05b: Sneferu's Beauties

Magical mystery cruise. King Sneferu was a legendary ruler. His three pyramids at Meidum and Dahshur mark the transition from Step Pyramids to True Pyramids. But his legacy is more than stone. The King left other records and hints of his personality. We go in search of the ruler who loved beauty... Re-written and re-recorded in 2022. Date: c. 2650 BCE. Texts: The Westcar Papyrus (translation by Mark-Jan Nederhof). Pyramids: The Meidum Pyramid, Bent Pyramid, and Red Pyramid (see all at wikimedia). Logo image: Sneferu's pyramid at Meidum via Wikimedia. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Audio editing and processing by yourpodcastpal.com. Select Bibliography: N. Alexanian and F. Arnold, ‘The Complex of the Bent Pyramid as a Landscape Design Project’, in M. Ullmann (ed.), 10. Ägyptologische Tempeltagung (2016), 1—16. Online. N. Alexanian et al., ‘Untersuchungen am unteren Aufweg der Knickpyramide in Dahschur’, Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Abteilung Kairo 68 (2012), 1—30. F. Arnold, ‘A Ceremonial Building of King Snofru at Dahshur’, in M. Bietak and S. Prell (eds.), Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Palaces (2018), 113—124. Online. G. Dormion and J.-Y. Verd’hurt, La chambre de Meidoum : analyse architecturale. 1, Texte (2013). F. Monnier, ‘New Light on the Architecture of the Bent Pyramid’, Nile Magazine 20 (2019), 44—50. Online. F. Monnier, ‘A New Survey of the Upper Chambers of Snefru’s Pyramids at Dahshur’, Journal of Ancient Egyptian Architecture 4 (2020), 1—17. Online. M-J. Nederhof, “The Westcar Papyrus,” translation online. L. Parys, Le récit du Papyrus Westcar : texte, traduction, interprétation (2017). C. Reader, ‘The Meidum Pyramid’, Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt (2015), 203—224. Online. D. Rosenow, ‘Dahschur, Ägypten. Die Arbeiten der Herbstkampagne 2019 und Frühjahrskampagne 2020’, Elektronische Publikationen Desdeutschen Archäologischen Instituts 2 (2020), 8—15. Online. M. Verner, The Pyramids: The Archaeology and History of Egypt’s Iconic Monuments (2020). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices