ABSTRACT
TH E oldest true pyramid surviving in Egypt is theSouthern Pyramid at Dashur, a short distance fromSnofru's "Bent" Pyramid. Although earlier in date than the Great Pyramid it is not greatly inferior in size. The base measures 720 feet and it is 325 feet high. Its builder. is not known; for many years it was ascribed to Snofru, but as his name has been discovered on a foundation stone of the "Bent" Pyramid its neighbour' must presumably have been built by another Third Dynasty king, possibly Huni, who came before Snofru. Snofru built another pyramid at Meidum which seems originally to have been stepped, but subsequently the steps were filled in, making it straight-sided. Later generations stripped the outer courses of masonry, leaving the curious structure which survives to-day, a mound of sand and rubble surmounted by a tall tower which is actually the core of the pyramid (page 97). Many pyramids suffered in this way. They formed a convenient quarry for later Pharaohs w110 were not at all loth to destroy their ancestors' monuments.
