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Sneferu

Sneferu, the first king of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, made three attempts to build the first true pyramid at locations in Meidum, Dahshur, and Dahshur. His first attempt at Meidum began as a stepped pyramid but had the steps filled in with stone. His second attempt, the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur, changed its angle halfway up due to structural issues. His third and successful attempt, the Red Pyramid at Dahshur, was Egypt's first true smooth-sided pyramid and featured an innovative corbelled ceiling design.

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184 views27 pages

Sneferu

Sneferu, the first king of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, made three attempts to build the first true pyramid at locations in Meidum, Dahshur, and Dahshur. His first attempt at Meidum began as a stepped pyramid but had the steps filled in with stone. His second attempt, the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur, changed its angle halfway up due to structural issues. His third and successful attempt, the Red Pyramid at Dahshur, was Egypt's first true smooth-sided pyramid and featured an innovative corbelled ceiling design.

Uploaded by

Vandita
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Sneferu

SNEFERU
First attempt at a true pyramid

MEIDUM
Begun as a stepped pyramid, as it
neared completion the steps were
packed with stone and the whole
structure was cased in limestone.
Today, the center core levels are all
that remain. The sides, which were
attached separately, collapsed some
time prior to the New Kingdom. In its
complete form, the pyramid was 310
feet high. The rubble of the sides
lies at the base.
Meidum is Sneferu’s first attempt to build a true pyramid. The
structure began as a stepped pyramid, the steps later to be filled
in with limestone.
The burial chamber at Meidum is within the pyramid, not
beneath it. This innovation presents an engineering problem:
Literally tons of rock are bearing down on the ceiling of the burial
chamber. A corbelled ceiling was used to redistribute the weight
of the rock and prevent collapse. Again, the burial chamber was
never used.
DASHUR
After becoming the 1st king of
the 4th Dynasty, Sneferu begins
construction of his future tomb
at a spot approximately 15 miles
south of Saqqara. Here he builds
A rather unusual building….
This second attempt to build a true pyramid resulted in what is
now called the Bent Pyramid. About halfway up the structure,
the angle of the sides changes, causing a bend in the pyramid.
Two of the corners of the pyramid at Dahshur are not resting on
solid bedrock. As levels of stone were added to the pyramid, the
base began to shift, causing cracks in the walls of the interior
burial chamber, which had already been constructed.
Since Narmer’s time, the pharaoh had two tombs to symbolize
his leadership of both Upper and Lower Egypt.
….known as the BENT PYRAMID
The structure became unstable
during construction at its original
angle of 52 degrees. The angle
was altered to 43 degrees and
the pyramid completed. The
resulting visual effect gives the
pyramid its name. Surprisingly,
most of the limestone sheathing
is still in place.
BENT PYRAMID
http://www.richard-seaman.com/Tral/Egypt/veDahshur/BntPyeramid/i
ndex.html
Most Egyptologists agree that
this pyramid was never used as
Sneferu’s burial site. Rather he
decided to build another, more
suitable tomb at Dashur about 1
mile north of the Bent pyramid
site. It is known as the….
RED PYRAMID
The Red Pyramid gets
its name
from the red color of
the
limestone used at the
pyramid’s
core. Polished
limestone sheathing,
used to cover the
tomb’s sides, were
removed over the
years and used
for local construction
projects. The
red core was
therefore exposed.
The view below is the Red Pyramid as
seen from the Bent.

Less than a mile


away from Dahshur,
Sneferu built a third
pyramid, the Red
Pyramid. This
structure, built at a
more gradual angle
than the two earlier
constructions, is the
first true pyramid
and is the burial
place of Sneferu
The Red Pyamid is Egypt’s first
true pyramid and is designed with
a ceiling and wall support system
called CORBELLING. The walls
lean in toward each other in
steps and finally touch at the top
taking pressure off the walls.
CORBELLED CEILLING
One of the oldest mysteries surrounding ancient Egypt
concerns the building of the PYRAMIDS. How did humans
move such massive blocks of stone using only Stone Age
tools? The Egyptians left thousands of illustrations depicting
daily life in the Old Kingdom. Curiously enough, none of them
show how pyramids were built.
SEVERAL THEORIES attempt to explain how pyramids were
Ramp on pyramid
Stone block on sled
Pouring water to lubricate the ramp
Rocking a block into
position
Other Pyramid-Construction Theories
THE WOODEN CRANE THEORY suggests that a
wooden crane with a counterweight on one end may have
been used to lift the blocks from one level to the next.
This theory has been DISPUTED, since the Egyptians did
not have access to trees that were strong enough for this
type of work.
The average weight of the STONE BLOCKS used to build
the Great Pyramid at Giza has been estimated at 2.5
TONS. Such an enormous weight would undoubtedly
break a wooden crane before the block could be lifted.
THE PULLEY AND FULCRUM THEORY: Another
possibility involves the use of pulleys to hoist the blocks
up the ramps and fulcrums to manipulate the blocks into
place. Pulleys were used on ships at the time.
Theories: Who really built the pyramids?
• Slaves (100 000 or 20 000? )
• Hebrew Slaves
• Farmers (during annual flooding)
• Stars
• Aliens
• How long?
• Transportation Methods?
• Limestone from quarries floated to base
of pyramids
• Graffiti / Drawings
• Articles:
1)“Heave –Ho”
2) “Chariots Still Crash”
3) “Pouring a Pyramid”
The pyramids were probably NOT BUILT BY SLAVES because slave
labor was not widely used in Egypt at the time. PEASANT FARMERS,
however, were required to spend a number of weeks working on
construction projects. This provided the paid labor needed to build these
gigantic structures. Since the fields were under water during the
summer, wages earned in building the gigantic pyramids
SUPPLEMENTED THE FAMILY'S INCOME.

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