Pyramid of Menkaure: description, history. Archaeological discovery associated with the Pyramid of Menkaure

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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There are many historical documents and evidence that the most beautiful Egyptian pyramid is the Pyramid of Menkaure.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.

Monuments of antiquity continue to amaze and delight mankind. A striking example is the Pyramid of Menkaure - the "youngest" among the complex of monumental tombs in Giza. Even schoolchildren know that there are unique attractions in the suburbs of Cairo in Egypt - ancient monuments art in the form of the three Great Pyramids and the mysterious, sad Sphinx. Pharaoh Menkaur (Mikerin) built his personal tomb last, following his grandfather and father. Tourists look at the pyramids in order of priority:

the largest tomb of Cheops (Khufu);
the second is the tomb of Khafre, the father of Menkaure;
Pyramid of Menkaure.

Description of the Pyramid of Menkaure

Absolutely all connoisseurs of antiquities know where the pyramid of Menkaure is located. The location of the tomb is the south side of the Giza complex. Amazing building in some photos it seems to be the highest. But this is only an optical illusion due to the angle of photography. The ancients called the tomb by the strange name of Heru, which means "high". Why? It remains a secret with seven seals.

Pharaoh Menkaur built his tomb, inheriting the traditions of his grandfather and father, the dimensions and height are appropriate:

initially the pyramid towered 66 meters;
now no more than 62 meters;
in terms of volume, the tomb of the grandson is 10 times smaller than the tomb of the great grandfather.

The majestic building until the 16th century looked completely different. Approximately 1/3 of the height of the walls from the base was lined with beautiful red Aswan granite. The ancients called the pyramid - red. Above, the walls were faced with snow-white Turkish limestone, shining in the rays of the sun. It is assumed that the top was also made of granite, but now it is difficult to say for sure. The Mamluks removed the lining and the tomb acquired the form in which it has come down to us.

The tombs of Khufu and Khafre eventually fall into disrepair more and more. Their "younger sister" looks very young compared to them. Tourists can view the pyramid at any time. But professional travelers recommend going on an excursion to Giza early in the morning or later - in the late afternoon, when the main flow of visitors subsides. You will have to use the services of an individual guide, but the fascinating history is worth some of the sacrifices.

The pyramid has satellites - three small tombs, located slightly away from the main structure. It is assumed that one of the satellite pyramids belongs to the daughter of Menkaur - Khentkaus. In the other two, the wives of the pharaoh are buried.

Unlike Cheops and Khafre, Menkaur built his tomb differently. The dimensions were originally planned completely different - at the base 60x60. Historians suggest that Menkaur was not the heir to his father. But then the situation changed and the building area was increased in the process. Therefore, the layout of the tomb is not similar to the "older" pyramids.

The burial chamber is also located differently. In the tombs of the grandfather and father, the sarcophagi were installed in special immured rooms located on top of the building. Menkaur decided differently - his burial chamber was made below ground level. At first, the tomb was designed at a depth of 6 meters, but then, for safety reasons, they lowered it lower.

In 1873, a basalt sarcophagus and a mummy coffin were found, made of wood and protected by a special Nut prayer. They tried to transport the find to the British Museum. Unfortunately, the ship with the sarcophagus was wrecked in Gibraltar and sank. And the wooden mummy was delivered to its destination. Scientists have made a radiocarbon analysis and found that the objects belong to approximately the 1st century AD. That is, they cannot be the coffin of Pharaoh Menkaur.

Pharaoh legends

The famous Herodotus left about Menkaure interesting reviews. The historian of antiquity characterizes the pharaoh as a pious and tolerant ruler. By his order, an audit of the temples was carried out and the mysterious "Book of the Dead" was found.

Menkaur spent his whole life under the weight of the oracle, which prophesied that the ruler would die without sitting on the throne for even a decade. In response, the wise pharaoh “mixed up” day and night, spending time in fun feasts and bodily pleasures. Thus, he "increased" the daily pastime by half, deceiving fate.

There are records in ancient sources - the builders of the tomb claimed that they were building the tomb of the "drunkard". Egyptologists are confident that the translation of the authentic text is true. Menkaur indeed often indulged in amusing libations. But Herodotus claims that this was a way to "stretch out" the time limited by the oracle's prediction.

Should we believe the old legends? You can try to find the answer to the question by using the services of "Excursionists" - buy a tour to Egypt and personally see the mysterious pyramids. The mysteries of history are difficult to comprehend.

Pyramid of Menkaure

The ensemble of the great pyramids of Giza is completed by the Pyramid of Menkaure (in Egyptian version- Menkaure) - the southernmost, latest and lowest of the three Egyptian pyramids in Giza, despite its nickname "heru" ("high"). The length of the side of the base of this pyramid is 108.4 m, the initial height is 66.5 meters (today - 62 m), the angle of inclination is 51 °. Its construction was completed in 2505 BC. e.

The volume of the Menkaure pyramid, equal to 260,000 m 3, is only a tenth of the volume of the Cheops pyramid. The interior of the pyramid reveals a lack of unity of plan: probably, the original modest dimensions, not designed for the heir to the throne, were increased with his accession.

The pyramid of Menkaure is somewhat out of the general picture of the buildings in Giza, and in antiquity it was sometimes attributed not to Mycerinus, but to the hetaera Rhodopis who lived during the time of Amasis II.

Unlike the others, the Pyramid of Menkaur does not stand on a rock, but on an artificial terrace made of limestone blocks. But the only burial chamber of the pyramid was carved into its rocky base. 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. The scheme of all these underground spaces is quite complex and reflects at least three changes in the original architectural design.

