In March of 2020, the Egyptian government reopened the interior of Djoser’s Step Pyramid at Saqqara, after years of closure and unattractive – albeit necessary – scaffolding marring the view of the exterior. Damage after an earthquake in 1992 caused the monument’s structural integrity to decline rapidly and a study in 2003 revealed the entire pyramid was in danger of collapse. Authorities declared it unsafe to enter.
An ambitious restoration project began in 2006, costing the Egyptian government more than 104 million Egyptian pounds. Archaeologists and architects worked to shore up the pyramid, adding stone blocks to interior gaps and restoring the network of passages within and beneath the monument. The roof of the central shaft over Djoser’s sarcophagus, and the burial chamber itself, were also given extra support.
Denne historien er fra July/ August 2021-utgaven av Ancient Egypt.
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Denne historien er fra July/ August 2021-utgaven av Ancient Egypt.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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INSIDE THE STEP PYRAMID OF DJOSER
Sean McLachlan explores the recently reopened interior of this iconic Third Dynasty Saqqara monument.
PER MESUT: for younger readers
She Who Loves Silence
Highlights of the Manchester Museum 29: An Offering by Queen Tiye for her Husband
Campbell Price describes an offering table with a touching significance.
Highlights Of The Manchester Museum 28: Busts Of Jesse And Marianne Haworth
Campbell Price describes the significance of two statue busts on display in the Museum.
TAKABUTI, the Belfast Mummy
Rosalie David and Eileen Murphy explain how scientific examination of the ‘Belfast Mummy’ is revealing much new information about her life and times.
Lost Golden City
An Egyptian Mission searching for the mortuary temple of Tutankhamun has discovered a settlement – “The Dazzling of Aten” – described as the largest city ever found in Egypt (see above). Finds bearing the cartouches of Amenhotep III (see opposite, top) date the settlement to his reign, c. 1390-1352 BC – making it about 3400 years old.
Jerusalem's Survival, Sennacharib's Departure and the Kushite Role in 701 BCE: An Examination of Henry Aubin's Rescue of Jerusalem
BOOK REVIEWS
Golden Mummies of Egypt: Interpreting Identities from the Graeco-Roman Period by Campbell Price
BOOK REVIEWS
Old And New Kingdom Discoveries At Saqqara
An Egyptian team working on a Sixth Dynasty pyramid complex near the Teti pyramid at Saqqara has made a series of important discoveries.
Map Of Egypt
What’s in a name? It is easy for us to forget that the names we associate with the pyramids – such as the Meidum Pyramid, the Bent Pyramid or the Black Pyramid – would have been meaningless to their builders.
