Pyramid of Reherishefnakht
building in Africa
The pyramid of Reherishefnakht is the tomb of the ancient Egyptian official Reherishefnakht. It is located in south Saqqara and was built right next to the pyramid of the 6th Dynasty pharaoh Pepi I. Reherishefnakht's pyramid however was probably built at the end of the 11th Dynasty (c. 2150–1991 BC) or the beginning of the 12th Dynasty (1991– 1802 BC). It is the oldest Egyptian pyramid built for a person who was not a member of the royal family. The pyramid was discovered a few years before it was first excavated by Audran Labrousse and the Mission Archéologique Française de Saqqâra in 2005.
Pyramid
The base of the pyramid measures only 13.1 m x 13.1 m and is thus clearly smaller than the surrounding royal pyramids. The building material was mainly limestone rubble, which had originally been used in other nearby buildings and was recycled for this pyramid. Among this material some older offering tables, stele, chapel doorposts and lintels were found.
Several of the blocks are inscribed and contain the names and titles of hitherto unknown individuals from the late Old Kingdom. For example, a broken lintel was found which had belonged to the tomb of a previously unknown wife of Pepi I named Sebutet. Further fragments were discovered which belonged to the burial chamber of a woman named Behenu.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Pyramid of Reherishefnakht” is building in Africa. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Pyramid, Reherishefnakht and building, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “building in Africa” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2138962. Authority coordinates are 29.854, 31.218. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1991, 1802 and 2005.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Pyramid of Reherishefnakht”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Pyramid of Reherishefnakht primary sources, Pyramid of Reherishefnakht archive and Pyramid research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Pyramid of Reherishefnakht”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Pyramid of Reherishefnakht” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.