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Pyramid of Sesostris 1
Sesostris 1 was a pharaoh of the 12th Dynasty and ruled for 46 years, from 1956 until 1911 BCE. For more information check the Encyclopaedia of the Orient: Sesostris 1. The builders of Sesostris 1's pyramid apparently didn't have a clue about what they were doing. The knowledge of older pyramid builders had either been lost or was simply disdained. A new construction concept was introduced; a skeleton of limestone walls. Slabs of stones were placed between the walls. Steps were cut into the foundation, and the casing placed in this. It proved to be a very weak construction, indeed. The result today is a mound rising 23 metres above the ground, whereas the original pyramid structure was 61 metres. The poor design applies also to the burial chamber. Placed 23 metres below the surface, it has since long become flooded by the ground water. But things were bad from the beginning of. The roof was covered by granite plugs so huge that they left fractures in the other stones when put in place. It is possible that the builders ended up filling the corridor with sand just to help keep the stones in place. But at one point things worked well: Modern archaeologists have not yet reached the burial chamber, although robbers did. Excavations have not unearthed a valley temple to the pyramid, but the causeway must have lead somewhere. And of the mortuary temple, only a few stones remain in place. But Sesostris 1 holds one record: The number of satellite pyramids. He had 9 built, all about 17 metres high. Little remains of this, and is easily overlooked even to the trained eye.
