Architectural features of the pyramids of Snefru, the founder of the IV dynasty of Ancient Egypt

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the architectural features of three famous Old Kingdom pyramids built in Meidum and Dahshur during the reign of the pharaoh Snefru (or Snofru), the founder of the IV dynasty. The purpose of the article is to characterize the technological innovations introduced during the construction of these pyramids and to determine the possible reasons that compelled the architects to begin construction anew several times. The sources of the study are the surveys and descriptions of the pyramids of Sneferu, carried out over the past century and a half by R. Howard-Vyse and R. Perring, W. M. F. Petrie, A. Hussein, A. Fakhri, V. Maragiolio and C. Rinaldi, J. Dorner. The research methodology is based on a multidisciplinary approach, which led to the combination of research results in Egyptology, the history of scientific knowledge and construction, and the architecture of Ancient Egypt. A comparative approach with appropriate methodology was applied, which allowed us to clarify the characteristic features of the funerary pyramid complexes of the IV dynasty. Main results. It is believed that during the reign of Sneferu, three pyramid complexes were built: one in Meidum and two in Dahshur. At first glance, it may seem that the pyramids of these three complexes – the high «tower» in Meidum, the unique pyramid of irregular shape in Southern Dahshur and the classical pyramid in Northern Dahshur – were constructed in different epochs. However, archaeological evidence indicates that they are the work of the same architects who, striving to achieve certain characteristics of the royal burial, went a long way in improving the methods of monumental building: a stepped vault was invented, which allowed the burial chambers to be placed inside the pyramid masonry; an aesthetically attractive true pyramid shape and a standard structure of the pyramid complex were established; the technology of inclined buttress walls was replaced by the construction of the pyramid body using uniform horizontal layers, which were easier to install. Technological innovations during the reigns of other IV dynasty pharaohs turned out to be less significant. Conclusions. The architectural features of the three pyramids at Meidum and Dahshur demonstrate that they were built during the reign of a single pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty – Snefru. Their architects were, in effect, pioneers in the construction methods and techniques they employed, establishing a distinctive standard for funerary pyramid complexes.