The tomb of the pharaoh Mykerin, built in the 26th century BC. e., destined to be the last of the Great Pyramids of Giza. Despite the fact that this pyramid is not so striking in scope, many important archaeological discoveries and interesting facts are associated with it.
In ancient times, the Mykerin pyramid was known as "Necher er-Minkau-Ra", which meant "Minkau-Ra is divine." Menkaure or Menkaure (lit. "the unshakable genius of Ra"). - This is the 6th pharaoh of the IVth dynasty of the Old Kingdom, who ruled around 2530-2510 BC. There are few sources about the time of his reign, so it is difficult to give an unambiguous characterization of the personality and state policy of this ruler, but the appearance of the pharaoh was restored from the statues found near his pyramid.
triad of Menkaure
Menkaure was a direct descendant of the creators of the other two great pyramids of Giza, the grandson of Cheops and the son of Khafre. He ascended the throne at an early age. Herodotus writes about him as a just ruler, who, unlike his predecessors, forced people to do construction work less. It is generally accepted that he died before the completion of the construction of the pyramid.
Description of the Pyramid of Menkaure
Dimensions. At the time of completion, the base of the pyramid was 102.2 m x 104.6 m, and the height was 65.55 m (at the moment it is 62 m). This building is significantly inferior in size to the tombs of Cheops and Khafre, but it occupies an honorable third among the Great Pyramids. The Pyramid of Menkaure is located 200 m from the above tombs.
Peculiarities. The Pyramid of Menkaur largely repeats the layout and technique. At the same time, its construction was associated with a large number of difficulties, because the plateau in the chosen place was uneven. For the main masonry, limestone from a quarry located near the pyramid was used.
The lining of the first tiers and the top was made of red granite, while the middle was decorated with white limestone. The remains of the cladding have survived to our time. For the construction of this pyramid, blocks of a larger size were used than for the tombs of Cheops and Khafre, however, they were less polished. Herodotus writes that the latter feature was explained by the order of the pharaoh, who wanted to make life easier for the workers.
What is inside? The entrance inside the pyramid is at a height of 4 m. It opens a passage 32 m long, which leads to the panel chamber. There were several false doors here. You can get into the burial chamber where the sarcophagus was located through the vestibule and the horizontal tunnel. The burial chamber was not immediately discovered by the researchers, since the tunnels were deliberately disguised.
The burial chamber of Mykerin is 6.5 m long, 3.5 m high and 2.3 m wide. It is worth mentioning the side chamber with small niches. There is controversy regarding her appointment. In general, in terms of the level of preservation of the mummy, the tomb of Menkaur is ahead of other Great Pyramids. The burial chamber is located deeper, stronger and better camouflaged.
Some facts from the history of the pyramid
The tomb of Mykerin differs from the neighboring great pyramids not only in size, but also in a large furrow on the surface. This is not an architect's idea, but the result of the work of Sultan al-Aziz, the son of the famous Saladin. In the 12th century, this sultan decided to dismantle the Egyptian pyramids. Whether he was looking for treasures or just wanted to become famous in such a non-standard way is unknown, but he decided to start with the Mykerin pyramid. But Sultan al-Aziz did not take into account that dismantling the pyramids is no less difficult than building them. The crazy idea ended after 8 months. Its only result was a large furrow.
Speaking of treasures. According to the assumptions of scientists, the pyramids of Cheops, Khafre and Mykerin were robbed 4 thousand years ago during the so-called "first transitional period". The first known European to enter the burial chamber of the Menkaur pyramid was Colonel Howard Weiss. It happened in the second third of the 19th century. But instead of treasures, he found two sarcophagi here.
One was wooden and belonged to the Roman era. It is now in the British Museum. The other was made of basalt and most likely belonged to Pharaoh Menkaur. True, while being transported to England, this sarcophagus sank somewhere in the Strait of Gibraltar.
Archaeological discovery associated with the Pyramid of Menkaure
During the reign of Mykerin, the burial complex, in addition to the pyramids, included a memorial temple, where they prayed to the former pharaoh and made sacrifices as a deity. The Temple of Menkaure was discovered in 1908. During the excavations, archaeologists found 7 large statues made of slate. 4 sculptural compositions depicted the pharaoh accompanied by two goddesses. As a result, they became known as the "triads of Menkaure". The researchers note that in the triads the image of the ruler replaced the Egyptian god Horus.
