Description: The Pyramid of Menkaure is like a little gem among the great pyramids of the Giza Plateau. The well-preserved granite casing stones at the bottom of the Pyramid, as well as the extraordinary interior structure, and the temple built of the huge limestone blocks, make it unique among others. Some scientists explain the specific location of the internal passages and chambers by the construction process which took a few stages. However, not all researchers support that idea. In 1837, Colonel Howard Vyse and the British engineer and Egyptologist John Shae Perring became the first explorers to get inside the Pyramid, but it turned out to be empty. The most valuable discovered items were the fragments of human bones and a well-polished basalt sarcophagus. Unfortunately, on the way to England, it sank with the ship in the Mediterranean Sea off the Spanish coast. Alternative names: Third Pyramid,Pyramid of Mykerinos Lepsius No: 9 Type: True Pyramid Location: Giza Plateau Country: Egypt
Together with the fragments of the lid of the basalt sarcophagus in the antechamber, Vyse discovered human bones, linen wrappings and parts of a wooden coffin. The inscription on the coffin read: 'Osiris (deceased) Menkaure, given life for ever, born of the sky, the sky goddess Nut above you...'. The style of the coffin shows that it dates from the Saite period (Dynasty 26), and radiocarbon analysis of the bones suggests the Christian period. Both the coffin and the bones are now in the British Museum. Most likely, this 'burial' of Menkaure about 2000 years after he had lived and died, in fact, should be a reburial and may have to do with the inscription on the granite casing just below the entrance to the Pyramid. Diodorus Siculus mentions this inscription, but it was not discovered until 1968, when the base of the northern face was cleared of debris. It indicates the year (unfortunately damaged), month and day when Menkaure was buried in the Pyramid, and says that a rich burial was arranged for the king. According to one version, the inscription can be dated to the time of Khaemwaset, son of Ramesses II, who carried out numerous restoration activities on the Giza Plateau.
The unfinished granite casing of the upper temple was hidden by a mudbrick casing, which was plastered and whitewashed. On the central blocks under the plaster, Reisner discovered a bright red paint that marked the levels, measurements and names of the work crews. Among the finds in the upper temple were fragments of a royal statue. These were the head, chest, thigh, knees and ankles of a large alabaster statue of Menkaure.
Initially, the upper temple had an almost square layout and was not attached to the eastern edge of the Pyramid. As a result, due to the premature death of the ruler, the temple remained unfinished. The long entrance hall allowed one to walk from the east to an open courtyard, which was originally supposed to be framed by columns. A portico made up of two rows of columns at the western end of the temple acted as access to a long offering hall. According to Reisner, there was a false door in the western wall of the hall. However, Maragioglio and Rinaldi denied this, and believed that a statue of the ruler stood in this place, since Reisner found a fragment of an alabaster statue of Menkaure in this place. In their opinion, the false door was located on a small platform of rose granite in front of the eastern wall of the Pyramid, even before the additional rooms were built and the temple was eventually connected to the Pyramid. In the northwestern part of the mortuary temple, there were 5 two-storey storerooms. A limestone altar and fragments of a seated statue of Menkaure made of rose granite were found here. The southwestern part of the temple remained unfinished. The temple was completed in large part thanks to Shepseskaf, mainly using mudbricks. Reisner also attributed to the reign of Shepseskaf the construction of a small sanctuary in the courtyard, between the Pyramid and the funeral temple. The floors were made of limestone blocks and highly compressed clay mixed with fragments of limestone, and mudbrick walls, just over 2 m thick, supported the roof.
The area of the upper temple is approximately 3,850 m2. Excavations made it clear what part of the temple was erected when, and 4 periods were identified: 1. During the reign of Menkaure, the foundation of the temple was erected, the main walls of the outer temple were laid, alomng with the unfinished granite casin and the granite floor in the inner room for sacrifices; 2. Shepseskaf, the heir to Menkaure, cased the entire temple with mudbricks, made the limestone paving of the courtyard, storerooms, the now destroyed inner temple and the enclosure wall of the Pyramid from mudbricks. It is also likely that the limestone core of the inner temple was built under Shepseskaf; 3. Under Dynasty 5, a wall of mudbricks was erected in front of the portico, and some minor repairs were carried out in the storerooms; 4. Under Dynasty, 6 the core of the inner temple and doorways were built.
