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Lisht or el-Lisht () is an Egyptian village located south of
Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
. It is the site of Middle Kingdom royal and elite burials, including two
pyramid A pyramid () is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trian ...
s built by
Amenemhat I :''See Amenemhat (disambiguation), Amenemhat, for other individuals with this name.'' Amenemhat I (Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian: ''Ỉmn-m-ḥꜣt'' meaning 'Amun is at the forefront'), also known as Amenemhet I, was a pharaoh of ancient ...
and
Senusret I Senusret I (Egyptian language, Middle Egyptian: wikt:z-n-wsrt, z-n-wsrt; /suʀ nij ˈwas.ɾiʔ/) also anglicized as Sesostris I and Senwosret I, was the second pharaoh of the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt, Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. He ruled from 1971 ...
. The two main pyramids were surrounded by smaller pyramids of members of the royal family, and many
mastaba A mastaba ( , or ), also mastabah or mastabat) is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inward sloping sides, constructed out of mudbricks or limestone. These edifices marked the burial sites ...
tombs of high officials and their family members. They were constructed throughout the Twelfth and
Thirteenth In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The thirteenth is most commonly major or minor . A thirteenth chord is th ...
Dynasties. The site is also known for the tomb of Senebtisi, found undisturbed and from which a set of jewelry has been recovered. The pyramid complex of Senusret I is the best preserved from this period. The coffins in the tomb of Sesenebnef present the earliest versions of the
Book of the Dead The ''Book of the Dead'' is the name given to an Ancient Egyptian funerary texts, ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom (around 1550 BC) to around 50 BC ...
.


Overview

The ancient Egyptian site of el-Lisht can be found on the west bank of the Nile River, around 65 km south of the city of Cairo. It is a Twelfth Dynasty necropolis, close to the city of Itj-Tawy from which the modern village assumably (given the proposed older form Al-Isht) takes name. The Eleventh Dynasty’s capital was located at the city of Thebes. The first king of the
Twelfth Dynasty The Twelfth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (Dynasty XII) is a series of rulers reigning from 1991–1802 BC (190 years), at what is often considered to be the apex of the Middle Kingdom (Dynasties XI–XIV). The dynasty periodically expanded its terr ...
,
Amenemhet I :''See Amenemhat, for other individuals with this name.'' Amenemhat I (Ancient Egyptian: ''Ỉmn-m-ḥꜣt'' meaning 'Amun is at the forefront'), also known as Amenemhet I, was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the first king of the Twelfth Dynast ...
, moved the capital from Thebes to a city near el-Lisht called
Itj-tawy Itjtawy or It-Towy ("Seizer of the Two Lands"), also known by its full name Amenemhat-itjtawy ("Amenemhat seizes the Two Lands"), was an ancient Egyptian royal city established by pharaoh Amenemhat I. As yet, Itjtawy’s exact location remains ...
, because it was close to the mouth of the
Fayyum Faiyum ( ; , ) is a city in Middle Egypt. Located southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum Governorate. It is one of Egypt's oldest cities due to its strategic location. Name and etymology Originally f ...
, and well situated to control the 'Two Lands' of Upper and Lower Egypt. Another motive suggested is land reclamation and desire to increase the agricultural output for the region. The ruins of Itj-Tawy have never been conclusively identified, and the only locational evidence discovered consists of pieces of pottery in the area it is believed to be in. However, Twelfth Dynasty rulers built pyramids at el-Lisht which are known to researchers. El-Lisht is the necropolis of the first two rulers of Dynasty XII, Amenemhet I and his son and successor
Senusret I Senusret I (Egyptian language, Middle Egyptian: wikt:z-n-wsrt, z-n-wsrt; /suʀ nij ˈwas.ɾiʔ/) also anglicized as Sesostris I and Senwosret I, was the second pharaoh of the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt, Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. He ruled from 1971 ...
. These pyramids would have been visible to those traveling to Itj-Tawy from the south. The more famous of the two monumental complexes, that of Amenemhat I, featured an offering hall with a granite altar, carved with depictions of representatives of the nomes (provinces) bringing offerings to the pharaoh. However, the pyramid itself is in a ruined state, rising approximately above ground level. El-Lisht is notable for its commissioners' 'cannibalization' of earlier monuments, which is thought to symbolize the restoration of Egypt to its Old Kingdom glory. The change in relief carving styles in the Twelfth Dynasty is also apparent in the two pyramids at this site.


