The Collapsed Meidum Pyramid

You may have seen pictures of this strange tower in Egypt and not even realized it was one of the first pyramids. Believed to be built by Snefru as his first tomb before it collapsed and work began at the red pyramid (that’s the accepted narrative, but I point out a major flaw with that theory here: https://youtu.be/a0jcVsGqEn8 )

Just outside is the famous Mastaba 17, which was the tomb of a number of Snefru’s officials.

Some of these belonged to Snefru’s officials but the more intricate ones are from over a thousand years later in the new kingdom.

There is a long causeway leading to the pyramid from the Nile, it’s currently covered in sand.

The causeway lead to a temple which was found entirely in tact, because it was buried in antiquity when the pyramid collapsed onto it. It wasn’t finished so seems abandoned at the very end of construction.

The temple being dug out in 1920 by Alan Rowe.

A strange indent at the top, Flinders Petrie wondered if it’s a false door for a hidden ka chamber.

The pyramid has a thin core with 9 layers wrapped around it, here you can see two layers and their casing stones.

The entire pyramid once was finished smooth like the part that still holds the entrance.

Casing stones are laid flat, unlike the rest of the structure and bent pyramid, more like the red one.

You have to climb a mountain of rubble to get to the entrance. Those holes in the tower were created to encourage bats to nest.

Down the passageway, two locations for doors still exist. This once was the outside of the pyramid and the tunnel was extended as the pyramid got more layers.

Salt causes the masonry here to break and reveal fossils in the limestone, a shell of some kind

Imprint of an ancient leaf.

There are two small chambers are the bottom, offset from each other in the same layout as the red pyramid.

Here you can see how much stone has flaked away from damage, the straight edge at the bottom was once flush with the wall.

They use almost like stitches to prevent further flaking.

In 1998 it was noticed there is weight reliving chambers above these first two sections, making their layout even more like the red pyramid.

Fiber optic camera shoved into drill hole lets us see the reliving change continues over the downward passage.

Same corbeled ceiling as many other old kingdom structures.

The second room is nearly identical and leads to a vertical shaft which brings you to the “burial chamber.”

This shaft is about 6 meters and not wide enough to raise a coffin, which is why I put “burial chamber” in quotes. Did they intend on tipping their god-king to drag him up? My opinion is the entire pyramid was intended for his ka, not his mummy.

Trenches dug in the stone to allow ropes to slide and lower a portcullis flushly.

In the vertical shaft a stone is removed allowed you to see the smallest relieving chamber.

It’s full of trash, but still cool. Completely unknown to the ancients.

The top chamber is fairly small and has a corbeled ceiling.

Looters dug up the floor and probed the south wall.

Ceiling is amazing, and has an ancient wooden beam embedded in it. The thin one I think is modern iron.

North wall above the vertical shaft. Top is recessed slightly.

There are lots of log holes in this chamber.

You can see how damaged the ceiling is, there isn’t a single block that looks fresh.

It may have been deliberate at there is a line going across multiple blocks. Were they trying to smooth the ceiling? Also lots of bats.

Someone also repaired the stone, there are three repairs in this image. Likely the new kingdom as I believe Snefru abandoned it.