The lower temple is located near the Muslim cemetery of the village of Nazlet El-Samman. During the excavations, in the southern room of the temple, Reisner discovered the statues of the Triad of Menkaure.
Thanks to the excavations, it became clear what part of the temple when was erected, and 3 periods were distinguished: 1. during the reign of Mycerinus, a massive stone part of the temple was erected; 2. Shepseskaf, the successor of Mycerinus, erected the first temple from mudbricks; 3. during the 6th dynasty, a second mudbrick temple was erected.
Under Menkaure, the western part of the limestone foundation and the central lower part of the northern wall of the lower temple were most likely erected. The completion of the temple with mudbricks is attributed to Shepseskaf. Immediately behind the entrance to the temple, there is a square antechamber with four columns, of which only alabaster foundations have survived, imprinted on the clay floor. Four storerooms were located on each side of the antechamber. The entire central part of the temple consisted of a large open courtyard, whose inner walls were decorated with niches, as in the upper temple. There were twelve storerooms to the north of the offering hall, and five to the south. At this point, Reisner found the famous Triads of Menkaure. During the 5th dynasty, the temple was severely damaged by water after heavy rain literally tore off its eastern side. According to Reisner, the temple was rebuilt in approximate likeness during the reign of Pepi II.
The lower temple is located at the mouth of the main valley, on top of the Giza Plateau quarry. Under Dynasty 6, most likely during the reign of Pepi II, the temple was completely rebuilt after severe damage due to flooding. In the offering chamber, Reisner found the bases of four alabaster statues of Menkaure. Remains of other statues were found in the inner sanctuary, and the famous Menkaure Triads were found in the storerooms. Each of the triads depicts a king in a high conical crown of Upper Egypt, striding forward, surrounded by two gods - the goddess Hathor, and another deity, personifying one of the provinces of Egypt.
The causeway ran along the entire southern and partly western side of the lower temple. Access to the causeway was also from the storerooms in the southern part of the temple.
Located to the east of the Pyramid, the causeway is made up of two courses of huge blocks of such size and weight that it is difficult to imagine how they could be moved to their present position. Several red lines and triangles were inscribed on them, similar to those found in the chambers of the Great Pyramid. Considering that the joints between the blocks are open, it is most likely that they were cased with a better-quality layer.
If the Menkaure's Pyramid complex had been completed, the causeway would have been surrounded by a wall and roof, and continued all the way down to the lower temple. Shepseskaf finished the causeway with mudbricks, not limestone. However, the causeway does not run beyond the point where it comes to the western part of Khufu's old quarry.
An inner enclosure wall 10 m wide surrounded the courtyard around the Pyramid. Most likely, the wall was planned to be built of fine white limestone, but in the end it was hastily completed using cheaper limestone, and the outside was plastered and whitewashed. On the north, west and south sides, the remains of the outer wall were found, which was also built from stone fragments. Further from the western wall, the remains of a large stone barrier were found.
The first to enter the satellite pyramids were J. Perring and H. Vyse.
There are three small pyramids to the south of the Pyramid of Menkaure. The eastern one was probably a real satellite pyramid. It was partly cased with red granite, and a sarcophagus made of the same material was sunk into the floor of the burial chamber.
The height of the eastern pyramid is 10 m, the height of the central and western pyramids is 9 m. The length of the side of the base of each pyramid is 36 m. The main building material for the satellite pyramids was limestone.
The satellite pyramids are located on the southern side of the Pyramid of Menkaure and are usually called as follows: the eastern pyramid is GIII-a, the middle one is GIII-b, and the western one is GIII-c. The base length of the GIII-a is 44 m, the height is 28.4 m, the angle of slope is 52° 15'. The sides of the base of pyramids GIII-b and GIII-c are 31.24 m long. Pyramids GIII-b and GIII-c have a four-step core, while GIII-a was a true pyramid. The entrance to GIII-a was in the middle of the northern edge, slightly above the basement level. The burial chamber was carved into the rock below the center of the pyramid's base. A rose granite sarcophagus was sunk into the floor next to the western wall. Opposite the eastern side of the pyramid was a small, east-west oriented mortuary temple. Initially, the temple was planned to be limestone, but in the end it was hastily completed with mudbricks. Pyramid GIII-b differs from GIII-a in the placement of the descending corridor and the absence of portcullis. The bones of a young girl were found in a pink granite sarcophagus that stood against the western wall of the burial chamber. A small mudbrick temple opposite the western wall of the pyramid was oriented north-south. Pyramid GIII-c never had a complete casing. As in GIII-b, its burial chamber was under the northwestern part of the pyramid and remained unfinished. All three satellite pyramids were surrounded by a common enclosure wall.