Excavations

El-Lisht was first excavated in 1882 by the French Egyptologist
Gaston Maspero Sir Gaston Camille Charles Maspero (23 June 1846 – 30 June 1916) was a French Egyptologist and director general of excavations and antiquities for the Egyptian government. Widely regarded as the foremost Egyptologist of his generation, he be ...
. Maspero was from Paris but had an interest in the history of Egypt so went on to study under
Auguste Mariette François Auguste Ferdinand Mariette (11 February 182118 January 1881) was a French scholar, archaeologist and Egyptologist, and the founder of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities, the forerunner of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Earl ...
. When Mariette died Maspero took on the archeological mission. His interest in ancient Egypt originally took him there to excavate for the French government but later he went on to found the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology. This group further excavated the site from 1884 until 1885. From 1906 to 1934 the Egyptian Expedition of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
, New York, continued to work on el-Lisht. In this time period Egyptologists were able to excavate for fourteen seasons. The Metropolitan Museum of Art returned to el-Lisht between 1984 and 1991.


North side of el-Lisht: Pyramid of Amenemhet I

The
Pyramid of Amenemhet I The pyramid of Amenemhat I is an Egyptian burial structure built at Lisht by the founder of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt, Amenemhat I. This structure returned to the approximate size and form of Old Kingdom pyramids.Lehner, M. (1997b). The Com ...
was about 55 meters tall when originally built but because of poor construction, quarrying, and tomb robberies, it now stands at approximately 20m in height. Apart from poor construction, the material used to build the pyramid was not durable. Studies show it was made from unfired mudbrick and stones from other monuments. The mudbrick, sand, and debris would have been the material of choice since each was readily available, and mudbrick proved cheap since the city was so close to the Fayyum. Specifically, stones from the monuments of
Khufu Khufu or Cheops (died 2566 BC) was an ancient Egyptian monarch who was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, in the first half of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Kingdom period (26th century BC). Khufu succeeded his ...
,
Khafre Khafre or Chephren (died 2532 BC) was an ancient Egyptian monarch who was the fourth king of the Fourth Dynasty, during the earlier half of the Old Kingdom period (c. 2700–2200 BC). He was son of the king Khufu, and succeeded his broth ...
,
Unas Unas or Wenis, also spelled Unis (, Hellenization, hellenized form Oenas or Onnos; died 2345), was a pharaoh, king, the ninth and last ruler of the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt during the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Kingdom. Unas reigned for 15 to 3 ...
, and
Pepi II Pepi II Neferkare ( 2284 BC – 2214 BC) was a pharaoh, king of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, Sixth Dynasty in Egypt's Old Kingdom. His second name, Neferkare (''Nefer-ka-Re''), means "Beautiful is the Ka (Egyptian soul), Ka of Re (Egyptian religi ...
(or possibly
Pepi I Pepi I Meryre (also Pepy I; died 2283 BC) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, king, third king of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, who ruled for over 40 years from the 24th to the 23rd century BC, toward the end of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Ki ...
) have been found at Amenemhat's funerary complex.Hans Goedicke
''Re-used blocks from the pyramid of Amenemhet I at Lisht.''
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, 1971
Subsequent excavations uncovered plans for a pyramid much larger than the building constructed. One theory is that the terrain of the site was unsuitable for the structure due to poor sloping topography. Alternatively, it has been suggested that the pharaoh's health could have been declining and he did not think he would live to see it finished in time, yet did not want to be buried in an unfinished tomb. A third theory holds that Amenemhat I had already died after designing the tomb, and his son and successor rushed through his father's memorial so that he could start construction on his own. The pyramid's true entrance is found on its north side. From here, a hallway lined with pink granite leads to a small room at the core of the pyramid, from where a shaft connects to the burial chamber. The chamber has been filled with Nile seepage water over the years, making new discoveries difficult. Attempts have been made to keep water out but pumping has not worked. No full statues of Amenemhat I were unearthed during archaeological expeditions. However, a
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
statuette's head, thought to belong to an image of the pharaoh, has been discovered. ;Other north-side excavations *Tomb 384 of
Rehuerdjersen Rehuerdjersen was an ancient Egyptian treasurer (Ancient Egypt), treasurer who held this office under the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt, 12th Dynasty pharaoh Amenemhat I. Rehuerdjersen is mainly known from his tomb at el-Lisht (tomb no. 384), close ...
*Tomb 400 of Intefiqer *Tomb 470 of Senimeru *Tomb 493 of Nakht *Tomb 758 of
Senusret Senusret (Greek: ''Sesostris''; also transcribed as ''Senwosret'' based on Coptic; and as ''Usertesen'' in older literature) is the name of several Ancient Egyptians: * Senusret I, pharaoh (12th Dynasty) * Senusret II, pharaoh (12th Dynasty) * Se ...
, shaft with undisturbed tomb of Senebtisi *Tomb 954 *Tomb 956 *Pit 412, find place of stelae mentioned the king's son Hepu and the queen Abetni


