2025 Poster Session

What is the story behind the mysterious Egyptian Museum pyramidion? The lack of information about this object has attracted the attention of a team of archaeological and conservation specialists at the Grand Egyptian Museum. Where did it come from? Why was it made? How has this mystery been solved, and what secrets have been revealed? 




The pyramidion was usually used as a capstone for the upper section of obelisks or pyramids in ancient times, or as gravestones in the Middle and New Kingdoms.

The materials used to construct the pyramidion varied from limestone to basalt, granite, or sandstone, and were sometimes covered with brass panels or gold, which were often inscribed with the deceased's nickname and his gods according to ancient Egyptian beliefs because The ancient Egyptians believed in resurrection and immortality in the afterlife, so they wrote their names so that the gods could recognize them.




The interest in the pyramidion, which bears the number (CG 48841) in the records of the Egyptian Museum, has increased. By searching for it in published records, it was noticed that the information about it was missing without reason. The only information found in the old paper records is that it is from Saqqara.

Saqqara village is one of the villages of the Badrashin Centre in Giza Governorate in Egypt. It contains ancient Egyptian royal cemeteries from Egypt's ancient capital, Memphis. It also contains a number of pyramids, including the Step Pyramid of Djoser of the Third Egyptian Dynasty, which is the oldest historically complete stone construction, as well as a number of artifacts.

Back to the Unknown Pyramidion, the faces of the inscriptions are unclear due to surface defacements caused by environmental deterioration factors. Perhaps that's the reason for the lack of information about it. The objective of the pyramidion's manufacturing remains unrevealed; hence, the journey to uncover the secrets of this pyramidion has been successfully established cooperatively between the mural paintings and stone lab conservation team and the archaeological team of the GEM-CC to help read the inscriptions and decipher them after the conservation process. It was found that the purpose of this pyramidion is to be used as a funeral gravestone. This poster includes photos and an AutoCAD drawing to illustrate the conservation procedure.