Maidum is an archeological site in Lower Egypt. It includes a large pyramid and several mastabades. The area is located about 100 kilometers south of Cairo.
The Pyramid of Maidum is considered to be the second pyramid ever built, after the Pyramid of Zoser, and was originally originally built for Uni, the last pharaoh of the Third Dynasty, and was continued by Senefrou. The architect was a successor to the famous Imhotep, the "inventor" of the stone pyramids. The collapse of the pyramid is probably due to the modifications made to the design of Imhotep, as well as to the decisions taken twice during its construction to expand it. Due to its unusual appearance, the pyramid is called in Arabic el-heram el-kaddaab ('el-heram el-kadaab, Pseudo-Pyramid).
Fragment of a limestone column. It has an inscription for the cattle counter Pakhemi and his wife Inouset, 18th Dynasty. From Tomb 34 in Maidum, Petri Museum of Egyptian Archeology, London.
The second extension transformed the original stepped pyramid into a real pyramid by filling the steps with limestone. While this approach is the same as designing other real pyramids, Maidum was influenced by construction errors. First, the outer layer was founded on sand and not on rock, like the inner layers. Second, the steps of the original pyramid were designed as the final stage. Thus, the outer surface was polished and the levels of the steps were not horizontal, but fell out. This seriously endangered stability and possibly caused the Maidum Pyramid to collapse during its construction.
Franck Monnier and others believe that the pyramid did not collapse before the time of the New Kingdom, but there are some facts that contradict this theory. The Pyramid of Maidum seems to have never been completed. Beginning with Snefru and the 12th Dynasty onwards, all the pyramids had a Valley Temple (the temple next to the Nile, which was joined to the pyramid by a ritual corridor), which the pyramid at Meidum does not have. The burial temple, which was found under the ruins of the base of the pyramid, apparently was never completed. The two columns inside the pyramid, which usually bear the name of the pharaoh, are missing inscriptions, while the walls are partially polished. The burial chamber also inside the pyramid is unfinished, and there are retaining walls and wooden pillars, which were normally removed after the completion of the pyramid. The pyramids associated with the pyramid were never completed, and none of the usual burials found at such sites were found. Finally, the first examinations of the Pyramid of Maidum found everything under the hill of ruins intact. The outer covering stones were stolen as soon as they were exposed by the excavations (at that time), which makes a catastrophic collapse more likely than a gradual one. The collapse of this pyramid during the reign of Snefro is probably the reason for the change of inclination from 54 to 43 degrees for its second pyramid at Dahshur, the Curved Pyramid.
The Pyramid of Maidum is considered to be the second pyramid ever built, after the Pyramid of Zoser, and was originally originally built for Uni, the last pharaoh of the Third Dynasty, and was continued by Senefrou. The architect was a successor to the famous Imhotep, the "inventor" of the stone pyramids. The collapse of the pyramid is probably due to the modifications made to the design of Imhotep, as well as to the decisions taken twice during its construction to expand it. Due to its unusual appearance, the pyramid is called in Arabic el-heram el-kaddaab ('el-heram el-kadaab, Pseudo-Pyramid).
Fragment of a limestone column. It has an inscription for the cattle counter Pakhemi and his wife Inouset, 18th Dynasty. From Tomb 34 in Maidum, Petri Museum of Egyptian Archeology, London.
The second extension transformed the original stepped pyramid into a real pyramid by filling the steps with limestone. While this approach is the same as designing other real pyramids, Maidum was influenced by construction errors. First, the outer layer was founded on sand and not on rock, like the inner layers. Second, the steps of the original pyramid were designed as the final stage. Thus, the outer surface was polished and the levels of the steps were not horizontal, but fell out. This seriously endangered stability and possibly caused the Maidum Pyramid to collapse during its construction.
Franck Monnier and others believe that the pyramid did not collapse before the time of the New Kingdom, but there are some facts that contradict this theory. The Pyramid of Maidum seems to have never been completed. Beginning with Snefru and the 12th Dynasty onwards, all the pyramids had a Valley Temple (the temple next to the Nile, which was joined to the pyramid by a ritual corridor), which the pyramid at Meidum does not have. The burial temple, which was found under the ruins of the base of the pyramid, apparently was never completed. The two columns inside the pyramid, which usually bear the name of the pharaoh, are missing inscriptions, while the walls are partially polished. The burial chamber also inside the pyramid is unfinished, and there are retaining walls and wooden pillars, which were normally removed after the completion of the pyramid. The pyramids associated with the pyramid were never completed, and none of the usual burials found at such sites were found. Finally, the first examinations of the Pyramid of Maidum found everything under the hill of ruins intact. The outer covering stones were stolen as soon as they were exposed by the excavations (at that time), which makes a catastrophic collapse more likely than a gradual one. The collapse of this pyramid during the reign of Snefro is probably the reason for the change of inclination from 54 to 43 degrees for its second pyramid at Dahshur, the Curved Pyramid.
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