South side of el-Lisht: Pyramid of Senusret I

Senusret I built his
pyramid A pyramid () is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trian ...
on the southern side of el-Lisht, around a mile south of his father's funerary complex. This pyramid, named 'Senusret Looks Down on Both Lands' was also discovered by Gaston Maspero in 1882. He was able to identify the owner from objects in the pyramid marked with the pharaoh's name. The excavation team found relief blocks, fragments, and small shrines on the site that were consistent with Middle Kingdom art. Then in 1894, the site was excavated by archeologists J.E. Gautier and G. Jequier who worked there until 1895. Many statues of Senusret I were found and are now at the
Egyptian Museum The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, commonly known as the Egyptian Museum (, Egyptian Arabic: ) (also called the Cairo Museum), located in Cairo, Egypt, houses the largest collection of Ancient Egypt, Egyptian antiquities in the world. It hou ...
in Cairo. From 1906 until 1943 a team from the Metropolitan Museum of Art excavated it. Later, from 1984 to 1987, further excavation was carried out by
Dieter Arnold Dieter Arnold (born 1936 in Heidelberg) is a German archaeology, archaeologist. Biography He received his doctorate on 31 January 1961 from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, University of Munich with the thesis "Wall relief and spatial f ...
. The pyramid of Senusret I was much larger than that of Amenemhet I. Its base was 105 meters wide, with a height that once reached 61.25 meters tall. Although he followed a similar plan to that of his father, architects used a new technique. In theory, this new technique was supposed to make the pyramid stronger. The architects built outward from a core of coarse limestone blocks filled in with mudbrick and debris, then revetted the central structure with heavy blocks and surrounded it with a smooth casing of white limestone from Tureh. This technique continued to be used for much of the Middle Kingdom. The unroofed causeway leading to the pyramid was punctuated with alcoves in which stood large limestone statues of Senusret I- some of these are now on show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and at the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo. The causeway was also flanked by mudbrick buildings for the use of the priests who would perform rituals for the deceased monarch. The north side of the pyramid was fronted by a small chapel with an alabaster
false door A false door, or recessed niche, is an artistic representation of a door which does not function like a real door. They can be carved in a wall or painted on it. They are a common architectural element in the tombs of ancient Egypt, but appeared p ...
stela A stele ( ) or stela ( )The plural in English is sometimes stelai ( ) based on direct transliteration of the Greek, sometimes stelae or stelæ ( ) based on the inflection of Greek nouns in Latin, and sometimes anglicized to steles ( ) or stela ...
, decorated with pictures of offerings being presented. The funerary temple lay to the east, at the head of the valley causeway leading to the pyramid, and was similar in style to that of
Pepi II Pepi II Neferkare ( 2284 BC – 2214 BC) was a pharaoh, king of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, Sixth Dynasty in Egypt's Old Kingdom. His second name, Neferkare (''Nefer-ka-Re''), means "Beautiful is the Ka (Egyptian soul), Ka of Re (Egyptian religi ...
, a Sixth Dynasty pharaoh. The central passage within the pyramid led to a burial chamber containing sculpted lion heads that would sprout water out which would flow away through a drain. While some of the inner framework of Senusret's pyramid has been preserved, the pyramid itself is almost all rubble. The burial chamber is flooded by Nile seepage water, and many of the pyramid's treasures were stolen in antiquity. According to the excavations, the tomb was robbed shortly after being sealed. Besides the central tomb passage, another tunnel has been found, its use being to transport funerary materials to the chambers. Maspero concluded that the transporting tunnel was used by thieves to rob the pyramid because this is where funerary goods from the king’s chambers were found. ;Other south-side excavations *Tomb of Senewosret-Ankh *Tomb of a certain Senusret, shaft of Hapy, found untouched *Tomb of Intef (?) *''French tomb'' *Tomb of Imhotep *Tomb of
Mentuhotep Mentuhotep (also Montuhotep) is an ancient Egyptian name meaning "''Montu is satisfied''" and may refer to: Kings * Mentuhotep I, nomarch at Thebes during the First Intermediate Period and first king of the 11th Dynasty * Mentuhotep II, reunifie ...
*Tomb, South-''Khor'' A *Tomb, South-''Khor'' B *Tomb A in South area *Tomb of Djehuty *Tomb of Ipi *Tomb D in South area *Tomb E in South area *Tomb of Sehetepibreankh