The discovery described was another sensation, because the statues found were perfectly preserved. The Triads can be viewed at the Cairo Museum and the Boston Museum of Art. A sculptural pair of the pharaoh and his wife and a life-size alabaster statue of the seated ruler of Egypt were also found in the temple.
The reduction of the state treasury and the relative modesty of Menkaure caused his tomb to be noticeably inferior in size to the pyramids of his predecessors. At the same time, it was the location next to the grandiose tombs that made the pyramid of Menkaur world famous.
The Pyramid of Menkaure (Menkaur) is the smallest and "youngest" of all three pyramids of the complex. The pyramid of Menkaure, the grandson of Cheops, is located 200 meters from the pyramid of Khafre. Its height is 62 meters, and the length of the side is about 109 meters. Initially, it was 4 meters higher, but retained the length of the sides, because sand deposits protected the lower
part of its lining. This facing - from red Aswan granite - originally covered the pyramid for almost a third of its height, then it was replaced by white slabs of Turkish limestone, and the top, in all likelihood, was also red, granite. It was so two-colored back in the 16th century, until it was robbed by the Mamelukes. At first, the pyramid had a base of about 60x60 meters, and only later it was almost doubled. Pharaoh Menkaura ordered his burial chamber to be hewn just 6 meters under the base, but at the next phase of construction he lowered it to a safer depth. For the construction of the pyramid, he ordered the use of large blocks, much larger in size than in the pyramids of Khufu or Khafre. He wanted to speed up the construction and therefore did not force the workers to carefully work the stone. But, despite the haste, which is felt even after millennia, Menkaura obviously did not live to see the completion of the pyramid. He probably died when she reached about twenty meters in height, i.e. the level of granite cladding. Unlike the others, the pyramid of Menkaure does not stand on a rocky foundation, but on an artificial terrace made of limestone blocks. The burial chamber is relatively small - only 6.5x2.3 meters and 3.5 meters high. The ceiling is made up of two blocks, carved from below like a semi-arch, so that the impression of a vault is created. The walls of the burial chamber and the entrance corridor were lined with polished granite; the corridor with the original burial vault and rooms for grave goods was connected by a staircase. When the British Colonel Howard Vance entered the burial chamber of this pyramid in 1837, he found there a basalt sarcophagus, a wooden coffin lid in the form of a human figure and bones. The sarcophagus sank along with the ship that transported it to England, and the dating of the coffin lid and bones dated them to the era of early Christianity. In front of the Pyramid of Menkaure, there are three companion Pyramids, which are even smaller than the companions of the Pyramid of Cheops. The satellite pyramid on the east side, originally lined with pink granite, was, no doubt, intended for the wife of Pharaoh Harmer-Nshti II. The mortuary complex of Mykerin was poorly preserved, since some parts of it, built in a hurry from raw brick, soon collapsed. Link to
In front of the pyramid of Menkaure are three small pyramids. They have no names, only numbers: G3A, G3B and G3C. Presumably, G3A was intended for the wife and sister of Pharaoh Mikerin, Queen Khamerernebti II. The other two remained unfinished. During the excavation of G3B, female bones were found inside, but dated to an earlier period. Apparently, someone decided to reuse the tomb.
In the tradition of the Old Kingdom, it was accepted that the burial complex consisted of large and small pyramids, and a funeral temple. Every pharaoh ancient egypt after death he was deified, and in his temple they prayed to him and made sacrifices.
The funeral temple of Pharaoh Mikerin was very poorly preserved. As we have already noted, the foundation of the temple was made of limestone blocks, and then it was finished building from brick. The brick part collapsed almost completely. But, blocks weighing up to 200 tons still amaze the imagination. How could the ancient Egyptians move them?
The temple was quickly covered with sand, as was the base of the pyramid. And it turned out to be a huge success for archaeologists. In 1908, a joint expedition of Harvard University and the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston dug up the temple and found 7 large statues and a large fragment of the eighth. The sculptures are made of slate.
Four full statues depicted Pharaoh Mykerin himself, accompanied by two goddesses. Such sculptural compositions began to be called "triads". It was a grand discovery, as the statues were perfectly preserved in the sand.
