie documented it in 1889–90 as a mastaba. Ludwig Borchardt excavated it in 1898, identified its step-pyramid form and found material bearing Sneferu's name.
- André Pochan visited in 1937, Jean-Philippe Lauer studied it in 1962, and C. Wilfred Griggs directed excavations during the 1980s.
- It is a solid structure with no known internal passages, sarcophagus or burial chamber.
- The site was breached by ancient robbers, but no burial contents are known.
Sources
Seila Pyramid | Explore Fayoumfayoumegypt.com
The pyramid at Seila (Silah or Sila) is located to the North Eastern part of the Fayoum city. It is sit to the south of Kom el-Hammam on the east of the Fayoum ...
Sneferu: King of the Pyramids - Discovery Educationapp.discoveryeducation.com
Lesser-known than Tut and company, Sneferu gets the credit for making Egypt an international power. He and his sons built the pyramids, the region's most ...
Pyramid of Seila - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The pyramid is located on an outcrop between the Faiyum Oasis and the Nile Valley, about 6 km north of the motorway from Wasta to Faiyum.
Seila Pyramids in Fayoumfayoumtravelguide.com
The remains of builders marks and inscriptions on a limestone stele and an offering table confirm that the pyramid was built by Sneferu's name ...
Seneferu, the World's Greatest Pyramid Builder - Answers in Genesisanswersingenesis.org
Seneferu was the greatest pyramid builder of all time. He must have used some nine million tons of stone to complete his monuments.
Bent Pyramid: Ancient Egyptian Pyramid at Dahshurmemphistours.com
Pharaoh Sneferu built it around 2600 BCE during the 4th dynasty. This remarkable structure rises from the desert at a steep 54-degree inclination. It then moves ...
"Transitions in Pyramid Orientation. New Evidence from the ...scholarsarchive.byu.edu
by K Muhlestein · 2015 · Cited by 5 — Snefru, first king of the Fourth Dynasty, developed the true pyramid and set a new design for pyramid complexes that would be followed closely thenceforth.
Seven Small Pyramidsancientegyptonline.co.uk
The pyramid at Seila (Silah or Sila) is the northernmost pyramid of the group. It is sits to the south of Kom el-Hammam on the east of the Fayoum Oasis
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