The brick pyramids of the XIIth Dynasty were erected in the same way, for the Egyptians had no knowledge of the modern combination of wooden scaffolding and ladders.  There was originally a small stone pyramid of the same dynasty at Dashur, half-way between the two brick ones, but this has now almost disappeared.  It belonged to the king Amenemhat II, while the others belonged, the northern to Usertsen (Sen-usret) III, the southern to Amenemhat III.  Both these latter monarchs had other tombs elsewhere, Usertsen a great rock-cut gallery and chamber in the cliff at Abydos, Amenemhat a pyramid not very far to the south, at Hawara, close to the Fayyum.  It is uncertain whether the Hawara pyramid or that of Dashur was the real burial-place of the king, as at neither place is his name found alone.  At Hawara it is found in conjunction with that of his daughter, the queen-regnant Se-bekneferura (Skemiophris), at Dashur with that of a king Auabra Hor, who was buried in a small tomb near that of the king, and adjoining the tombs of the king’s children.  Who King Hor was we do not quite know.  His name is not given in the lists, and was unknown until M. de Morgan’s discoveries at Dashur.  It is most probable that he was a prince who was given royal honours during the lifetime of Amenemhat III, whom he predeceased.* In the beautiful wooden statue of him found in his tomb, which is now in the Cairo Museum, he is represented as quite a youth.  Amenemhat III was certainly succeeded by Amenemhat IV, and it is impossible to intercalate Hor between them.

     * See below, p. 121.  Possibly he was a son of Amenemhat III.

The identification of the owners of the three western pyramids of Dashur is due to M. de Morgan and his assistants, Messrs. Legrain and Jequier, who excavated them from 1894 till 1896.  The northern pyramid, that of Usertsen (Senusret) III, is not so well preserved as the southern.  It is more worn away, and does not present so imposing an appearance.  In both pyramids the outer casing of white stone has entirely disappeared, leaving only the bare black bricks.  Each stood in the midst of a great necropolis of dignitaries of the period, as was usually the case.  Many of the mastabas were excavated by M. de Morgan.  Some are of older periods than the XIIth Dynasty, one belonging to a priest of King Snefru, Aha-f-ka ("Ghost-fighter"), who bore the additional titles of “director of prophets and general of infantry.”  There were pluralists even in those days.  And the distinction between the privy councillor (Geheimrat) and real privy councillor (Wirk-licher-Greheimrat) was quite familiar; for we find it actually made, many an old Egyptian officially priding himself in his tomb on having been a real privy councillor!  The Egyptian bureaucracy was already ancient and had its survivals and its anomalies even as early as the time of the pyramid-builders.