The satellite pyramids are located on the southern side of the Pyramid of Menkaure. They are usually named as follows: the eastern pyramid is GIII-a, the middle one is GIII-b, and the western one is GIII-c. Presumably, all three satellite pyramids were tombs of queens, and had funeral temples on the east side built of mudbricks. The eastern pyramid was cased with limestone and granite blocks. The internal underground structure of the pyramid has a T-shaped layout where a granite sarcophagus was discovered.
In 1971-1972, the University of Cairo carried out archaeological work in the necropolis of Giza at the site adjacent to the complex of the Pyramid of Menkaure, as well as the nearby necropolis. A massive "L" -shaped stone foundation was discovered about 73 metres south of the western quarter of the causeway. Another one, smaller in size, probably of the same design, was laid slightly to the northwest of the first. Both were composed of fragments of broken stones and rubble, glued with clay-based mortar, and their slightly curved sides were faced with a clay layer. The original purpose of these foundations has not yet been clarified. The main branch of the first rampart is 206.80 metres long and 2.90 metres wide. It crosses the desert plateau from north to south. A significant part of the ancient settlement was also discovered, built around two ramparts. About fifteen scattered buildings were discovered on an area of more than three acres in the desert plain. Among the many stone blocks next to the ramparts and surrounding buildings, there were many blocks of red granite and calcite (or crystalline calcium) with yellow-red veins - stones that resemble alabaster, although not as beautiful. The only specimen of processed alabaster found so far is an unusually heavy base of a monolithic column, measuring approximately 150 x 100 x 100 cm. Samples of ash and charcoal preserved in some kilns. According to the radiocarbon analysis of the samples, it turned out that the age is 4660 years (with an accuracy of ± 150 years). If we assume that the time bars are determined correctly, then the period of settlement will roughly correspond to the time of the Late Old Kingdom. Despite all this, no definitive conclusions have been drawn. However, it can be concluded that the newly opened settlement was not fundamentally used for the dwellings of priests or other persons, but was used for some important industrial activity. The location of the entire ensemble no more than 200 meters from the upper temple of Menkaure is a factor that cannot be completely ignored. It is reasonable to assume that the buildings of the settlement were used to prepare sacrifices in this temple. On the slopes of the foothills of the nearest hills, bordering the desert depression to the south, a series of three irregular connected ramparts, about 450 meters long, was discovered. The rocky side of the plateau was also explored very close to the southeastern side of the upper temple. Three levels of burials were visible here, located one above the other. The uppermost level contained numerous passages from different periods. Below were the tombs of the second half of the Old Kingdom, grouped at roughly two levels. At a higher level, there were unfinished tombs carved into the rock. At the lowest level, two built-in mastabas were cleared. Attempts were also made to search for boat pits on the eastern side of the Pyramid, but no traces of boats have yet been found.
During the construction of the Menkaure's Pyramid complex, a large amount of granite was used, which was always more expensive material to extract and transport than relatively soft limestone. The Pyramid of Menkaure is located on the south-eastern edge of the Mokattam Formation. Most likely, the main ramp for the construction of the Pyramid was located on its eastern or south-eastern side. The quarry for the extraction of building blocks is located on the south-east side of the Pyramid, under the upper temple. From this place, blocks were taken for the construction of the lower temple, where only one course of blocks was laid and in the end was not completed. A dump of rubble and larger debris has been found to the south and south-east of the Pyramid in the Maadi Formation. Probably, after the construction of the Pyramids of Khufu and Khafre, fragments of limestone were scattered on the site of the future Third Pyramid. However, for the construction of the Pyramid of Menkaure, the dump was moved. Menkaure died after 26 years of rule, leaving his complex unfinished. As a result, the complex was completed by his successor Shepseskaf, most likely in haste, with the use of mudbricks.
