Budge's Egypt by E. A. Wallis Budge

Author:E. A. Wallis Budge
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780486149530
Publisher: Dover Publications
Published: 2012-10-16T04:00:00+00:00

The PYRAMID OF PEPI I. or ‘Rmeri, son of the Sun, Pepi,’ lies to the south-east of the Step Pyramid, and forms one of the central group of pyramids at Saârah, where it is called the Pyramid of Shêkh Abu Manûr; it was opened in 1880. Its actual height is about 40 feet, and the length of the sides at the base is about 250 feet; the arrangement of the chambers, etc., inside is the same as in the pyramids of and , but the ornamentation is slightly different. It is the worst preserved of these pyramids, and has suffered most at the lands of the spoilers, probably because having been constructed with stones which were taken from tombs ancient already in those days, instead of stones fresh from the quarry, it was more easily injured. The granite sarcophagus was broken to take out the mummy, fragments of which were found lying about on the ground; the cover too, smashed in pieces, lay on the ground close by. A small rose granite box, containing alabaster jars, was also found in the sarcophagus chamber. The inscriptions are, like those inscribed on the walls of the pyramids of and , of a religious nature; some scholars see in them evidence that the pyramid was usurped by another Pepi, who lived at a much later period than the VIth dynasty. The pyramid of Pepi I., the second king of the VIth dynasty, who reigned, according to Manetho, fifty-three years, was called in Egyptian by the same name as Memphis, i.e., Men-nefer, and numerous priests were attached to its service. Pepi’s kingdom embraced all Egypt, and he waged war against the inhabitants of the peninsula of Sinai. He is said to have set up an obelisk at Heliopolis, and to have laid the foundation of the temple at Denderah. His success as a conqueror was due in a great measure to the splendid abilities of one of his chief officers called , who warred successfully against the various hereditary foes of Egypt on its southern and eastern borders.

III. The SERAPEUM or APIS MAUSOLEUM contained the vaults in which all the Apis bulls that lived at Memphis were buried. According to Herodotus, Apis “ is the calf of a cow incapable of conceiving another offspring; and the Egyptians say that lightning descends upon the cow from heaven, and that from thence it brings forth Apis. This calf, which is called Apis, has the following marks : it is black, and has a square spot of white on the forehead, and on the back the figure of an eagle; and in the tail double hairs; and on the tongue a beetle.” Above each tomb of an Apis bull was built a chapel, and it was the series of chapels which formed the Serapeum properly so called ; it was surrounded by walls like the other Egyptian temples, and it had pylons to which an avenue of sphinxes led. This remarkable place was excavated in 1850 by M.

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