Buried Pyramid

The Buried Pyramid (also called the Pyramid of Sekhemkhet) is an unfinished step pyramid constructed ca. 2645 BC for Sekhemkhet Djoserty. The pharaoh was the second of the third dynasty of Ancient Egypt, which was roughly during the years 2686-2613 BC and is usually placed at the beginning of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Many historians believe that the 3rd Dynasty played a important role in the transition from Early Dynastic Period of Egypt to the Age of the Pyramids. Sekhemkhet Djoserty was also the successor to the better-known pharaoh, Djoser who was buried in his famous step pyramid at Saqqara. The buried pyramid was originally modelled after Djsoer’s step pyramid and is located a few hundred metres southwest. It is also arguable that the Pyramid of Sekhemkhet was originally design to surpass the step pyramid of Djsoer but barely made it above ground level and hence was given the name the Buried Pyramid. Its incompletion is thought to have been due to Sekhemkhets short reign as ruler, which was approximately six years.

The Buried Pyramid was a previously unknown structure until an Egyptologist, Zakaria Goneim, noticed the odd rectangular shape in the desert while excavating the nearby Unas complex. This discovery was made in the early 1950s and Goneim first discovered a limestone enclosure wall. He later discovered that the wall the wall further extended on both sides and was full of false doors. During the next stage of excavation, Goneim discovered a burial chamber directly underneath the centre of the pyramid and about 30 metres below ground. The name of Sekhemkhet was found on seal impressions and gave identification of the owner. There were several unfinished burial chambers that all came together to make a U shape.

There were a number of objects found during the excavation including animal bones, demotic papyri, and dynasty III stone vessels. In a decayed wooden casket, gold was discovered which included gold bracelets, cosmetic cases, beads, and jars inscribed with Sekhmkhet’s name. Eventually, the burial chamber was discovered behind a blocked off wall to evade grave robbers. Inside the chamber, a undecorated and completely alabaster sarcophagus and was completely stone. On June 26, 1954 at a great ceremony, the sarcophagus was opened and to everyone’s disappointment, it was empty.

In 1963, the excavation was re-opened by Jean-Philippe Lauer due to the possibility of a south tomb and the his desire to find the missing mummy. Lauer did indeed find a partially destroyed tomb under the southern side that at some point had been looted by robbers. He found a wooden coffin with the remains of an unidentified toddler and gold leaf fragments.

To this day much of the burial chamber and its incompletion remain a mystery. It remains that the pyramid of Sekhemkhet is the only known royal pyramid whose burial chamber was found unviolated. Nowadays, the aboveground part of the ruins is open to the public, but not its substructures