A recess is visible in front of the northern face of the Pyramid. The rexess started on the north side, skirted the west side, and continued to another pyramid. It was filled with debris, limestone and granite stones and debris that had collapsed from two large cracks on the northern facade of the Pyramid. These cracks appeared as a result of the search for the entrance to the Pyramid. According to Mr. Denon, the cracks were the result of Mamluk activities.
The base of the Pyramid is leveled with limestone masonry.
The Pyramid was built on a bedrock. The ancient architects, instead of going deep into the rock in the western direction (where the rock rose), laid the base of the Pyramid more than ten feet deep in the opposite direction (to the east) and partly to the northeast, where the rock drops significantly. This foundation consists of two courses of huge blocks and extends a considerable distance beyond the north-eastern corner, where it forms a kind of pavement. The pavement was made with better quality masonry. The blocks of the core of the Pyramid itself are stacked in a more neat and compact manner than in the other two large pyramids on the plateau. The blocks were stacked in steps, with decreasing to the top, as in the case of the satellite pyramids. After that, the corner spaces were filled with masonry to obtain the true pyramidal shape.
The Pyramid of Menkaure stands at the farthest end of Giza's diagonal crossline, at the very edge of the Mokattam Formation, where it breaks off in the south and flows into the younger Maadi Formation. The base of the Pyramid of Menkaure is only two and a half metres higher than the Pyramid of Khafre, and occupies only a quarter of the area used by the Pyramids of Khafre and Khufu.
Pyramid Base
11660.0 m2
Volume
235183.0 m3
259098.81 m3
Weight
702460.0 ton
Main Building Material
Limestone
Limestone
Limestone
Casing Material
Rose granite
Rose granite
Rose granite
Fine limestone
Rose granite
Additional Data
In 1196, one of the Muslim rulers tried to destroy the Pyramid.
The Menkaure Pyramid stands at the farthest end of the Giza diagonal and at the very edge of the Mokattam Formation, where it breaks off in the south and flows into the younger Maadi Formation. A great gash at the northern edge of the Pyramid was made by Othman in 1196 AD.
On the northern side of the Pyramid, two large cracks are visible on the facade from above. It is most likely that both cracks were made by the Mamluks, but it is also said that the lower one was made by Mr. Jemel. He made several unsuccessful attempts to locate an entrance on the southern and eastern sides of the Pyramid, as well as in a depression in front of the centre of the northern face. Vyse and Perring blasted gunpowder in these cracks down to the Pyramid core in search of interior cavities. Several fragments of granite were found at the bottom of the passage, but it turned out that they were only material for filling the bulk of the Pyramid. After clearing the passage, mudbricks and clay were found in the inner masonry near the basement level. In addition, “quarry-marks” were painted on the blocks with red paint. Since the cleared passage reached the bedrock, it was decided to stop the search from above and start from the bottom, since the interior is presumably below the surface level. Descriptions of the cracks and passages that were made on the northern face of the Pyramid during the search for the interior: 1. the upper depression made by the Mamluks is at a height of 71 ft 3 in (21.72 m); 2. the bottom depression made by the Mamluks is at 35 ft 3 in (10.74 m) from the base; 3. the gash was cut by Mr. Caviglia, and the passages that lead in different directions to the very base of the Pyramid were cut by Colonel H. Vyse. The casing of the Pyramid was removed at various times. Some of the casing stones were removed several years ago to help build an arsenal in Alexandria. The entrance to the Pyramid, it seems, was not really hidden and it is said that the name of the monarch, or the one to whom the Pyramid was intended, was written above the entrance.
For the construction of the Pyramid, it was necessary to prepare a stone foundation, especially around the northeast corner. The base of the Pyramid of Menkaure is only two and a half metres higher than the Pyramid of Khafre. The core of the Pyramid is made up of limestone blocks mined nearby. The inscriptions on the granite facing on the north side date from the Late Period and may be the very ones mentioned by Diodorus Siculus. In the late 1630s, the English scientist and traveler John Greaves noticed that most of the casing of the Pyramid was already missing. Muhammad Ali Pasha (1805-1848) used blocks of pink granite taken from the casing to build an arsenal in Alexandria.
