With no visible remains, the story of the Great Egyptian Labyrinth was thought to simply be a legend passed down by generations until Egyptologist Flinders Petrie uncovered its “foundations” in the late 1880s, leading experts to theories the labyrinth was demolished under the reign of Ptolemy II, and used to build the nearby city of Shedyt to honour his wife Arsinoe.
Lost Egyptian Labyrinth – New Findings Illustration of Egyptian Labyrinth ‘Now’ and ‘Then’. Many Benben stones, often carved with images and inscriptions, are found in museums around the world, and the pyramidion of the “Black Pyramid” is one of them. The bird deity Bennu, which was probably the inspiration for the immortal bird Phoenix, was venerated at Heliopolis, where it was said to be living on the Benben stone or on the holy willow tree. It is thought to have been the prototype for later obelisks and the capstones of the great pyramids were based on its design. It was the location on which the first rays of the sun fell. The original Benben stone, named after the mound, was a sacred stone in the temple of Ra at Heliopolis. Originally named “Amenemhet is Mighty,” the pyramid earned the name “Black Pyramid” for its dark, decaying appearance as a rubble mound. It is one of the five remaining pyramids of the original eleven pyramids at Dahshur in Egypt. The Black Pyramid was built by King Amenemhat III (1860-1814 BC) during the Middle Kingdom of Egypt (2055–1650 BC). Dahshur: The Black Pyramid & The Pyramidion The Black Pyramid at Dahsur. The huge mortuary temple that originally stood adjacent to this pyramid is believed to have formed the basis of the complex of buildings with galleries and courtyards called a “labyrinth” by Herodotus, and mentioned by Strabo and Diodorus Siculus. This tomb was found about 2 km south of the king’s pyramid. At Hawara there was also the intact (pyramid) tomb of Neferu-Ptah, daughter of Amenemhet III. This is believed to have been Amenemhet’s final resting place. Hawara: The Pyramid Of Pharaoh Amenemhat III The Pyramid of Amenemhet III, the last great king of the 12th dynasty (about 1855-1808 BCE) at Hawara, Egypt, from the east.Īmenemhat III was the last powerful ruler of the 12th Dynasty, and the pyramid he built at Hawara, in the 19th century BC, is believed to post-date the so-called “Black Pyramid” built by the same ruler at Dahshur. In other words, it was large enough to hold the great temples of Karnak and Luxor! The Labyrinth was about 304 meters long and 244 meters wide. Sufficient of the original foundations remained to enable the size and orientation of the building to be roughly determined. In 1888, Professor Flinders Petrie perhaps located the actual site of the Egyptian Labyrinth at Hawara. In the second place, he was interested in the labyrinth of the literary sources. The first object of Petrie’s archaeological work at Hawara was the study of the Middle Kingdom pyramid. He revealed attestations of human occupation and activity dating back from the Middle Kingdom to Coptic times. Professor Flinders Petrie’s Discovery The pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie undertook the first large-scale excavations at Hawara in 11. Since Herodotus visited the ‘legendary’ Labyrinth of Egypt nearly 2500 years ago, the building disappeared in the mists of time. The walls are covered with carved figures, and each court is exquisitely built of white marble and surrounded by a colonnade.”įor a long time, the true location of the Great Labyrinth remained unknown. The roof of every chamber, courtyard, and the gallery is like the walls of stone. Yet the labyrinth surpasses even the pyramids. For if anyone put together the buildings of the Greeks and display of their labours, they would seem lesser in both effort and expense to this labyrinth… Even the pyramids are beyond words, and each was equal to many and mighty works of the Greeks. “This I have actually seen, a work beyond words. In the second book of his ‘History’, Herodotus wrote of the Labyrinth in the 5th-century BC: Herodotus witnessed first-hand many Egyptian wonders including the lost Labyrinth and described them precisely. It was a land of strange customs, strange plants and animals as well as eccentric geography but, above all perhaps, it was a land of prodigious architectural achievements. To Herodotus, as to many Greeks, Egypt was a land which never ceased to astound and inspire admiration. Herodotos describes the labyrinth as a grand monument for the twelve kings (dodecarchs), surpassing even the pyramids. Herodotus wrote (Histories, Book, II, 148.) of the labyrinth after his visit of the building in the fifth century Before Common Era. The Secret Revealed By Herodotus Herodotus of Halicarnassus (ca.