Funerary temples at el-Lisht

Both Amenemhet I and Senusret I had funerary temples, but archeologists know more about Senusret because his father's is almost completely destroyed. The only remains of Amenemhet I funerary temple are carvings of Nile god and Nome deities. It is thought that Senusret had Amenemhet rebuilt because his name is on the foundation of the temple remains. Since there is more left of Senusret I's temple, it was easier to reconstruct the original architectural plan for it. We know it was similar to those found in Dynasty VI with a courtyard, portico, and offering hall with store rooms on either side. Years later, the tombs of wives, children, and close officials began to be plotted around the temples of these kings. It turned into a honeycomb of graves for their families and servants that multiplied with each generation. After the fall of the dynasty, the necropolis was no longer thought to be in need of guarding so grave robbers and looters descended.


See also

*
List of ancient Egyptian sites This is a list of ancient Egyptian sites, throughout Egypt and Nubia. Sites are listed by their classical name whenever possible, if not by their modern name, and lastly with their ancient name if no other is available. Nomes A nome is a s ...
, including sites of temples *
List of Egyptian pyramids This list presents the vital statistics of the pyramids listed in chronological order, when available. See also * Egyptian pyramids * Great Sphinx of Giza * Lepsius list of pyramids * List of Egyptian pyramidia * List of finds in Egyptian pyr ...
*
List of megalithic sites This is a list of monoliths organized according to the size of the largest block of stone on the site. A monolith is a large stone which has been used to build a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. In this list at l ...


Notes


References

* * *


External links


Egyptian Monuments: Pyramid of Amenemhet I at el-Lisht

Egyptian Monuments: Pyramid of Senwosret I at el-Lisht
{{Authority control Archaeological sites in Egypt Populated places in Giza Governorate