Egyptian archaeologists have announced the rediscovery of a fifth dynasty pyramid, believed to be the tomb of King Menkauhor. Buried for generations, the unearthing of the pyramid raises hope for the understanding of Egypt’s ancient past. King Menkauhor is believed to be a fifth dynasty ruler who ruled Egypt for eight years in the mid-19th century. The pyramid was first rediscovered by German archaeologist Karl Richard Lepsius in the mid-19th century, but it disappeared in the sands around Saqqara Egypt’ s oldest pyramid complex famous for the Step Pyramid. Egyptian archaeologists spent over a year to remove the sand from the crumbled base before announcing the rediscovery Thursday. “After Lepsius, the location of the pyramid was lost and the substructure of [the] pyramid never known,” Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, told reporters. “It was forgotten by people until we began to search this area and (discovered) a hill of sand, maybe 25 feet [7.6 metres] high,” Hawass disclosed.
