Tuesday March 19th, 2024
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Incredibly Rare Limestone Block from Egypt's Great Pyramid to Go on Display in Scotland

It's the only stone of its kind to be publicly displayed outside of Egypt.

Staff Writer

A rare, large block of white limestone from the Great Pyramid is set to go on permanent display at the National Museum of Scotland’s Ancient Egypt Rediscovered gallery, according to Edinburgh news – the only stone of its kind to be displayed publicly outside of Egypt.

Believed to be one of the few remaining casing stones from the pyramid, it was originally taken out of Egypt and to the UK in 1872 by Italian-English astronomer and pyramidological and metrological expert, Charles Piazzi Smyth.

Dating back to c2589–2566 BC, the Great Pyramid is the oldest and largest in the Giza pyramid complex and was built for King Khufu. There are few known surviving limestone casings after the pyramid fell victim to an earthquake that loosened much of it, as well as looting. This particular stone is said to have been found buried in the sand at the foot of the pyramid that it was once a part of.

Opening on February 8th, the stone will act as the centrepiece of the gallery, which is said to cover over 4,000 years of Ancient Egyptian history.

main image: National Museum of Scotland