Page 29 - آثار مصر الفرعونية الجزء الأول

Gaston Maspero in 1881 who had been collating a corpus of texts
found in other Dynasty V and VI pyramids and he was the first to
enter Unas's subterranean chambers. The pyramid and part of the
mortuary temple was excavated by Alexandre Barsanti on behalf
of Maspero at the turn of the 20th century, and investigation of
the mortuary temple and causeway was later continued by Cecil
Firth, Jean-Philippe Laure and others up to the present time.

The structure's core of rough limestone blocks diminished in
size towards the top of its six Layers and had a casing of blocks
of fine white limestone (now only remaining on the lowest
levels).

The entrance to the pyramid was found on the north side,
opening at ground level in the pavement of the court beneath a
small entrance chapel. A passage slopes down to meet a corridor
and horizontal passage which was originally blocked by three
granite slabs. The antechamber lies beneath the centre of the
pyramid, with a room containing three niches to the east and the
burial chamber to the west. Following the plan of other pyramids
of this period the roof of the burial chamber was gabled but the
ceiling was painted with golden stars on a deep blue background
to represent the night sky. White alabaster lined the walls of the
burial chamber. This was incised and painted on the west wall,
with designs in black, white, yellow, blue and red intended to
imitate the wooden structure covered by reed wall hangings of a

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