Lost Pyramid Hidden in Plain Sight at the Valley of the Kings

Hello everybody and welcome to Ancient Architects. Please subscribe to the channel for regular content on ancient architecture as well as all of the latest news from the world of archaeology. The last royal pyramid to be built in Egypt was that of Amos I, the founder of the new kingdom, the first king of the famous and powerful 18th dynasty. It was built in the ancient city of Abydos and was part of a complex that included pyramid temples, court buildings, a second pyramid dedicated to his grandmother, a subterranean structure and a terraced temple. The complex stretched out in a southwesterly direction but today every part of this complex is a ruin. The main pyramid is a mound of rubble and sand. The temples have been destroyed. The subterranean structure is unmarked on the landscape with the terraced temple blending in with the natural cliff face. Since this site was constructed by Amos, more than 3,500 years has passed and although it flourished for hundreds of years, thanks to it being the home of the court of Amos, if it wasn't for archaeologists recording and then helping to preserve the site, in time it would have been lost forever. The pyramid of Amos was not a tomb, there was no internal space or substructure, but experts believe it was more like a cenotaph, a place to honour King Amos, and also a place to honour the god Osiris. Some believe the associated subterranean structure was meant to be the tomb of Amos I, but most believe it was likely related to the religious rites and worship of Osiris. Abydos is a sacred place, a pre-dynastic settlement, an early dynastic necropolis, the centre of worship for the early god of the dead, Kenti Amentu, and then for the worship of Osiris. At Abydos there were building projects throughout dynastic history, with highlights including the Assyrian of Seti I, the King Kasakemwe funerary enclosure known as Shunet el-Zabib, and also the pyramid complex of Amos. Then we have Qom el-Sultan, an area that encloses the ancient town and the great temple of Osiris, where nine or ten temples were successively built on one site. I spent a number of hours looking over the Abydos landscape, plotting the major archaeological sites, and this has really helped me to visualise the region, as well as to comprehend its importance. If the earliest of early dynastic kings were buried right here, if it had long been the place to honour the gods of the dead and the underworld, it's no surprise that pharaohs in the Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom and beyond wished to be honoured in Abydos, and also build magnificent structures to honour Osiris. But then, in my research, I came across something I'd never heard of before. It's known as the Abydos Stele of Thutmose I. It was found in excavations at the great temple of Osiris in the Qom el-Sultan region of Abydos. It's a memorial stone made of sandstone, recording the king's works in the temple. The top portion of the stele is missing, but it records the king holding an audience with the priests and declaring his intention of executing certain works for the god Osiris. The words of the priests and the king are both preserved on the ancient tablet, but there is one curious section, and it's written in the 8th row from the bottom. According to a translation by Kurt Seth, writing in 1914, it records Thutmose I as saying to the priests and to all the service staff of the temple, Donate to my pyramid, Sacrifice to my sacrificial stone, Maintain the monuments of my majesty, Mention my name, Remember my title, Give praise to my statue, Venerate the image of my majesty. It continues on just like this for a while, but the section I've mentioned is curious. According to Kurt Seth, the stele says Donate to my pyramid. In 1927, Seth published his handwritten transcription of the hieroglyphs on the stele and in 2018, Mark Jan Nederhoff offered his own translation saying Make offering to the pyramid, Sacrifice to the offering stone, Preserve the monuments of my majesty, Mention my name, Remember my titulary, Give praise to my image, Honour the statue of my majesty. So, the translation from 2018 says Make offering to the pyramid, but the one from 1914 says Donate to my pyramid. It is only a word, but it does change the sentence. Did Thutmose have his own pyramid at Abydos, or was he referring to a pyramid that was already there? Maybe this one from the founder of the 18th dynasty, Almos I. Either way, I guess there are two ways to read it, but some researchers do believe there was a pyramid of Thutmose I, and it was likely in Abydos. In the notes section of his book, Seth wrote, It is clear from this passage that the king in Abydos had a cenotaph with a pyramid. Apart from one line by Jimmy Dunne on the Tor Egypt website, I've never seen another specific reference to a possible Thutmose I pyramid and not even speculation. So, before we speculate further, what do we know about this king? Well, he was the third king of the 18th dynasty, but his parentage is uncertain. He succeeded Amenhotep I to the throne, but most believe he was a commoner. He was not royalty, but a military commander. His mother was a woman named Senseneb, and because the only title she held was king's mother, it seems likely she was not of royal ancestry. The great royal queen of Thutmose I was Queen Almos, and most believe she was his full sister, because she never held the king's daughter. They were likely