From Nora Moriarty, our Assistant Curator:
Over a year ago Onnica Marquez, Archivist and Assistant Professor at St. Ambrose University (and former archivist at the Putnam Museum) sat down to lunch at a local restaurant with me and the two Putnam curators following her first visit to Egypt. Glowing with excitement and enthusiasm, she recounted her adventures. She described it as “the trip of a lifetime”, and it sure sounded like it was.
As she told her tales, I thought about my own dormant interest in traveling to Egypt. Once upon a time I had fancied the idea of becoming a full-time archaeologist who would excavate in Egypt and have lots of novel-worthy adventures myself, but real life got in the way, and I happily settled into the museum field and curatorial work. Intrigued, I wondered if I would ever get the chance to experience an Egyptian adventure like Onnica’s.
The Plan Unfolds
It wasn’t long before conversations started about a possible Putnam-sponsored group trip to Egypt. Some museums offered guided vacations, but I had never been on one myself. Onnica came to the Putnam to give a presentation about her trip, made up of much more in-depth explanations than she told us over lunch -and it included high resolution photos! The colors were vibrant and the images larger than life in our GIANT Screen Theater. Once again, I thought wistfully of traveling to Egypt and seeing these sites in person.
The idea gained traction and it wasn’t long after this that the Putnam announced there would indeed be a sponsored trip to Egypt, led by Onnica herself. I was excited at the prospect, but I hesitated thinking about the logistics, the time, the cost… I thought about how long it had been a dream of mine to see Egypt, and how watching Onnica’s presentation had brought back my passion for Egyptology. Not long after, I crossed paths with her at the QC Archives Fair. We had a conversation about how fun it would be to go with a group of museum and library staff members who all had deep interests in history. Onnica was so enthusiastic and encouraging, That night, I did the math: vacation time, savings…I had the opportunity. Excitement grew within me as butterflies filled my stomach. This was my chance to go, I had to take it!
Arrival In Egypt
A few months later, I was on a bus driving from Cairo to Giza, staring out the windows and marveling at the sights. We rounded a curve on the highway and saw our first glimpse of the Great Pyramid – just the top peeking between modern apartment buildings. This was my first time seeing the last surviving site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
I attempted a few photos through the windows of the bus. Our guide Ahmed El Mounir reminded us, laughing at our excitement, that we would visit the pyramids soon and get much better photos. Yet there seemed, in the moment, to be something important about recording that first peek. It all became a bit funnier in a few minutes, when we pulled into our hotel’s driveway: just across the highway from the very same pyramid! We had a clear shot of the three largest pyramids of Giza from our front door (with a modern crane marking the plaza construction of the new Grand Egyptian Museum in the foreground). None of us could believe how close we were! We knew we would see them up close and personal the next day, but we had a night of rest ahead of us at our hotel before striking out to see the sights.
Day One
The morning we visited the Sakkara (also spelled Saqqara) necropolis was unsurprisingly hot and sunny. What did surprise us that first morning in Egypt was the haze over Giza – part smog, part dust from the desert. Trying to see far off into the distance was a challenge as we squinted to find the various pyramids across the horizon. We had been warned about dehydration and stocked up on hydration packets for our water bottles. Now, we were ready for the dusty climbs through pyramids and across uneven ground.
The famous Step Pyramid (also known as the Pyramid of Djoser, circa 2650 BCE) was in view as we drove up the incline to the plateau. There, we would spend a few hours at the pyramid and surrounding sites before moving on to Dahshur, another nearby necropolis.
Sakkara Necropolis
The necropolis was used in the Old Kingdom and New Kingdom for entombing and memorializing nobles and royalty. It served the ancient capital city of Memphis. It is the first true pyramid in the world, designed by the architect and high-priest Imhotep in the Third Dynasty, who had the idea to stack the traditional single-story tombs, or mastabas, one on top of another, forming a rudimentary version of the monumental shape we call a pyramid. Imhotep was later deified in the Ancient Egyptian religion.
You approach the pyramid and plaza through a columned hall at the southeast end of the complex. The doorway is rather narrow for a monumental entry. As we entered, we were encouraged to touch the walls on either side, to feel how smooth they were from so many humans passing through the same space over millennia. The hall was interesting in that the 40 columns were not freestanding. Instead the walls on either side jutted out to meet the sides of the columns, creating niches between each set.
Approaching the Plaza
The niches were likely for statues of gods, maybe representing the ones a pharaoh must answer to upon death. We imagined how intimidating a concept this must have been – to pass by each god who stands in judgement, needing to answer each honestly and accurately before achieving immortality. The columns rise up in such an enclosed place that it was a relief to step into the sunshine and be greeted by the sight of the Step Pyramid across the sandy plaza.
The plaza in front of the Step Pyramid was used by the Pharaoh to demonstrate his fitness and ability to lead during the ancient Sed Festival, similar to British “Jubilees.” The festival typically began 30 years into his rule, then happened every few years after that. The Pharaoh would run around the open plaza in front of the pyramid. There are even some ancient depictions of this event showing the Pharaoh in a splayed running stance. It’s hard to imagine modern political leaders being forced to perform athletic feats to legitimize their power.
The Pyramid of Unas
The Step Pyramid was not one we could enter, but the nearby Pyramid of Unas was open to visitors. We climbed from the plaza and walked past various mastabas while locals tried to sell us cold drinks and souvenirs.
The Pyramid of Unas looks more like a mound of rubble than a proper pyramid. Ahmed explained he was not allowed inside the chambers with us – a common occurrence in tighter spaces around Egypt. When you enter, there are “unofficial guides”, who will help you with photos and explain the site for a modest tip.
We slowly descended down a narrow and low-ceilinged passage. It would have been much easier if I wasn’t clutching a water bottle in one hand and my phone, camera ready, in the other. We were told that this would be one of the easier climbs of the day.
Unas was a pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty (died circa 2315 BCE). He’s recognizable by a distinctive cartouche: a simple design containing a rabbit. Unas is also notable for having the oldest known example of ‘pyramid texts’. These hieroglyphs, which are carved in the interior chamber walls from floor to ceiling, are religious texts (spells) that aid the pharaoh in the afterlife.
In the Burial Chamber
An unofficial guide showed us the sarcophagus of Unas before turning off the lights. He held a flashlight to the wall, explaining that the walls were lined with alabaster. They glowed with the small circle of light. Next, he told us to get our cameras ready for a magic trick. He grinned while he held the flashlight sideways, flush to the wall, which caused the beam of light to skim the surface of the alabaster.
It revealed an image of the pharaoh in subtle, near-invisible relief! With the lights on, we would have never known there was one on either side of the sarcophagus. The pharaoh is shown in idealized form; strong, tall, in a position of smiting his enemies. This moment, which some of us had only heard about, earned a series of gasps and “oohs” from everyone. My photos do not do it justice.
There was something magical in the moment: standing inside the first pyramid I had ever entered, surrounded by religious texts of people who lived over four millennia ago, in the final resting place of a long-dead ruler, watching as shadow people appeared on the wall. It doesn’t take much to put yourself in the shoes (sandals?) of an ancient Egyptian who would have similarly marveled at the feat.
I felt a bit dazed returning to the fresh air after that. We started trekking back across the site, stepping gingerly to avoid camel droppings. We loaded back onto the bus to visit the Serapeum. I had severely underestimated this next site, with only the vaguest memories of briefly studying it back in college. Soon, I was awed again by the accomplishments of the ancient people who created it.
Learn more about the Saqqara Necropolis here.
See Egyptian History in the Quad Cities by visiting our Unearthing Ancient Egypt Gallery.
