The Great Pyramid of Menkaure at Giza

Menkaure apparently with the intention of the pyramid on the Giza Plateau to be the last that specific area of the necropolis of Memphis, which is, in addition to being smaller. Valley Temple is located at the mouth of the main promenade, and the closure of what was the main means to bring building materials to Giza for three generations. Called "Menkaure is Divine", and pryamo, was regarded by some Greeks, according to Herodotus, who belong to the Rhodopis hertaera Greek. Manetho thought belonged to the Psammetik beautiful daughter, Nitokris.


Diodorus Siculus first description of the inscription that bears the name of the pyramid of Khafre in this, but it was not until 1837 that anyone actually Vyse entered the pyramid Menkaure. The search began on the substructure by using a tunnel dug earlier in the Caviglia of a loophole in the northern wall. The original entrance was not detected until later. Surprising, Lepsius has received almost no attention to this pyramid, and even Petrie worked on it for a short period in the 1880s. Fortunately, it was George, resins and one of the archaeologists the most advanced of his time, and won the pyramid of Menkaure, archaeologists excavating at Giza draw on the balcony at the Hotel Mena House in 1899. He knew in advance that this pyramid, though small, can provide some of the rich, because he is and his assistant, Arthur Maes, recognized at the site. And he began to dig very deep from the entire complex in 1906, a team from Harvard University and the Museum of Fine Arts, Arts, Boston. These excavations, which lasted until 1924.
Pyramid of Menkaure, with the original height of about 65-66 meters, represents only about 1/10th of the destruction is in the pyramid of Cheops. However, this may be a result of the theology that reflect more emphasis on the temples and to a lesser extent on the pyramid, a process that is clear to us that, early in the reign of Khafre, which continued during the Old Kingdom.

The Valley Temple

Reconstruction of Menkaure valley temple is more difficult than any other element in his hierarchy. In the western part of the mass of limestone base and the lower part of the base of the wall to the north of the temple were probably made in the lives of the ruling, while the remainder of the clay construction is due to his son, Shepseskaf. Behind the door was a prelude to the temple courtyard is decorated with four columns. Alabaster (calcite) on the basis of these columns, click on the soil and clay, have been preserved. On both sides of this room are four stores. Behind the entrance lobby of the hotel, and the central part of the Temple of the entire valley consists of a courtyard decorated with a large interior walls niches (similar to the courtyard of the mortuary temple). And paved roads with slabs of limestone, and ran from the lobby to the courtyard of the center pillars of a stairway leading down, which in turn led through a portico with two rows of wooden pillars. This ended in the projection room, where the altar of marble might have once stood. To the north of the room offers a dozen stores, five warehouses and south. This is the area where the famous Reisner, mostly statues of the rule of the Trinity, along with four unfinished statues of Menkaure, and other parts of the statues and stone vases. Three of the statues discovered by Reisner representing the goddess Hathor on the right side of the Governor, with the gods that symbolize the three other names from Upper Egypt to his left. This may be part of a large group of statues in each of the governorates of Egypt, or maybe just nomos that the allocation of the compound.
Perhaps surprisingly, the Temple of the Valley and function changed over time. Reisner returned to the process by which houses in the city's first pyramid filled the anterior wall of the temple, and then began building inside. People began living in the temple itself, especially in the courtyard, where they built houses and barns.
Perhaps in the early strain 5th, the temple was badly damaged by water after heavy rains started, especially on the western side of the temple. Reisner believed that the temple was rebuilt, at least roughly, in the reign of Pepi II.
Recently, an Egyptian archaeologist Selim Hassan, while excavating and was buried near the compound of the queen Khentkaues discovered the structure of brick with the platform, and seats of small, low, and channel drainage basin to the north-east corner in the valley temple of Menkaure. Stored a large number of stone knives and stone vessels. And some Egyptologists believe that this structure was used for purification of ten "and" is only part of a larger entity, where the ritual of mummification took place.
Another amendment to the valley temple structure was built of bricks in front of the Western Wall of the Temple. You can always have more input, and to give better access between the city and the Temple of the pyramid.
The Causeway
From a bridge in the compound of the Pyramid of the mortuary temple the main temple in the Valley is likely completion of the Shepseskaf. There were blocks of flats, limestone and clay mixed with a highly compressed fragments of limestone. Walls of brick and mud that was introduced just over two thick supports the roof. Reisner believes that the ceiling made of wooden beams and carpets, because they found the remains of these materials at the end of the road. But other Egyptologists, because of the display on the side walls and architectural elements of the nearby graves of relatives, believed to have been the basement of the brick. However, the road is not over. It seems that work has stopped at the point where the western side of the old quarry Khufu. From there to the valley temple and the road and perhaps was never built a ramp for the delivery of the stone. Therefore, do not really know how it would connect with the valley temple. However, some believe Egyptology Resources were not started on the west side of the valley temple, but had been running all along the south and part of the west side. They believe that even you can access from stations in the southern part of the valley temple.

The Mortuary Temple

Also preceded Menkaure on the Giza Plateau, the mortuary temple was not built along the eastern wall of the pyramid. The original temple was clearly partially incomplete, and we believe, in the wake of the sudden death of Menkaure. Menkaure started this mortuary temple, as was Khafre, memory blocks of limestone quarries that were local. The largest of these, which is located in the northwest corner of the temple, is the heaviest of Giza, which weighs about 200 tons.

Although we know that the funerary temple has almost square, can only be partially built appearance. Reisner believed that the presence of the entrance to the corridor leading from the East, which ends in an open field was destined to be adorned with columns. The inner wall of the courtyard is filled with brick and white stucco decorated with niches, which was probably added his successor to complete the temple after the death of Menkaure. There was also a small temple built in the yard, which Reisner also dated in the era of Shepseskaf.
On the western side of the temple, and gallery formed two rows of columns provide access to the room that provides a long time. According to Reisner, and was a false door on the western wall of the chamber. However, because the fragments of statues, and the fact that the temple could not be immediately adjacent to the pyramid, and scientists as Maragioglio Rinaldi rejected the idea of a false door, instead of seeing a statue of the once ruled instead. They believe that there are false door, but was in a small platform of pink granite in front of the east wall of the pyramid. We believe in Maragioglio Rinaldi, could have been the principle of easy access from the east wing of the courtyard of the pyramid, before the additional rooms were built in the region.
The altar of limestone and fragments, including the head, chest, legs, knees and ankles of a seated statue of Menkaure, issued in the pink granite found in five, and two magazines story northwestern part of the funerary temple. This statue was probably meant to be the focus of this compound. Originally it was at the bottom of tall, narrow room in the east end of the main axis of the temple, so it seemed that the king across the open field, through the entrance hall and down the line the way to the land of the living. The southwestern part of the temple was not completed.
Reisner and Egyptologists, and believed that all of the mortuary temple was originally intended to be built of pink granite. In fact, we see that the builders started Menkaure in a series of granite blocks on both sides of the aisle. They cut huge blocks of limestone base to ensure that the faces of granite blocks are loaded. When removed Adobe Reisner cover painting found in the bright red lines on the occasion of the basic settlement blocks, and measurements, and the names of crew. However, Rick's rejection of this analysis, in the belief that only a frieze of this stone will be fine. Regardless, the structure is not completed by Menkaure, but by his son, using bricks of clay, as evidenced by the inscription on one of the parts of the panel discovered that Reisner.
Interestingly, there was also the mortuary temple square in a small room with a single column. It looked very similar to carree waiting room in fact first appeared in the temples, pyramids mor4tuary family 5th.
Some items may be inside the temple until after that date from the era of Ibn Menkaure, including contrails Merenre I am Baby I.