MOGA 2015
Unearth The Pharaoh's Treasure
MOGA 2015 was the 12th annual Midwest Open Geocaching Adventure Event. Each year Geocachers come from around the country and even around the world to compete in this premier geocaching competition event. Each year MOGA puts out permanent tribute caches to represent the punches in the competition course.
The theme of MOGA 2015 is treasure hunting and adventuring in Ancient Egypt, reflecting the adventurous spirit of geocachers. MOAG 2015 has 60 permanent tribute caches, each named for an Egyptian Pharaoh.
In addition to these 60 caches, there are 16 Caches of the Gods containing clues to the location of the The Pharaoh's Treasure, the main event cache for MOGA 2015.
Djoser
Djoser was an ancient Egyptian king (pharaoh) of the 3rd dynasty during the Old Kingdom and the founder of this epoque. He is well known under his Hellenized names Tosorthros (by Manetho) and Sesorthos (by Eusebius). He was the son of king Khasekhemwy and queen Nimaethap, but if he also was the direct throne successor is still unclear. Most Ramesside Kinglists name a king Nebka before him, but since there are still difficulties in connecting that name with contemporary horus names, some Egyptologists question the handed down throne sequence.
Djoser was buried in his famous step pyramid at Saqqara. This pyramid was originally built as a nearly quadratic mastaba, but then five further mastabas were literally piled upon the first, each new mastaba smaller than the predecessing ones, until the monument became Egypt's first step pyramid. Supervisor of the building constructions was the high lector priest Imhotep.
The step pyramid is made of limestone. It is massive and contains only one tight corridor leading to the close midst of the monument, ending in a rough chamber where the entrance to the tomb shaft was hidden. This inner construction was later filled with rubble, for it was of no use anymore. The pyramid was once 62 metres high and had a base measurement of ca. 125 X 109 metres. It was tightly covered in finely polished, white limestone.
Beneath the step pyramid, a large maze of corridors and chambers were dug. The burial chamber lies in the midst of the subterranean complex, a 28 metres deep shaft leads directly from the surface down to the burial. The shaft entrance was sealed by a plug stone with a weight of 3.5 tons. The subterranean burial maze contains four magazine galleries, each pointing straight to one cardinal direction. The eastern gallery contained three limestone reliefs depicting king Djoser during the celebration of the Hebsed (rejuvenation feast). The walls around and between these reliefs were decorated with blueish fayence tiles. They were thought to imitate reed mats, as an allusion to the mythological underworld waters. The other galleries remained unfinished.
This Geocache was placed with the permission of the property owner/manager