Astronomy, Architecture and Symbolism: the global project of Sneferu at Dahshur.

Figure caption: Astronomy, architecture, and symbolism at Dahshur: the Red (left) and Bent (right) Pyramids as symbolic representation of the Red and White Crowns, respectively, as petrified counterparts of relevant respective reddish and whitish celestia
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References
Journal for the History of Astronomy 2015, Vol. 46(2) 173-205

The two pyramids built during the Old Kingdom by the Fourth Dynasty King Sneferu at Dahshur are usually considered as two consecutive projects, the second – that of the Red Pyramid – being generated by a presumably failure of the first, the Bent Pyramid. In the present paper, we show that the archaeological proofs of such a scenario are far from obvious and that, on the contrary, a series of architectural, topographical, epigraphic, and astronomical hints point to a unitary project probably conceived from the very beginning in terms of the two pyramids and their annexes. Altogether the two pyramids are thus shown to form a conceptual, sacred landscapeassociated with the power of the Pharaoh and his afterlife.

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