Author Description

The book is divided into sixteen chapters dealing - in a diachronic perspective - with a wide range of problems concerning the development of the royal pyramid necropolis at Abusir. The introductory sections discuss the history of research of the necropolis, the conditions for its formation, the geomorphological situation in the area, the building materials and technologies used and the historical development of the Egyptian state in the late Fourth Dynasty and the beginning of the Fifth Dynasty. The largest part of the book (chapters 8-15) is devoted to the development of the necropolis from the Archaic period until the end of the Old Kingdom. The individual chapters present and discuss buildings - particularly royal pyramid complexes - which originated during the reign of individual rulers. Attention is also paid to the sun temples and, of course, to the tombs of the royal family members and to the cemeteries of dignitaries, which were founded around the royal complexes. The final chapter summarizes the results of the research. This publication is complemented by many illustrations, which also include three-dimensional computer reconstructions of buildings which arose during the discussed period at the royal burial necropolis.