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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 Pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt. She was instrumental in her son's gaining the throne and reconciling two warring factions of the royal family. Until 2008 she was the last Sixth Dynasty queen whose tomb had not been discovered. In November 2008, archeologists discovered what is believed to have been her tomb.
Discovery of tomb
On 7 November 2008, Egypt's chief archaeologist Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), announced that Sesheshet was entombed in a 4,300-year-old, headless 5-metre-tall (16-foot-tall) pyramid at Saqqara. Hawass has stated that this may be Saqqara's most complete subsidiary pyramid. The 118th pyramid discovered so far in Egypt, the big part of its 2-metre-wide casing was built with a superstructure 5 metres high. It originally reached 14 metres, with sides 22-metres long. Hawass's team has been excavating the site for two years. The discovery of the pyramid was made in September 2008 with the unearthing of the 16-foot-tall structure from the sand.
Once five stories tall, the pyramid was discovered beneath 7 metres (23 ft) of sand, a small shrine, and mud-brick walls from later periods. The third known "subsidiary" pyramid to Teti's tomb was originally 14 metres (46 feet) tall and 22 metres (72 feet) square at its base, due to its walls having stood at a 51-degree angle. Buried next to the Saqqara Step pyramid, its base lies 19 m underground. The pyramid of Sesheshet lies near two other pyramids which might belong to Teti's two wives. Archeologists intend to enter the Sesheshet pyramid by November 25 to confirm it belongs to Queen Sesheshet.
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.