the dry moat surrounding the step pyramid complex at saqqara
TRANSCRIPT
THE DRY MOAT
SURROUNDING
THE STEP PYRAMID COMPLEX
AT SAQQARA
THE GREAT
RECTANGULAR
MONUMENTS
OF
MIDDLE SAQQARA
THE STEP PYRAMID COMPLEX
WAS BUILT BY
IMHOTEP
AND WAS RESTORED BY
JEAN-PHILIPPE LAUER
THE RECTANGULAR
MONUMENTS
AT ABYDOS
WERE SURROUNDED
BY
DOUBLE WALLS
OR
TOMBS OF COURTIERS
TOMBS OF COURTIERS
ALSO SURROUNDED
THE ROYAL TOMBS
AT
ABYDOS
***
THE TOMB OF DEN
THE GREAT
RECTANGULAR
MONUMENTS
AT MIDDLE SAQQARA
ARE NOT
SURROUNDED
BY EITHER
DOUBLE WALLS
OR
TOMBS OF COURTIERS
THE DISCOVERY OF THE DRY MOAT WITH THE HELP OF AERIAL
PHOTOGRAPHS OF 1924 AND 1950
THE DISCOVERY WAS ANNOUNCED AT
THE 4TH CONGRESS
OF EGYPTOLOGISTS
MUNICH 1985
AND PUBLISHED
LONDON 1988
AND
VIENNA 2006
THE PLAN
OF
THE DRY MOAT SHOWS
CHANNELS
WHICH OVERLAP
ON
THE SOUTH SIDE
THE HIEROGLYPHS
BATTLMENTED ENCLOSURE,
REED SHELTER IN THE FIELDS
AND ON
NARMER’S MACE HEAD;
THE ENCLOSURE
HAS
OVERLAPPING WALLS
GUNTER DREYER
DISCOVERED THAT AT THE ROYAL TOMBS OF ABYDOS
AN EMBANKMENT WALL WHICH SURROUNDED
THE LOWER TUMULUS WAS OVERLAPPING ON ONE SIDE
THE SOUTHERN
OVERLAPING WALLS
AT
GISR EL MODIR
THE ELBOW
IN THE
SOUTH TEMENOS WALL
OF THE
PYRAMID OF KHAFRA
TO APPROACH THE DRY MOAT
WE HAVE TO CONSIDER
THE ROYAL TOMBS OF THE SECOND DYNASTY,
THE PYRAMID OF UNAS,
ITS CAUSEWAY
AND BOAT PITS
THE POSITION
OF THE
PYRAMID OF UNAS
AT MIDDLE SAQQARA
THE PYRAMID OF UNAS
WAS BUILT OVER
AN UNEXCAVATED PIT
AND THE
GALLERIES OF
HOTEPSEKHEMWY
THE UNEXCAVATED PIT
EXTENDING UNDER THE PYRAMID OF UNAS
THE PYRAMID OF UNAS AND THE UPPER TEMPLE
OVER
THE TOMB OF HOTEPSEKHEMWY
THE LAYOUT OF THE ROYAL TOMBS
OF THE
SECOND DYNASTY AT SAQARA
THE OUTER SOUTH
CHANNEL
BEGINS AT THE AREA OF
THE UNAS BOAT PITS
THE BOAT PITS MAY HAVE BEEN PARTLY CONSTRUCTED
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE OUTER SOUTH CHANNEL
THE OUTER SOUTH CHANNEL
THE UNAS CAUSEWAY DIKE BY THE MASTABA OF
NEFERSESHEMPTAH
SECTION IN THE UNAS CAUSEWAY DIKE
BUILT IN
THE OUTER SOUTH CHANNEL BY THE TOMBS OF
NEFER AND THE 2 BROTHERS
AHMED MOUSSA
DISCOVERED THOSE AND OTHER ROCK TOMBS ALONG THE
CAUSEWAY OF UNAS
(IN THE OUTER SOUTH CHANNEL)
THE EAST CHANNEL
GOES BY THE GREAT SHAFT
LEPSIUS 21
AND
THE PYRAMID OF USERKAF
THE PYRAMID OF USERKAF
WAS THE FIRST INTRUSION IN THE AREA ENCLOSED BY
THE DRY MOAT
THE UPPER TEMPLE OF
THE PYRAMID OF USERKAF
IS FOUND ON
THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE PYRAMID
BECAUSE OF
THE DRY MOAT
THE CHANNELS OF THE DRY MOAT IN 1927
THE NORTH WEST CORNER OF THE DRY MOAT
AS SEEN FROM THE TOP OF THE STEP PYRAMID
THE WEST CHANNEL OF THE DRY MOAT
*****
AT THE AREA OF PTAHHOTEP,
40 METRES OF THE EAST BANK WERE
UNITENTIALLY CLEARED
BY
AHMED MOUSSA
TO THE SOUTH IS THE WORK OF
THE POLISH EXPEDITION
UNDER
KAROL MYSLIWIEC
THE POLISH EXCAVATION
THE WESTERN CHANNEL OF THE DRY MOAT
AND
GISR EL MODIR
THE CHANNELS OF THE DRY MOAT IN 1933
TIMELINES studies in honour of
MAFRED
BIETAKOLA 149,
three volumes, 2006
THE INNER SOUTH CHANNEL
EXCAVATIONS REVEALED 2 ANCIENT FILLINGS
DATING TO DYNASTIES 5 AND 6