The entrance to the Pyramid was opened by J. Perring and H. Vyse on 29 July 1837. Piles of crushed granite, burnt clay, mudbricks and charcoal were found near the northern base of the Pyramid, suggesting that the entrance was nearby and had already been opened. When clearing the base, tooled granite blocks with a flat surface were found in the centre, which suggested a possible entrance at this location. After removing the remaining blocks, the entrance was found already completely open, and despite several large stones, it offered a passable descent for a considerable distance. The entrance is located 13 ft (3.96 m) above the base, in an array of leveled granite casing, without any inscriptions or reliefs.
The descending corridor was originally sealed with rose granite blocks.
The descending corridor was found destroyed, with the granite blocks of the wall and floor wrecked at 28 ft 2 in (8.58 m), and the ceiling at 29 ft 8 in (9.04 m). The remains of the corridors and all other chambers and communications had already been entirely unearthed. The interior of the corridor was rough, uneven, especially near the entrance, where the seams of the masonry were open and defective, and the ceiling was cut into the vaults of unequal heights. Undoubtedly, much of this disturbance was caused by the effort applied to remove the blocks with which the corridor was originally closed all the way to the antechamber. At the junction of the masonry with the rock, the ceiling of the corridor was reinforced. Outside the recess, the corridor was heavily blocked with rocks and debris. At the end of the descending corridor, in front of the vestibule, there is a small 4 ft 3 in (1.29 m) long horizontal section.
The portcullises are located in the horizontal corridor.
Three portcullises were at the northern end of the main horizontal corridor. One portcullis was located at the end of the lower descending corridor in front of the entrance to the burial chamber.
The portcullises are located in the main horizontal corridor leading to the antechamber.
Three portcullises are located between the vestibule and the main horizontal corridor.
The burial chamber extends from north to south, and is entirely composed of granite. The floor of the burial chamber is at 51 ft (15.54 m) deep from the base of the Pyramid. The floor is made up of large, well-built blocks, some of which were taken out and laid in the antechamber. The walls consisted of slabs 2 ft 6 in (0.76 m) thick and stained in many places by secretions from the rock and large amounts of white fungus. The average length of the stones that make up the vault is about 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m), 3 ft 8 in (1.12 m) thick. Two cramps were found in the western wall. The stones were held in place by a dovetail cramp; and the wedge-shaped piece, resting against the rock behind, secured the whole. No sculptures or inscriptions have been found, with the exception of some crudely scrawled and incoherent Arabic words and signs painted with a sort of lime on various parts of the walls, as well as on the inside of the sarcophagus. The only words that could be discerned above the entrance were Mahomet Rasoul (Mohammed the Messenger).
The burial chamber has a rectangular layout and a north-south orientation. The construction of this chamber was carried out after the change in the plan of the underground complex. The camera is located approximately 15.5 m below the base of the Pyramid. In order for the overlap of the chamber to be constructed from 9 pairs of huge granite beams, it was necessary to dig a large descending tunnel in the western part of the antechamber.
The burial chamber was built in a rectangular space carved into the bedrock and entirely cased with granite. The ceiling of the chamber looks like a cylindrical vault, but it was carved from the bottom of huge granite blocks placed in the form of gabled roof. Inside the burial chamber, Vyse found a beautiful dark sarcophagus with diminishing or 'palace-facade-like' panels.
A dark stone sarcophagus with carved niches and panels was discovered by H. Vyse near the western wall of the burial chamber. It was empty, its lid was missing, although its fragments were found along with the bones and remains of a male body in the antechamber. The sarcophagus contained a wooden coffin with the name of Menkaure, but its style suggests its dating to the Saite period. Radiocarbon dating has proven that the human bones found in the upper chamber date to the Christian period. The sarcophagus had been taken out of the Pyramid for transportation to England, but it was lost when the ship Beatrice carrying it, sank.
The sarcophagus was discovered by Vyse. The side walls of the sarcophagus were carved in the style of a 'palace facade'. The sarcophagus disappeared during transportation to England, at sea off the coast of Spain.
At the western wall of the burial chamber, Vyse discovered a beautiful basalt sarcophagus decorated with niches and a lid framed by a concave cornice. Ricke noticed a certain parallel between these decorations and those in the sanctuary of the god Anubis, and regarded them as an attempt to strengthen the protection of the tomb with the help of this deity. However, a sad fate befell the sarcophagus. The ship Beatrice, which carried him from Egypt to Great Britain, ran aground and sank between Malta and Spain.
The sarcophagus was discovered by Perring and Vyse. The side walls of the sarcophagus were carved in the palace facade-like style. The sarcophagus disappeared during transport at sea, off the coast of Spain.
