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The pyramids of Mycerinus
Fourth dynasty, ca 2500 B.C.
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The modest height of the pyramid of Mycerinus, which
formerly reached 216 ft (66 m), may have been a
consequence of the demands made on the country’s
economic resources over decades by the mighty buildings
of the pharaoh’s processors.
Despite his quite long reign of almost 30 years, the
cult buildings of the pyramid could not be fully
completed either; in addition they were partly built of
mud bricks.
Excavations at the beginning of the 29th century by a
team from Harvard University, Boston. Brought to light
many statues of the king, including the famous triads
from the valley temple. Access to the burial chamber,
which was cut into the rock and clad with granite, is
along a simple corridor with an anteroom and three stone
port cullies devices. the mightily basalt sarcophagus
still stood in the burial chamber in 1837 , but sank in
the bay of Biscay with the ship carrying it when it was
being taken to the British museum in London .
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Entrance to the pyramids of
Mycerinus |
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While Cheops had his pyramid entirely faced with fine
limestone from the Tura quarries, the lower courses of
the pyramid of Chephren were red granite. This new
approach became even more marked in the building erected
for Mycerinus, where the lower 16 courses were faced
with granite blocks. limestone was still preferred as
the facing material for the upper courses : it provided
a clear color contrast in the outer appearance of the
pyramid , and it was probably no coincidence that red
and white were also the colors of the two parts of the
country : red stood for lower Egypt , white for upper
Egypt .
The granite blocks are neatly smoothed off only at the
entrance area on the north side of the pyramid which is
slightly above ground level. In the twenty – sixth
dynasty an inscription was added here, referring to the
restoration measures undertaken on what was already a
venerable building at the time.
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