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| Seshseshet in hieroglyphs | ||||
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| Era: Old Kingdom (2686–2181 BC) | ||||
Queen Seshseshet was the mother of King Teti, the first, and founding pharaoh of the sixth dynasty of Ancient Egypt. She was instrumental in enabling her son to gain the throne and reconciling two warring factions of the royal family. The dynasty that arose from her son is considered part of the Old Kingdom portion of the history of Egypt, a term designated by modern historians. There was no break in the royal lines or the location of the capital from its predecessors, but significant cultural advances occurred to prompt the designation of different periods by scholars.
Until 2008, Seshseshet was the only sixth dynasty queen whose tomb had not been discovered. In 2008, however, archeologists discovered what is believed to have been her tomb.
Discovery of tomb
On November 8, 2008, Egypt's chief archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), announced that Seshseshet was entombed in a 4,300-year-old, topless pyramid at Saqqara that measures five metres tall (16 feet). Hawass stated that this may be Saqqara's most complete subsidiary pyramid. The tomb numbers 118 among the ancient pyramids discovered so far in Egypt. The largest part of its two metres wide casing was built with a superstructure five metres high.
Hawass's archaeological team began excavating the site in 2006. The discovery of the pyramid was made in September 2008 with the unearthing of the sixteen feet tall structure from the sand. The structure originally reached fourteen metres in height, with sides twenty-two metres long.
Once five stories tall, the pyramid was discovered beneath seven metres (23 feet) of sand, a small shrine, and mud-brick walls from later periods. It is the third known "subsidiary" pyramid to Teti's tomb and originally was fourteen metres tall (46 feet) and twenty-two metres square (72 feet) at its base, due to its walls having stood at a 51-degree angle. Buried next to the Saqqara Step pyramid, its base lies nineteen metres underground.
The pyramid of Seshseshet lies near two other pyramids which might belong to Teti's two wives. Archeologists intend to enter the pyramid by November 25, 2008 to confirm that it belongs to Queen Seshseshet.
Although ancient graphics in good condition adorn the structure, it is presumed that the tomb was robbed of its valuable artifacts centuries ago, and there is no expectation of finding important items in Seshseshet's tomb.
References
- "Egypt: 4,300-year-old pyramid discovered". CNN.com. CNN. 2008-11-11. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- "Egypt unveils discovery of 4,300-year-old pyramid". yahoo.com. Yahoo. 2008-11-11. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- "4,300-year-old pyramid discovered in Egypt" ap.google.com 12 November 2008 Link accessed 13/11/08
- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081111-new-pyramid-egypt.html
- ph.news.yahoo.com, 4,300-year-old pyramid discovered in Egypt
- africa.reuters.com, Egypt says has found pyramid built for ancient queen
- sfgate.com, Under tons of sand, a treasure of history
- National Geographic News:New Pyramid Found in Egypt: 4,300-Year-Old Queen's Tomb
- euronews.net, Pyramid find to shed light on last Pharaoh dynasty
- "4,300-Year-Old Pyramid Found in Saqqara, Egypt". Africanews. Nov 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-12.