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Main hall of the gyptian Museum, sho!ing " black granite pyramidia#he restored pyramidion of the $ed Pyramid at %ashur is no! on display beside the Pyramid&n

archaeological parlance, a pyramidion, 'pl( pyramidia), is the uppermost piece, or capstone, of angyptian pyramid(*+ #hey !ere called benbenet in -ncient gyptian,*. !hich associated the pyramid

as a !hole !ith the sacred benben stone(*/ &n gypt0s 1ld 2ingdom, pyramidions !ere generallymade of diorite, granite, or fine limestone, !hich !as then covered in gold or electrum, !hile during

the Middle 2ingdom and through to the end of the Pyramid building era, they !ere built from granite(*" - pyramidion !as 3covered in gold leaf to reflect the rays of the sun34 during gypt0s Middle

2ingdom, they !ere often 3inscribed !ith royal titles and religious symbols(3*5

6ery fe! pyramidia have survived into modern times( Most of those that have are made of polished

 black granite, inscribed !ith the name of the pyramid0s o!ner( - total of four pyramidia7the !orld0s

largest collection7is housed in the main hall of the gyptian Museum in 8airo( -mong them is the pyramidion from the so9called lack Pyramid of -menemhet &&& at %ahshur(*;

- badly9damaged !hite tura limestone pyramidion, thought to have been created for the $ed Pyramid

of <neferu at %ahshur, has been reconstructed and is on open9air display beside that pyramid7it presents a minor mystery, ho!ever, as its angle of inclination is steeper than that of the edifice it !as

apparently created to surmount(

*edit Private brick pyramids !ith Pyramidia

<cribe Moses==Mes,<in hieroglyphs

%uring the >e! 2ingdom, some private underground tombs !ere marked on the surface by small brick

 pyramids that terminated in pyramidia( #he four lateral sides included te?ts and scenes related to the

cult of the <un @od 'as the $epresentation of Pharaoh)(

#he scenes typically depict the course of the sun, rising on one lateral face, setting on the opposite face,and traveling, through the night, through the under!orld ruled by 1siris(

#he pyramidion of the scribe Moses 'mes,s), '>e! 2ingdom, +Ath %ynasty, ca +.5B 8, limestone, (

5/ m tall) depicts himself making an offering, !ith his name, on t!o opposite faces( #he adCacentopposite faces feature a baboon: 3<creeching upon the rising of the <un, and the %ay3( '#he baboon is

also the god9scribe representation of the scribe, for the @od #hoth(*D)

#he pyramidion of Ptahem!ia, '+Ath %ynasty, $amesside Period, ca +.BB 8, limestone, (.E m !ide, (". m tall) like!ise displays sun9related scenes(*E #he <un @od, $e9orakhti, and the god of the

Gnder!orld, 1siris, are sho!n on one lateral face(

Facing the t!o @ods, on the adCacent lateral face, is the deceased Ptahem!ia, standing in an offering pose, facing three columns of hieroglyphs(*A