African civilizations

The fragments of two sandstone doorjambs in the shaft of G321, with sandbags used to keep the fill of the chamber from entering the shaft.

The shaft of G321, the better preserved pyramid itself already yielded some very important finds. Discarded in the shaft, 4m below the surface, were fragments of two large sandstone doorjambs. Both bear finely carved hieroglyphic inscriptions and may once have stood at the entrance to the funerary chapel.

We intend to undertake a full architectural recording of the monument, including additional inscriptions, to better understood how it was built, modified and used. It needs to be reburied before the end of the season to protect it for future generations. Other than the imposing monumentality of the gateway – over 6m long, over 3m wide, and once standing over 4m tall – it is striking how the ground level of the house outside are set high above it, partly set on rubbish dumps.

At a depth of 2.5m below present surface, workmen Al-Nezir Mohamed (“Bushi”) and Abou Ad (right) revealed the top of an ancient doorway in the shaft cut through the schist bedrock below pyramid G321. Patience is needed, with the sand fill removed by hauling buckets up the shaft, before we can glimpse into the burial chamber.