Mycerinus pyramid

Mycerinus pyramid

 It is the smallest of the pyramids of Giza, though it compensates for its lack of size it is known with its outstanding Valley and funerary Temples. Mycerinus king ruled for around eighteen years. The pyramid was not complete when Menkaure' died. Shepseskaf, who was Menkaure's son, finished the pyramid. To the east of the pyramid is the Mortuary Temple. This temple is fairly well preserved, even though the walls were not encased with granite or marble. It was actually made of red mud bricks and then lined with a thin layer of limestone. A 660m mud-brick causeway connected the Valley Temple to the temple. The causeway is now beneath the sand.


Mycerinus king was married perhaps to three different queens, including Khameremebty II, who was his eldest sister. He had two sons that we know of, Khuenre, his eldest son who apparently died prior to Menkaure and was buried in a rock tomb southeast of his father's pyramid, and Shepsekaft, who was his successor. He also had a daughter named Khentkawes. Traditional legend provides that Menkaure's reign was both benevolent and prosperous.

Menkaure's construct had to have a very well prepared rock subsurface, particularly around the northeast corner. This base is two and one half meters higher than his father's pyramid and occupies a mere quarter of the area consumed by Chephren and Cheops' pyramids. It has a core of local limestone blocks, with casing made of unfinished pink granite from Aswan up to a height of about fifteen meters. Further up, the casing was probably made of fine, Turah limestone. Because completely finished casing blocks would have probably been damaged during transport and installation, particularly at their edges.

In fact, the substructure of Mycerinus pyramid underwent significant changes. Investigations of both this pyramid and the tombs of his royal family that are closest in time (Mastabat Faraun and Khentkaues I's stepped tomb) point to the development of these subchambers in three phases, during which the original plan was enlarged.
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