The mastaba tomb of ancient Egyptian pharaoh Shepseskaf stands out for its distinctive design, which differs from the pyramids built by his predecessors.KWACK MIN-SOO
Kwack Min-soo
The author is the director of the Korea Institute of Egyptology and an adjunct professor at Hanyang University.
Shepseskaf, who succeeded Menkaure as pharaoh of ancient Egypt, made an unusual choice. Rather than following the established tradition of building pyramids, he constructed his tomb in the form of a mastaba. The pyramid, which had reached its architectural peak as a royal burial monument, was suddenly abandoned.
Mastaba, meaning "long bench" in Arabic, refers to a rectangular tomb with a flat roof. After pyramids emerged, mastabas were used primarily for noblemen. By Shepseskaf's time, they were considered an outdated and relatively modest form of royal burial.
One theory suggests that Shepseskaf rejected pyramids to curb the growing influence of priests at Heliopolis, who worshipped the sun god Ra. If their power had expanded toward the end of the Fourth Dynasty, abandoning the pyramid, closely associated with solar symbolism, could have undermined the ideological legitimacy of their religion.
Shepseskaf also rejected Giza, the royal necropolis used by his great-grandfather Khufu, grandfather Khafre and father Menkaure. Instead, he chose Saqqara, where royal tombs had been built before Giza became prominent. This decision could likewise reflect an attempt to revive older traditions from a period when solar worship was less influential.
His intentions may also be reflected in his name. Earlier pharaohs bore names incorporating Ra: Djedefre, meaning "He is enduring like Ra," Khafre, meaning "He appears like Ra," and Menkaure, meaning "The souls of Ra endure." Shepseskaf, however, means "His soul is noble," making no reference to Ra. This distinction may have carried political significance.
Yet his attempted political reforms apparently failed. The omission of Ra continued under his successor Userkaf, whose name means "His soul is strong." But Ra returned with the next pharaoh, Sahure, meaning "He who is close to Ra." Userkaf also restored the pyramid as the royal tomb.
During the Fifth Dynasty that followed, solar worship gained even greater influence. Pharaohs actively constructed sun temples alongside their pyramids. The surviving remains of the sun temple at Abu Ghurab testify to this development.
Solar worship ultimately became a defining element of ancient Egyptian civilization. Its influence endured throughout Egypt's long history, extending well beyond the dynasty in which Shepseskaf had apparently sought to challenge its growing religious and political authority. His unconventional tomb thus stands as a reminder of a possible but short-lived challenge to an increasingly powerful religious tradition.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