In the photo on the right you see the most famous of them - Mykerin with the goddess Hathor and the goddess Bat. She and two more triads of Menkaure can now be viewed at. Another triad of Menkaure is now in the Boston Museum of Art.
In addition to these triads, a sculpture of the pair of pharaoh Mykerin with his wife Khamerernebti II and a life-size statue of a seated pharaoh made of alabaster were found. The discovery of these sculptures is one of the brightest events in the history of Egyptology. Only an autopsy in Luxor or the opening of a temple in upper Egypt can argue with it.
Legends and mysteries of the Pyramid of Menkaure
One beautiful and somewhat romantic legend is connected with the pyramid. There is a hypothesis that the pyramid was originally built of a small size with a base of 60 by 60 meters. This hypothesis has indirect evidence. The legend says that under Mykerin himself they did not manage to complete it, and she stood for 400 years, until Queen Nitocris from the 6th dynasty of the Egyptian pharaohs decided to use it.
Nitocris was the wife and sister of Pharaoh Merenre II, who was killed in a conspiracy. She learned the names of the murderers, invited them to a feast and locked them in a room where the waters of the Nile were let in. They all stayed inside and choked.
Those readers who know Russian history well already experience a strong sense of déjà vu. Somewhere it already happened!
This is an almost complete copy of the legend about Princess Olga, only she did not drown anyone, but burned the murderers of her husband in the bathhouse. This story is found in different cultures, and quite independently. This is a classic - the wife takes the throne and avenges her husband and ruler.
According to legend, after the massacre, Nitocris committed suicide by throwing herself into a burning building. According to the same legend, she managed to finish the pyramid, and she was buried there.
The civilization of Egypt is one of the oldest. It was the Egyptians who built one of the seven wonders of the world - the Egyptian pyramids. Scientists still cannot understand how, with the available building technologies, it was possible to build such a monumental structure.
Valley of the Pyramids
In total, more than 100 buildings have been found in Egypt, but the most famous of them are located near Cairo, in the Giza Valley. There are three ancient monuments here: Cheops, Khafre and the pyramid of Menkaure. The large burial complex also includes the Sphinx and a museum with an ancient boat inside. The Egyptian pyramids, regardless of size, have a great historical and interest in them does not fade even today.
Pyramid of Menkaure
Pharaoh Mikerin (2532-2503, like any ruler of that time, had to perpetuate his reign and build a tomb for himself. His pyramid has modest parameters, compared to all those located on the Giza plateau. It was laid in the southwestern part of the Giza complex , at some distance from the tombs of Cheops and Khafre. The tomb of Mikerin has the shape of a regular pyramid. Evidence from those times claims that this pyramid was the most beautiful on the plateau, despite its size. The locals call it "Heru", which in Arabic means " high". The Pyramid of Menkaure, as it is also called, is the last of the great pyramids. Later, their height was standard and did not exceed 20 meters. The tomb is surrounded by destroyed household buildings, as well as three mini-pyramids. Presumably they were buried in small pyramids Now it is difficult to understand how exactly the pyramid of Menkaure looked like, since in the 16th century it was significantly damaged as a result of the Mameluke attack on Egypt.Another reason for the partial destruction, experts consider the haste in the construction of the temple, as well as the use of raw brick in the construction.
Parameters of the tomb of Menkaure
The distance from the tomb to the nearest pyramid of Khafre is 200 meters. It rises to 62 meters, and the length of one side is 109 meters. The Pyramid of Menkaure has a shape. Initially, it was 66 meters high, but time and the desert have done their job. At the same time, due to the fact that the pyramid was partially protected by a sand drift, the length of the sides and part of the outer lining at the base were preserved. As conceived by the designer, the pyramid was to have a base size of 60x60 meters. However, later it was decided to significantly increase the area of the base. During the construction, the experience of building previous pyramids was used. Unlike its counterparts, the Menkaure pyramid has an artificial terrace made of limestone blocks in its foundation. Usually the tombs were erected on a rocky natural foundation.
The outer cladding significantly distinguished the Pyramid of Menkaure from others. It was made from the following types of material:
- the lower part is lined with red granite;
- Turkish limestone was used in the middle part;
- the top is decorated with red granite.
