Pyramid of Amenemhat I

Archaeological evidence suggests that Amenemhat started to build his pyramid at Thebes but for unknown reasons switched his capital and the location of his pyramid to Lisht (1991–1778 BC). The pyramid upon its completion rose to a height of 55 meters, with a base length of 83 meters and a slope of 54 degrees. Inside the pyramid a sloped descending shaft blocked with granite plugs, both regular and drum shaped upon burial ran from the ground level entrance chapel to a well chamber, which below it is vertical shaft that descended directly to the burial chamber. The overall construction of the pyramid was poor and little of it remains today. Around the pyramid were found tombs of high officials serving the king. These include the tombs of the high steward Nakht, the treasurer Rehuerdjersen and the vizier Intefiqer. ==Excavation==

The first excavation of the site was undertaken by the French Egyptologist Gaston Maspero in 1882. His work was later continued by a French archaeological expedition under the direction of J.E. Gautier and Gustave Jéquier in 1894 and 1895. The investigations were continued from 1920 to 1934 by Albert Lythgoe and Arthur Mace in a team from the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. By the time of these excavations the pyramid had undergone much disintegration, and it is now only 20 meters high with most of the surrounding complex gone. None of the expeditions successfully explored the interior of the pyramid due to the internal passageways being flooded with groundwater. == See also ==