Presumably, the sarcophagus originally stood in the centre of the burial chamber, because this position corresponded to its proportions. But it was moved, and was found near the west wall of the burial chamber. The sarcophagus was completely empty. It was made of well-polished brown basalt, which had a blue tint where it was chipped. Probably, the sarcophagus was sawn, and some kind of solid substance, for example, an abrasive, was used to make it. It is noteworthy that in Rome the art of cutting marble was not known until the late period. The sarcophagus was decorated with fine carvings, and the ornaments on it are somewhat reminiscent of the architectural decor in the tomb of the Numbers, and those carved into two blocks that are now on display in the British Museum and formerly belonged to the collection of Mr. Salt. There were no inscriptions or hieroglyphs on the sarcophagus. The lid was fixed with two pins in the usual manner, as well as in the form of a rounded "dovetail"; the metal plate seemed to have been inserted with such care that it was necessary to make a groove in the edge of the sarcophagus to insert the extraction lever. The lid was not found in the burial chamber. After clearing the antechamber, a large fragment of the sarcophagus lid was discovered at the entrance to the descending corridor. The weight of the sarcophagus was about 3 tonnes. The recovered sarcophagus and other discovered artifacts (bones, fragments of a wooden coffin) were sent to the British Museum. In the fall of 1838, the sarcophagus was loaded in Alexandria on a merchant ship, which is supposed to have sunk near the city of Carthagena (Spain). Nothing more was heard of the ship after its departure from Leghorn on October 12 of the same year.
Additional Data
A part of an anthropomorphic wooden coffin with the name of the pharaoh was discovered in the Pyramid, along with the remains of a royal mummy (ribs, vertebrae).
The presence of two descending corridors might suggest that initially the Pyramid was planned to be made much smaller or that the passage was intended as high as the Pyramid of Khufu. Stadelmann believes the upper corridor is a ventilation shaft for the workers.
The architectural and archaeological state of the Pyramid indicates that the underground system of its chambers has undergone significant changes. Borchardt noticed this at the end of the 19th century, and based on the fragments of wood found, he dated the Pyramid to the time of the Saite period. Subsequent studies of the Pyramid and the tombs of those members of the royal family who were his contemporaries, the studies of Mastabat Faraun and the stepped tomb of Khentkaues I - all this forces us to correct this theory. The construction of the Pyramid's interior was completed in three phases, during which the original layout was enlarged. Only at the last stage were the granite burial chamber and the niches associated with it built - most likely by order of the successor of Menkaur - Shepseskaf. Findings in the lower temple are proof of this hypothesis.
Among the documents of Mr. Salt, an excerpt from Edrisi was found, written in Year 623 CE, which read: "A few years ago the Red Pyramid, which is the Third, or smaller one, was opened on its lower tier on the north side; but it is not known who opened it ... They found in this basin, after they had broken its covering, the decayed remains of a man, but no treasures on his side, excepting some golden tablets inscribed with characters of a language nobody could understand. Each man's share gained from these tablets amounted to one hundred dinars" (translation by Mr. Burckhardt ). According to Perring's calculations, the centre of the Pyramid is 3 ft 3 in (0.99 m) south of the northern wall of the antechamber, and 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) west of the eastern wall of the antechamber.
The walls of the vestibule are decorated. The significance of these decorations, which is unusual for underground chambers built in the Old Kingdom, is a matter of controversy among Egyptologists.
A series of panels carved in the form of tall false doors are visible on the walls of the vestibule. This is the first completely decorative element inside a pyramid since the time of Djoser.
When discovered, the middle of the vestibule was blocked by large stones. The walls of the vestibule are lined in compartments and covered with white plaster.
The horizontal corridor slopes slightly downward and opens into an east-west oriented antechamber.
The lintel at the entrance to the main horizontal corridor, is hewn out in the form of a cylinder personifying a rolled reed curtain.
When discovered, the corridor was filled with sand up to two feet from the ceiling. The slope of the corridor is 4°; it leads from north to south from the vestibule and portcullises to the antechamber, where it opens into its northern wall.