Inside the tomb of Menkaure
The dimensions of the burial chamber are also modest and correspond to the dimensions of the pyramid. Parameters: 6.5x2.35 meters, and a height of three and a half meters. The ceiling of the main room is made in the form of a semi-arch and is made up of two adjacent blocks, it creates the illusion of a vault. Polished granite was used for facing the inner walls of the mausoleum. They also lined the walls of the corridor and the original tomb.
A staircase leads to the room with afterlife utensils. The pyramid was first examined in 1837 by the expedition of the British colonel Howard Vance. An autopsy revealed a basalt sarcophagus with a wooden lid and bones. The sarcophagus was sent to study in London. However, the ship was caught in a storm and sank. The coffin lid, made in the form of a human body, was attributed by archaeologists to the period of early Christianity. Also, during the excavations, an extensive collection of sculptures was discovered. The most valuable exhibits were exhibited at the Central Museum of Cairo and at the Boston Museum of Art.
The skill of the designers is also evidenced by a solid block located inside the pyramid, which weighs about 200 tons. This is the heaviest monolithic block brought in. Also in the main part of the temple was found big statue king.
Today we will talk about the third pyramid, which was built in Giza. The first two were the pyramid of Khafre, as well as the pyramid of Cheops. Of those mentioned, it is the smallest. The base reaches 108.5 meters in length, the total volume of the pyramid is also small and equals 260 thousand m. cube interesting is the fact that the pyramid of Menkaure is called high. This name comes from the translation of the nickname "Heru". Its real height is 66 meters, which is lower than most of the pyramids of Egypt. And it was built even less height. But as the status of the emperor increased, the pyramid was gradually completed. Today we will talk about the third pyramid, which was built in Giza. The first two were the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Cheops. Of those mentioned, it is the smallest. The base reaches 108.5 meters in length, the total volume of the pyramid is also small and equals 260 thousand m. cube interesting is the fact that the pyramid of Menkaure is called high. This name comes from the translation of the nickname "Heru". Its real height is 66 meters, which is lower than most of the pyramids of Egypt. And it was built even less height. But as the status of the emperor increased, the pyramid was gradually completed.
There are many historical documents and evidence that the most beautiful Egyptian pyramid This is the Pyramid of Menkaure. Or so she was. It was built after the construction of the first two pyramids. This means that the experience of successes and failures accumulated in the past was used here. Here it is immediately worth mentioning that in the tomb inside the pyramid there is a stone block, which with its weight reaches a record 200 tons. Agree that this already speaks in favor of the skill of the builders and the architect. If we consider all the lands of Giza, here it is the heaviest monolithic pebble. In general, here it was clear to the naked eyes of scientists that everything inside testifies to the desire to build everything beautifully and correctly. The statue of the king, which stands in the central chapel of the tomb, looks just great.
As for the outer frame of the structure, the builders showed originality of thinking and ideas here too. The lining of the lower part of the pyramid was very beautiful. Its third was covered with red granite, the middle part was already hidden by another material - it was Tura limestone, and the upper part repeated the coating of the lower one. Thus, layers of different colors were obtained. Today, Egyptologists believe that it was the pyramid of Menkaure that marked the end of the era of the construction of such structures. Pyramids were built in the future, but they were all more modest and the height of none of them exceeded 20 meters.
Let's take a look at the scheme in the section of the Mycerin pyramid:
In the picture, everything can be seen extremely intelligibly. Here in the plan there are two burial chambers, as well as corridors, one of which comes to a standstill. Near the pyramid there are two more tombs, which were most likely built for the wives of the pharaoh. Here, scientists were lucky during excavations, and inside one of the burial chambers a sarcophagus was found, inside of which there was a mummy. It is believed that this was Mikerin himself. There was no study of the mummy, since when transporting it to its destination, the ship with it sank. Mystic and all.
Of course, as happened with other pyramids, the original exterior design was also not preserved here. The pyramid was destroyed as a result of numerous wars.
In the 16th century AD, severe damage was caused by an attack by the Mamluks. Residents pulled away granite slabs, the walls were significantly damaged. Today, the pyramids are a large influx of profit for the state treasury at the expense of tourists. Therefore, the Egyptian government wants to reconstruct the appearance of the pyramid.