The entrance currently in use is on the north side, and there is a large gap above it - a trace of the Mamluks' attempt to break through the thickness of the stone and get inside. The granite corridor is covered with a layer of sand, behind it are only empty chambers with stale air. In 1837, the English explorers Perring and Wise discovered in the burial chamber of this pyramid a magnificent royal sarcophagus made of basalt, decorated with reliefs. The dating of the coffin lid and bones attributed them to the era of early Christianity. In 1838, British colonel Howard Vance tried to smuggle the basalt sarcophagus to England, but the rarity sank along with the ship on which it was transported. Now the sarcophagus of Menkaure lies at the bottom of the ocean somewhere beyond Cape Trafalgar.

Despite the small size of the pyramid (which is considered a sign of decline), according to eyewitnesses, the pyramid of Menkaur was the most beautiful of all the pyramids. The efforts expended on its construction were enormous, as evidenced, for example, by one of the monoliths used to build the mortuary temple. Its weight is estimated at over 200 tons. Installing a block of this size, the heaviest on the Giza plateau, was a true technical feat. The colossal statue of a seated king from the central chapel of the temple is one of the largest in the era ancient kingdom- an excellent proof of the skill of sculptors.

For works of sculpture during the reign of Menkaur, it was characteristic highest quality artistic performance. Its best examples were graywacke (special slate) statues, among which is a new type of sculptural group, now called the Mycerin triads. They were discovered during excavations by the American archaeologist Reisner. To date, four are known. Three of Menkaure's triads are in Cairo, one is in Boston.

The thoroughness of the execution of the royal pyramid, called Necheri-Menkaura ("Divine Menkaure"), is another evidence of what Special attention given to construction. About a third of its height, the pyramid was lined with red Aswan granite, then it was replaced by white limestone slabs, and the top, in all likelihood, was also made of granite. Such a pyramid remained for four millennia, until the Mamluks removed the lining at the beginning of the 16th century.

The choice for facing the pyramid of granite, a protective material, most likely determined the not very large (compared to the other two) dimensions of the pyramid. From the point of view of architectonics, there was no need to build a very high pyramid, since the burial chamber was now located at ground level, and after Khufu the idea of a high-altitude location of the chambers was no longer embodied, probably due to technical difficulties in lifting the blocks of the burial chamber. The Pyramid of Menkaure is a reflection of the end of this era and, at the same time, the beginning of another, during which the size of the pyramids acquired a certain standard. In fact, since the reign of Menkaur, the height of the pyramids becomes approximately the same and deviations rarely exceed twenty meters.

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The construction of the third pyramid on the Giza plateau was carried out in the 2500s BC. It was built as the future tomb of Pharaoh Mykerin, the son of Khafre and the grandson of Cheops. It is not clear why the building was initially so much smaller than the two neighboring pyramids. In terms of dimensions, it is almost twice as inferior to them. There are two versions. One by one, Mykerin simply did not have enough slaves, since many died during the reign of the previous two pharaohs. The second version looks more plausible - Mikerin wanted to complete the construction of the pyramid during his lifetime, which his father and grandfather failed to do. True, he was not lucky either, he did not reach the end of the work, the pyramids were completed after the death of the ruler.

So, the pyramid of Menkaure is only 66 meters high. And over the long millennia, she settled another 5 meters. For comparison, the pyramid of Khafre (father) rushed up to 140 meters. But Mikerin decided to compensate for the lack of dimensions with the beauty of his appearance. His pyramid at one time was the most attractive in Giza. Unlike his grandfather Cheops, who covered the structure with limestone, and his father Khafre, who used red granite, Menkaure decided to make the pyramid multi-colored. He covered the base of the tomb with granite, then there were slabs of white limestone, and the builders again laid granite on top. Unfortunately, none of this splendor has survived to our times. The tomb was plundered in the 16th century, when the Mamluks captured Egypt.

The internal arrangement of the pyramid of Menkaure is also not unique. The burial chamber inside is very small - only 15 square meters and 3.5 meters high. The ancient builders tried to give the burial room itself the shape of an arch. Inside this room is now completely empty. The sarcophagus, found by British troops in the 19th century, was removed from here. And it so happened that the ship that was carrying him sank. That is, today almost no items from the era of Menkaure have been preserved. Well, except, of course, for the pyramid itself.

Features of the excursion to the pyramid of Menkaure

An excursion to the pyramids of Giza is not an easy test. Of course, if you are resting directly in Cairo, then this looks like a trifling walk. You can go to the plateau at any time - just catch a taxi and buy a ticket at the entrance. But everything is much more difficult for vacationers in resort areas. From Hurghada to Cairo, almost 475 kilometers, and from Sharm el-Sheikh and even more - 560 kilometers. The road is not close, and therefore they usually do not go to the pyramids with children. They get too tired on the way, and during the tour there is no entertainment.

There are two ways to get to Cairo - by plane or by bus. The first option is the easiest, but also the most expensive. average price such an excursion - 200 dollars. The bus saves two-thirds of that amount. But on the other hand, you will have to spend 6-7 hours on the road, no less. The climate of Egypt is not very conducive to such long trips, so the trip almost always starts late at night. Tourists get to the pyramids themselves at about 10-11 am. After inspection and photos, the second part of the tour begins, which includes a visit to historical museum and several shops. Tourists leave for the return trip in the evening, and thus, they get to their hotels again late at night. It turns out that a trip to the pyramids usually takes a little over a day.

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. 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 Mykerin 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 "Kheru", which in Arabic means " high". The Pyramid of Menkaur, 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. Experts believe that the reason for the partial destruction was 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 footprint. 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.