The pyramid of Khentkaus II was a queen’s pyramid in the necropolis of Abusir in Egypt, built during the Fifth dynasty of Ancient Egypt. It is attributed to the queen Khentkaus II, who may have ruled Egypt as a reigning queen after the death of her husband, Neferirkare Kakai. The pyramid is now a heavily damaged ruin, only 4 metres high.
Location of Pyramid of Khentkaus II
Khentkaus II, wife of Neferirkare and most likely the mother of both Neferefre and Niuserre, was buried in a small pyramid south of Neferirkare’s funerary complex at Abusir, the position occupied by the Satellite Pyramids in some older pyramid complexes. The location of this pyramid has led to the assumption of a link between the satellite pyramid, believed to be used for the Ka of the deceased, and the queen’s mother. However, this might be a simple coincidence or perhaps an indication that Neferirkare’s satellite pyramid had been reused for the burial of Khentkaus II.
Discovery
Ludwig Borchardt first explored the area of the pyramid of Khentkaus II directly south of the pyramid complex of Neferirkare at the beginning of the 20th century. He also found remains of the complex, which he incorrectly identified as a double mastaba after carrying out some soundings.
Excited by the discovery of a papyrus fragment from the 5th dynasty, the Czech archaeologist Miroslav Verner investigated the previously unexplored area with his team during his excavations in Abousir from 1975 to 1980. He discovered it was not a mastaba but a small pyramid complex.
Verner could assign the structure to a queen named Khentkaus through his excavations. Initially, It was unclear whether this was the same individual as Khentkaus I of the Fourth dynasty, whose tomb is at Giza. Khentkaus I and Khentkaus II had unusual titles indicating that they had personally ruled Egypt. From the archaeological context, however, it was possible to date the pyramid at Abousir to the 5th dynasty and identify its owner with the wife of Neferirkare: Khentkaus II.
Construction
Construction of the pyramid of Khentkaus II began in the reign of her husband, Neferirkare. It appeared to have been originally planned as a spartan queen’s pyramid within the pyramid complex of Neferirkare. Inscriptions from this construction phase give the name of Khentkaus with the title “Royal Wife.” Between the king’s tenth and eleventh regnal year, there was a change in the building work, which had reached the height of the grave chamber roof by this point. The reason for the change was probably the death of the king.
Although the continuation of construction during the subsequent short reign of Neferefre cannot be ruled out, there is very little evidence.
Only under Nyuserre Ini does work seem to have resumed on the complex. In inscriptions from this time, Khentkaus’s title is “Queen Mother.” In this period, the pyramid was completed, a temple was erected in two phases, and the rest of the complex was built.
There is also an inscription from this time which gives her title as Mw.t-nsw-bj.tj-nsw-bj.tj, which might be read as “Mother of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt and King of Upper and Lower Egypt” or as “Mother of two kings of Upper and Lower Egypt.” The first interpretation would indicate that Khentkaus II had reigned as monarch in her own right for at least a short time – a possibility which is also supported by the depiction of her with the symbols of the king.
Pyramid
The pyramid had a base measuring 25 metres by 25 metres, and if its slope were the 52° angle usual for pyramids in the 5th dynasty, then it would have been about 17 metres tall. The pyramid’s core was formed by three stages of small limestone blocks held together by clay morter. This material was the leftover remains of the material used to build Neferirkare’s pyramid. The core seems to have been covered with a fine Tura limestone cladding. The top of the pyramid was formed by a grey-black granite pyramidion, fragments of which were found in ruins.
In the first phase of construction, under Neferirkare, the core structure of the pyramid was built, but the cladding and the mortuary temple were not added. The archaeological evidence suggests that the cladding was first added while the limestone mortuary temple was constructed under Niuserre.
Spoliation has heavily damaged the pyramid structure, so the ruins are now only 4 metres high. The shoddy masonry work and poor quality material facilitated both destruction by quarrying and erosion.
Substructure
The pyramid’s substructure is a flat, open tomb that is very clearly preserved. From the north, a corridor descends for about half its length, then continues on the horizontal and turns slightly to the east. Shortly before the burial chamber, there is a granite fall trap. The grave section itself was oriented in an east-west direction. The building material for the passageway and the chamber was small blocks of fine limestone. The ceiling of the grave room was flat and formed from massive limestone blocks.
The chamber is heavily damaged, but fragments of a pink granite sarcophagus have been found. Some of the bindings from the mummy and fragments of alabaster grave goods were also found. These remains indicate that the pyramid was the queen’s final resting place.
Pyramid complex
The pyramid of Khenkaus II had its independent pyramid complex and was not part of the pyramid complex of Khentkaus’ husband, Neferirkare. The complex contains all the essential elements necessary for maintaining a ruler cult. Thus far, a causeway and a valley temple have not been identified.
North chapel
At the centre of the north side of the pyramid, there is a small offering chapel, which probably contains an altar. This small structure is located slightly east of the entrance to the pyramid’s substructure. There are only the slightest traces of the north chapel now remaining.
Cult pyramid
In the southeast corner, a small cult pyramid measured 5.2 x 5.2 metres at the base and had a height of about 4.5 metres – significantly steeper than the main pyramid, with an incline of around 60°. The cult pyramid was made from the same material as the outer wall of the complex and was built as part of a late expansion of the complex, along with the second phase of constructing the mortuary temple. The cult pyramid has been almost destroyed; only slight traces remain. No substructure has been detected so far.
Mortuary temple
The mortuary temple is on the pyramid’s east side and was constructed as part of the final phase of the complex’s construction under Niuserre. The temple structure took place in two stages: first, a small temple was built of limestone, which was later enlarged with mud brick.
The original limestone temple was entered from the east through a columned portico. A stairway led to a roof terrace. Inside was an open-roofed pillared court with eight columns, a statue hall which contained sixteen cult statues of the queen according to a papyrus fragment found in the temple archive, and an offering hall with a pink granite false door, an altar and storage chambers. The offering hall was decorated with images carved in relief and inscriptions. Other rooms may have been as well. The pillars in the courtyard had similar decorations. One of them depicted the queen with the uraeus on her forehead – a royal symbol interpreted to mean that Khentkaus II had been a reigning queen. Other images offer scenes of a meal for the dead, landscapes, processions, and family scenes.
In the expansion of the temple in the second phase, a new entranceway was added on the east side, along with five more storage chambers and a dwelling for priests. Mud brick was used for these new additions rather than limestone masonry. During the expansion, a mudbrick wall was built around the complex, separating it from the pyramid complex of Neferirkare.
The mortuary cult of Khentkaus II is still attested over three hundred years later at the end of the 6th dynasty.
Compound wall
A massive mudbrick wall surrounded the complex, clearly distinct from the compound wall of the neighbouring pyramid complex of Neferirkare. Some remains of an earlier limestone wall from the first construction phase indicate that the complex was initially intended to be connected to her husband’s pyramid complex. The complex was turned into an independent area during the expansion of the mortuary temple.
Spoliation and destruction
The pyramid was first robbed in the First Intermediate Period. In the Middle Kingdom, the pyramid was reopened, and the sarcophagus was reused for the burial of a child. The pyramid complex suffered significant damage at the end of the New Kingdom due to spoliation. The material taken from the complex was reused in new building work.
