Headless Pyramid (Lepsius XXIX)
Lepsius XXIX Pyramid · Headless Pyramid of Saqqara South · Unfinished Pyramid of South Saqqara
Late Middle Kingdom / Second Intermediate Period (13th Dynasty)·Ancient Egyptian·🇪🇬 Giza Governorate, South Saqqara, Egypt
About
About Headless Pyramid (Lepsius XXIX)
Unfinished late 13th-Dynasty pyramid (Lepsius XXIX) at South Saqqara between Khendjer and Pepi II pyramids, dubbed 'Headless' because its limestone casing was quarried away leaving a truncated mudbrick mound. 5 m (100 cubits), core of unbaked mudbrick with limestone revetment, substructure unfinished: open trench descends to a quartzite portcullis and an unfinished burial chamber. No owner inscription survives; candidates include Menkaure-nefer? / mid-13th Dynasty king.
Excavated by Gustave Jéquier 1929–30 who named it 'pyramide sans tête'. Pottery and scarabs date to c. 1720–1640 BCE. Its aborted state illuminates rapid succession crises at the end of the Middle Kingdom.
Why it mattersOnly preserved mid-13th Dynasty pyramid core; shows Middle-Kingdom pyramid technique persisted into collapse period and was abandoned mid-build.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Which 13th-Dynasty king owned it — lost cartouche
- 02Why halted — dynastic crisis or Nile flood/ resource collapse
Theories
- 01Attribution to a ephemeral king like Menkhaure Snaaib or Djedkheperew
- 02Intentional scale-down during decentralisation
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1720–1680 BCE (late 13th Dynasty, Middle Kingdom collapse)
- Period
- Late Middle Kingdom / Second Intermediate Period (13th Dynasty)
- Culture
- Ancient Egyptian
- Builders
- 13th Dynasty royal workshop
- Purpose
- Unfinished royal pyramid tomb, abandoned mid-construction
- Abandoned
- c. 1680 BCE (abandoned before completion)
- Rediscovered
- 1905 (Lepsius map XXIX) / excavated 1929 by Gustave Jéquier
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 1720–1680 BCE (late 13th Dynasty, Middle Kingdom collapse)
Initial construction
c. 1353 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
29.8325° N · 31.2244° E · 58 m · 3 mapped features
Headless mound core
pyramid52.5 m mudbrick mass, casing robbed
29.8325° N · 31.2244° EUnfinished substructure trench
chamberDescend to quartzite portcullis, unfinished vault
29.8324° N · 31.2241° ECauseway foundation trace
causewayMudbrick causeway footing east side
29.8326° N · 31.2250° E