married before Thutmose took the throne. So, if he was a commoner of common ancestry, how did he claim the kingship of Egypt? Amenhotep I is thought by many to have died with no direct heir, but it seems he did have a sister called Mut Neferet. She is believed to be the daughter of Amos I, and so it would be her parentage that justified the accession of Thutmose, because she became his secondary wife, therefore validating his position. It's complicated, but this narrative does seem to be likely, and the death of Amenhotep I was likely a major crisis for the 18th dynasty elite. Was the new power base becoming destabilised? And so soon after, Amos I defeated the Hyksos and the Nubians, reunifying the country. The second pharaoh of the new kingdom had died without an heir, and news must have spread. Around this time, the recently conquered Nubian people began to rebel against Egyptian rule. Whilst there was a crisis, they were taking their opportunity. And also, there must have been concern the Hyksos would remobilise as well, and maybe try a similar thing. Was a third intermediate period beckoning for Egypt? Step forward Thutmose I, a military man who married into the royal family thanks to the hand of Mut Neferet. Of course, his claim to the throne was weak. The foundations of his reign were precarious, so he would need to show power and authority to cement his status and remove any doubt and opposition. Actions spoke louder than words. He took the throne around 1506 BC and he soon defeated the Nubian uprising, personally killing the Nubian king and hanging his body from the prow of his ship. He would then lead more campaigns into Nubia and taking more land than ever before. Like Amos I, he would also ride into the Near East, destroying 20 different sites and re-establishing Egypt's power by force. Thutmose I was a successful king, a warrior king, a king to be feared, and he would also organise great building projects to cement his place on the throne of Egypt. His works include drastically enlarging the Temple of Karnak, he built statues of the gods at Abydos, as well as building projects at Edfu, Memphis, Ombas, El Heber and Armont. And like all pharaohs, the king would also have to make plans for his death, but he couldn't be buried in the family cemetery at Draa Abu El Naga, and of course that's because he wasn't family. And so, a new site was chosen. Thutmose I would become the first king to be buried at what would become known as the Valley of the Kings. Some claim Amenhotep I was actually the first king to be buried here, but this is disputed by many, and it doesn't make a great deal of sense, and that's because he was part of the royal bloodline. He would be buried in the family cemetery. But Thutmose I was not, and so a new burial site was required. From day one, Thutmose I was a king with something to prove, and this was all because of his tenuous claim to the throne. He was not related to either Amenhotep or Amos. But his warrior skills and successes in battle were very reminiscent of Amos. But what I want to know, did he also try to emulate his other achievements? As alluded to on the Abydos Stele, did Thutmose I build a pyramid? Well, no pyramid structure has ever been discovered, but then again there is so much unexcavated land at Abydos, so much desert sand, and over the centuries there has been much destruction and reuse of land. If there was a pyramid, it may well be long gone, the stone reused, and the resulting mound of rubble flattened. But the foundations could still be there, hiding in the sand, or under a later structure or even a modern town. If you get the chance to look at Abydos on Google Earth, and if you spot any strange anomalies, please do comment below. Could Thutmose have copied the layout of the complex of Amos? Could he have built structures that stretch from the Nile floodplain all the way to the cliff face? I don't know, but it does seem possible. But I think I may have the answer, because there is one more option with regards to what Thutmose was talking about on the Abydos Stele, and that is the Valley of the Kings. It is believed that this specific patch of land was chosen as a new royal necropolis because of the naturally occurring pyramid peak of and this overlooks the valley. Even today when you enter this sacred valley, you can't help but notice it, and it does make me wonder, was that the pyramid of Thutmose I? By asking the priest to make offerings to the pyramid, was he talking about the Valley of the Kings? When looking up from the valley, the shape of the hill echoes the great pyramids of old. It was a fitting final location for a successful and powerful king who maintained power and then pushed Egypt further forward. His stele was in Abydos, the sacred land of Osiris, god of the dead and the underworld, so maybe the pyramid he was referring to was the one located at the place chosen for his burial. The missing pyramid of Thutmose I is a subject rarely discussed in books or online, and that's because all we have is one mention of a pyramid and one broken stele, but I think that this mystery is worth investigating, and I think the answer may well be the Valley of the Kings. I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject, so please leave a comment below. Thank you very much for watching this episode of Ancient Architects. If you enjoyed the video, please subscribe to the channel, please like the video, and please leave a comment below. Thank you very much.