Pyramid of Meidum

... More >

phases, which can still be clearly identified. The earliest structure, at the core of the pyramid, was a seven stepped mastaba modeled on the older Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara and built over a knoll of rock which is still visible to a height of 130ft/40m. The first step, still exposed, is 37ft/11.20m high; the second is 32ft/9.90m; and the third, largely destroyed, is 22ft/6.85m high. The pyramid was faced with polished limestone slabs, inclined slightly inwards (angle 74° 10'). This first structure was later increased in size by the application of an additional 16ft/5m of masonry of the steps and possibly by the addition of an eighth step. Finally Sneferu had it converted into a "true" pyramid by filling in the steps with a packing of local stone and giving the whole structure a smooth facing of Tura limestone. Its total height must then have been about 300ft/92m, its base measurement 470ft/144m and its angle of inclination 51° 51'. What caused the collapse of the outer casing, which now lies in a heap of rubble around the foot, is not known.