The 4th Dynasty Pyramid Complex of Radjedef at Abu Rawash (Egypt).
Publication of the funerary temple and its architectural, archaeological, and statuary context
In 1900, Émile Chassinat initiated excavations of the pyramid complex of King Radjedef (Old Kingdom, 4th Dynasty, ca. 2560 BCE) at Abu Rawash (30.0323° N, 31.0747° E), on behalf of the Institut français d’archéologie orientale (IFAO). His work concentrated primarily on the funerary temple located east of the pyramid, one of the earliest monumental temples of the Old Kingdom. Despite its importance for the understanding of early royal cult architecture, this temple has never been fully published.
During the clearing of the temple area, Chassinat uncovered a large boat-shaped pit containing numerous fragments of royal quartzite statues. These remarkable finds were documented only briefly at the time and published in isolation, without a comprehensive architectural or contextual study of the temple itself. As a result, the relationship between the temple’s layout, its cultic function, and its statuary program remains insufficiently understood.
The present project aims to address this gap by producing a complete scholarly publication of Radjedef’s funerary temple, integrating architectural remains, stratigraphy, excavation history, and associated finds. The statuary, excavated within the temple precinct, will be studied and published as part of the temple’s original decorative and ritual apparatus, rather than as an isolated corpus.
The results will be published in a collective monograph entitled “Abu Rawash II. The funerary temple and the statues of Radjedef” in the Fouilles de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (FIFAO) series. The publication project is directed by Drs. Yann Tristant and Mélanie Flossman-Schütze.
