Egyptian Queen's Burial Chamber Located In Saqqara

Red Orbit ^ | Thursday, 4 March 2010

[SunkenCiv]

Queen Behenu's chamber, located inside her pyramid, was badly damaged except for two inner walls covered with spells meant to help her travel to the afterlife, Hawass said in a statement.

Ancient Egyptians believed that carving religious spells on their royal burial chambers helped them get to heaven by granting special passages such as ladders, ramps, stairs, or even letting them fly there when they die.

These engraved spells, known as Pyramid Texts, were most commonly used in royal tombs during the 5th and 6th dynasties, said Hawass...

The 5th Dynasty lasted from 2465 to 2323 BC, while the 6th Dynasty lasted from 2323 to 2150 BC. Sometime soon after that, the Old Kingdom fell due to famine, social upheaval and a breakdown in centralized power. The necropolis of Saqqara, 20 miles south of Cairo, was scoured by thieves in ancient times...

Behenu's 80-foot-long pyramid was found in 2007 along with seven other queen pyramids -- belonging to Inenek, Nubunet, Meretites II, Ankhespepy III, Miha, and an unidentified queen. Archaeologists are not sure if Behenu was the wife of Pepi I or Pepi II, both from the 6th Dynasty.

[SunkenCiv]

Image Caption: Pyramid Texts found in Queen Behenu's place of burial. Credit: Supreme Council of Antiquities

[SunkenCiv]

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[kimmie7]

We love watching Zahi. My 10 year old son thinks he is “way cool” and once lamented (at around 5 years old), “Moooom! It’s not fair!! They’re going to find everything before I get there!”

[ladyvet]

I can't stomach Zahi. He's like the Bill O’Riely of Egypt archeology to me.

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

[Condor51]

Egypt is one of my favorite countries. Its history is fascinating and the Pyramids near Cairo and the Temple at Luxor, etc are awe inspiring.

I was kinda ticked when the Aswan Dam was built and they had move the Abu Simbel Temple monument.

But they did it, piece by piece.

[kimmie7]

If I could visit anywhere in the area besides Israel (which is a given, lol) I would choose to see the magnificent ruins of Petra in Jordan.

[Condor51]

*** If I could visit anywhere in the area besides Israel (which is a given, lol) I would choose to see the magnificent ruins of Petra in Jordan. ***

Oh YES. Those are magnificent. It's amazing what was accomplished with stone and/or soft copper tools.

And Israel would be nice, but too dangerous there for the foreseeable future.

an aside: I'm in the Commercial Construction Industry. Involved in building many a Hi Rise and other large buildings in Chi area. I don't think we could do what they did. And they sure wouldn't last as long.

[ErnBatavia]

I think Dr. Hawass likes being in front of the camera almost as much as Chuckie Schumer...

[kimmie7]

He does. But how could you not like someone who is so very enthused about his work? You know, unless he’s an executioner or something. lol

[wildbill]

Looking at the pic with the stone and heirogphypics it seems her burial chamber was an open air affair.

[Ramius]

But they did it, piece by piece.

Yah. That really is quite remarkable. Some day, thousands of years from now, that's really going to screw with the heads of some archaeologists who dig it up again. :-)

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, quite disappointing to see the actual, after seeing this one first:

http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2008/06/06/image4158748g.jpg

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, I’m not a fan of the Aswan High Dam.

[SunkenCiv]

The marvelous thing about some of those stones moved by ancient Egyptians and others (whomever moved those three big stones at Baalbek, for example; two about 800 tons each, the bigger one about 1000 tons) is how often they did it, and for no apparent reason. A number of the stones making up the temples in front of the Great Sphinx are in excess of 200 tons, most obelisks exceed 100 tons, and the biggest go about 300 tons, and (most impressive of all IMHO) the ancient Romans moved some of those obelisks and some 200 ton quarried stone columns from Egypt to Rome by sea. :’)

[SunkenCiv]

I don’t think of Zahi “Zowie” Hawass as an archaeologist as I do an entertainer, and along the lines of P.T. Barnum. If it weren’t for the fact that the Islamofascists are going to erase the ancient monuments when they take over Egypt, Hawass would be assured of, at best, a controversial figure in posterity.

[SunkenCiv]

I’d like that as well — and would like enough time to see the off-beaten-track stuff, such as the large underground cisterns, mountaintop hearth shrines, etc.

[SunkenCiv]

The scale of this carved monument amazes me. BTW, I wouldn't crawl out on that thing, no way. :')

[kimmie7]

Wow! That is really beautiful.