The end of the Old Kingdom after the reign of Pepy II, seems to have
happened suddenly, though Egyptologists are still puzzled by the
reason for this. Pepy's son Nemtyemsaf II had a brief reign, which was
followed by a series of rulers whose precise order is still unclear. A
legendary queen named Nitocris, the second female pharaoh of Egypt, is
mentioned by Herodotus as being the last ruler of Dynasty VI, though
there is no real evidence of her reign.
The only ruler we know from Dynasty VIII who attempted to build a
pyramid was a king named Ibi (Hakare), whose reign lasted only about
two years. The remains of his monument lie near to the causeway of
Pepy II's complex at South Saqqara. Today the pyramid stands only 3m
above the desert after being robbed for stone in antiquity. When it
was constructed the dimensions and plan were similar to those of
Pepy's queens' pyramids.
The pyramid's core was constructed of small limestone blocks in the
form of a girdle around the inner chambers. Among the debris of
limestone chips and clay, Jequier discovered a number of inscriptions
in red paint containing the title of 'Prince of Libya', for which
Egyptologists seem to have no explanation.
The pyramid's orientation differs from earlier structures and here the
subterranean chambers are entered from the wall which faces
north-west. A descending passage leads to the burial chamber. The
walls of both passage and burial chamber were originally inscribed
with Pyramid Texts - the most recent version to be found in a royal
pyramid and which have helped to identify this almost unknown pharaoh.
Ibi's sarcophagus was placed on a huge granite block against the
western wall of the burial chamber. The roof of the chamber has now
been replaced with modern concrete.
On the eastern (or north-eastern) wall of the pyramid was a small
simple mudbrick mortuary chapel with an offering hall which contained
a rectangular basin for libations in the floor. Magazines and
store-rooms opened off a central courtyard. |