OVER SEVERAL DEEP COMPARTMENTS
THE INNER SOUTH CHANNEL COULD NOT BE SEEN ON AERIAL
PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BEFORE THE EARLY FORTIES
THE FIRST AREA ALONG THE NORTH BANK OF
THE INNER SOUTH CHANNEL
THE FIRST AREA ALONG THE NORTH BANK AND
THE SOUTH EAST CORNER OF THE TEMENOS WALL OF THE
STEP PYRAMID COMPLEX
THE SECOND AREA ALONG THE NORTH BANK
THE ROCK TOMBS
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SOUTH ROCK WALL
OF THE INNER SOUTH CHANNEL;
SPECTACULAR COMPARTMENTS
WERE TUNNELLED
AT 4 LEVELS
BEFORE 1937
THE EASTERN COMPARTMENT WAS COMPLETELY BURIED
MASTABAS OF HOTEP, ‘X’, ‘Y’AND ‘Z’
WERE EXCAVATED
AT THE FIRST AREA ALONG THE SOUTH BANK
IN 1937-1938
SELIM HASSAH
INVESTGATED
THOSE MASTABAS
AND
PARTLY UNEARTHED
THREE COMPARTMENTS
AT THE FIRST AREA
IN 1975
ZAKI ISKANDER
PUBLISHED THE FIELD NOTES
OF
SELIM HASSAN
WHICH OTHERWISE WOULD
HAVE BEEN LOST,
THEY DID NOT MENTION
THE COMPARTMENTS
PLAN AND SECTIONS OF
THE FIRST AREA
ALONG THE SOUTH BANK
THE EASTERN, MIDDLE
AND WESTERN
COMPARTMENTS
THE FIRST AREA ALONG THE SOUTH BANK
THE EASTERN COMPARTMENT AFTER THE CLEARANCE
THE SOUTH AND NORTH ROCK WALLS OF THE FIRST COMPARTMENT
AND REMAINS OF THE UPPER HARD ROCK STRATUM ROOF
THE 3 COMPARTMENTS HAVE
CONNECTING CORRIDORS
THE FIRST AREA
ALONG THE SOUTH BANK
THE MIDDLE COMPARTMENT
WITH REMAINS OF THE
UPPER HARD ROCK
STRATUM ROOF
THE MIDDLE COMPARTMENT
WITH REMAINS OF THE HARD ROCK STRATUM ROOF
UNDER MASTABA ‘Z’, THE WESTERN COMPARTMENT IS PARTLY
BLOCKED ITS FLOOR IS AT CORRIDOR LEVEL
WEST OF THE WESTERN COMPARTMENT IS NOT ACCESSIBLE
MASTABA Z
IN 1939-1943
ZAKI SAAD
MADE IMPORTANT
DISCOVRIES SEEN ON
UNPUBLISHED
PHOTOGRAPHS
AT THE
SECOND AND THIRD AREAS
THE SECOND AREA ALONG THE SOUTH BANK
THE GREAT COMPARTMENT.
PLAN AND SECTIONS
THE SECOND AREA ALONG THE SOUTH BANK IN 1939
THE GREAT COMPARTMENT AND REMAINS OF THE
LOWER HARD ROCK STRATUM ROOF
THE WESTERN FILLING
AND
THE THIRD AREA ALONG
SOUTH BANK
THE NEW COMPARTMENT
1943
THE SOUTH
BANK
BY THE
PYRAMID OF
UNAS
THE THIRD AREA ALONG
THE SOUTH BANK
THE NEW COMPARTMENT
BEING EXCAVATED
WITH REMAINS OF THE
LOWER HARD ROCK
STRATUM ROOF
LOOKING WEST
SEASON 1939
THE THIRD AREA ALONG
THE SOUTH BANK
THE NEW COMPARTMENT
BEING EXCAVATED
WITH REMAINS OF THE
LOWER HARD ROCK
STRATUM ROOF
LOOKING EAST
SEASON 1939
THE THIRD AREA ALONG
THE SOUTH BANK
THE NEW COMPARTMENT
WEST END WITH REMAINS
OF THE
LOWER HARD ROCK STRATUM
ROOF
SEASON 1943
THE LOWER HARD ROCK STRATUM SPANS OVER THE END OF THE
NEW COMPARTMENT IN THE FORM OF A ROCK VAULT
THE THIRD AREA ALONG THE
SOUTH BANK
THE NEW COMPARTMENT
COMPLETELY EXCAVATED
WITH REMAINS OF THE
LOWER HARD ROCK STRATUM
ROOF
AND
THE 10 NICHES
LOOKING EAST
SEASON 1943
THE 10 NICHES AND THE UNLEVELLED BED
DRAWN BY ZAKI SAAD
LOOKING SOUTH
A RUIN OF LAYERS OF THIRD DYNASTY MASONRY ON THE LOWER
HARD ROCK STRATUM WEST OF THE NEW COMPARTMENT
NORTH OF UNAS THE SOUTH BANK OF THE INNER SOUTH CHANNEL
CREATED SECTIONS IN EARLIER GALLERIES ABOVE THE LAYER
MASONRY
EXCAVATING THE TOMB OF PRINCESS KHENKAWES
20 METRES FROM THE SOUTH WEST CORNER OF
THE DRY MOAT 1943