When discovered, the antechamber was filled with stone debris. Here Perring and Vyse discovered a wooden coffin bearing the name of Menkaura. The inscription on it reads: "Osiris, king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Menkaure, may he live forever. Born in the sky, conceived by Nut, heir to Heb, his beloved. Your mother Nut prostrates over you in the name of her "Heavenly Secret". She made you a god, in the name of you, “god", O King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Menkaure, may he live forever”. This inscription is a variant of the well-known passage from the Pyramid Texts. The mummy and fragments of the coffin were transferred to the British Museum.
The rectangular antechamber oriented east-west, considered by some to be an earlier burial chamber. The antechamber was most likely built to maneuver the granite casing and ceiling beams of the real burial chamber. The eastern end of the antechamber is directly below the vertical axis of the Pyramid. Alomg with the fragments of the lid of the basalt sarcophagus in the antechamber, Vyse discovered human bones, linen wrappings and parts of a wooden coffin. The inscription on the coffin read: 'Osiris (deceased) Menkaure, given life for ever, born of the sky, the sky goddess Nut above you...'. The style of the coffin shows that it dates to the Saite period (Dynasty 26), and radiocarbon analysis of the bones suggests the Christian period. Both the coffin and the bones are now in the British Museum. Most likely, this 'burial' of Menkaure about 2000 years after he had lived and died, in fact, should be a reburial and may have to do with the inscription on the granite casing just below the entrance to the Pyramid. Diodorus Siculus mentions this inscription, but it was not discovered until 1968, when the base of the northern face was cleared of debris. It indicates the year (unfortunately damaged), month and day when Menkaure was buried in the Pyramid, and says that a rich burial was arranged for the king. According to one version, the inscription can be dated to the time of Khaemwaset, son of Ramesses II, who carried out numerous restoration activities on the Giza Plateau.
Architectural ornaments (pilasters) are visible in the antechamber on the west side of the vault. In the northwestern corner of the antechamber, a short passage leads to a low-ceiling space, which is located above the burial chamber itself. The distance from the ceiling to the upper edge of the upper horizontal corridor entrance is 1 ft 7 in (0.48 m). The floor of the antechamber was completely destroyed when discovered. The floor is at 34 ft 8 in (10.57 m) deep from the base of the Pyramid. The round holes on the sides and in the floor of the chamber were probably intended to support the scaffolding used in the final casing of the walls of the burial chamber, or to move the sarcophagus. At a distance of 17 ft (5.18 m) from the eastern end of the chamber, there is a descending corridor leading to the burial chamber. When Perring and Vyse cleared the antechamber, a large fragment of a basalt sarcophagus lid was found at the entrance to the descending corridor. Next to the lid were fragments of the upper part of a wooden coffin with hieroglyphic inscriptions, among which was the Menkaure cartouche, and on the stone block there were parts of the skeleton. The discovered skeleton consisted of ribs and vertebrae, as well as the bones of the legs and feet, wrapped in a coarse yellow woolen cloth, which contained a small amount of resinous substance and gum. Fragments of the coffin and tissue were still found in the trash. Since the sarcophagus could not be taken out of the Pyramid, probably only the wooden coffin was taken from the burial chamber to the antechamber for inspection. Whoever was the first explorer, it is clear that in the past, the Pyramid remained open for a considerable time, and Muslims often visited it, and then closed it for many years. At the western end of the antechamber, a recess was carved into the floor, probably for the sarcophagus. The distance of the recess from the west wall of the chamber is 2 ft 10 in (0.86 m), the distance from the north wall is 2 ft (0.61 m). Recess length 8 ft 7 in (2.62 m), width 3 ft 4 in (1.02 m) and 1 ft 3 in (0.38 m) deep. The depth of the recess from the level of the antechamber floor (part of the floor has now been removed around the recess) is 2 ft 7 in (0.79 m).
The antechamber is oriented east-west and its walls have no decorations. In the chamber, Vyse discovered the remains of an anthropomorphic wooden coffin named Menkaure, containing human bones. Many researchers accepted the version expressed by Kurt Sethe at the end of the 19th century that this was not the real coffin of Menkaure, but just a substitution during the Saite period. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the bone fragments are likely less than two thousand years old. In the western part of the antechamber, there is a rectangular recess in the floor, which suggests that it was originally planned to put a sarcophagus in this place.
The ascending corridor ends at the Pyramid masonry. Most likely, the Pyramid was originally planned to be smaller, and this corridor would have served as the original entrance.
