ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER PYRAMID

One archaeologist may have failed to convince the world this year that she had uncovered the tomb of Alexander the Great in Egypt, but now another has clearly hit pay dirt. Today, French archaeologist Jean Leclant unveiled a previously unknown, 4,000-year-old pyramid at Sakkara, a locale famous for its step-pyramid (an early model). Long hidden in the sand, the royal monument looks more like a pile of rock than the great pyramids on the Giza plateau, which lie north. Inscriptions found at the site dedicate it to Queen Meritites, who (for the genealogically-minded) may have been the daughter of Pharaoh Pepi I, who ruled during the 6th Dynasty (2345 B.C. to 2181 B.C.).