The Pyramid was probably originally conceived on a much smaller scale as there is another descending corridor. It opens at the top of the northern wall of the antechamber and leads up to the original entrance, but is now a dead end.
The corridor runs over the lower descending corridor and also has a north-south orientation. Starting in the masonry at about the level of the base of the Pyramid, the corridor first goes through the bedrock and then becomes horizontal, eventually reaching the antechamber at the northern wall.
The corridor leads northwards up to the masonry of the Pyramid. It was carved from the outside (from the north), and from the inside (from the south). Consequently, the corridor had to be made before the other passages and before the Pyramid was built. The corridor was intended either to supply air to the stone cutters employed in the underground chambers, or it could have been originally intended for the usual entrance to the Pyramid. Later, for some reason, the plan could have been changed and the sides were plastered and built up with blocks. In search of other chambers at the end of the corridor, passages were cut in various directions.
A short corridor leads down from the centre of the antechamber westwards to the burial chamber.
The descending corridor cased with granite leads west from the antechamber, down to the burial chamber and the chamber with 6 niches.
A descending corridor leads from the antechamber down to a horizontal section that leads to the burial chamber.
The descending corridor, when discovered, had a large amount of debris, as well as black dust, apparently exuvia of insects and bats. There were several large, worn, shiny stones in the corridor. When it was cleared, it turned out that it was built of ramps with blocks laid on them. The blocks were laid after the sarcophagus had been placed in the burial chamber and covered with granite portcullis. The height of the ramp on each side is 2 ft 4 in (0.71 m), the width between the ramps is 2 ft 11.5 in (0.90 m), the width of the ramps is 11 in (0.28 m). The corridor entered the burial chamber from the east.
The corridor leads to the burial chamber, and on the right side of the corridor there is a chamber with 6 niches.
In the northern wall of the horizontal corridor near the entrance to the burial chamber, a short staircase leads to a chamber with 6 niches.
There is a niche in the south wall of the corridor (something similar is in the lower horizontal corridor in the Second Pyramid), and on the opposite side there is a flight of seven steps that leads to the south end of the chamber with 6 niches.
Despite a certain similarity with those chambers and niches that are in the Shepseskaf's Mastabat Faraun and in the stepped tomb of Queen Khentkaues I, their purpose remains unclear. According to Ricke, they were used for the burial of four canopic vessels containing the entrails of the king (on the east side) and the crown of Upper and Lower Egypt (on the north).
The roughly finished chamber with 6 niches (4 from the east and 2 from the north), possibly repeats the underground chamber of the Pyramid of Khufu. The chamber with niches may also be the forerunner of the standard three-niche eastern chamber in the pyramids of the 5th and 6th dynasties, which was most likely used to store offerings for the royal Ka. Niche dimensions: length - 2.57 m, width - 0.7-0.9 m, height - 1.4 m.
A flight of seven steps leads from the lower horizontal corridor to the southern end of the chamber with 6 niches. The seven steps are 6 ft (1.83 m) long, the steps are 3 ft 3 in (0.99 m) wide. The chamber with niches is 3 ft 3 in (0.99 m) below the corridor level. The chamber is rectangular, but it is not perpendicular to the burial chamber; it deviates 25° to the east at the northern end. The chamber has four niches or compartments on the east side and two on the north; one of the latter has an inclination, apparently with the aim of accepting/placing some kind of solid object of considerable length. The chamber was half filled with debris when discovered, and several Arabic letters were scrawled on the ceiling. The four niches on the east side are 2 ft 10 in (0.86 m) wide, 4 ft 10 in (1.47 m) high, 8 ft 3 in (2.51 m) deep. The two niches on the north side are 2 ft 2 in (0.66 m) wide, 4 ft 10 in (1.47 m) high, 8 ft 5 in (2.57 m) deep.
The floor of this low chamber is formed by the gabled roof of the burial chamber. The blocks extend from east to west, their ends are in deep grooves carved into the rock, and they are held in place by pieces of stone laid on top of them. The stones was partially covered with scraps of excrement that looked like white feathers, and was of the same nature as that found in the chambers of the Great Pyramid. The entrance to the short passage that leads to the chamber above the burial chamber was closed with masonry and covered with plaster. Later the masonry was destroyed. Probably, the burial was very visited, since the large masses of stone remaining inside it were worn out to a shine.
