Menkaure, a son of Khafre, built the third pyramid on the Giza Plateau. It is far smaller than the Great Pyramid, but its lowest sixteen courses were cased in granite, part of which was left with a rough, undressed surface: the casing was never finished.
His temples were completed in mud brick after his death. Excavating the valley temple in 1908–10, George Reisner’s expedition found celebrated sculpture, including the pair statue of the king with a queen and a series of triads showing Menkaure with the goddess Hathor and provincial deities. The workers’ town excavated by AERA south-east of the Sphinx was in use during the 4th Dynasty building programme.
Source note: Wikipedia, “Pyramid of Menkaure” (reference work consulted); AERA, “The Lost City of the Pyramid Builders”. Reign dates are approximate.
Key achievements
- Built the third and smallest of the main pyramids at Giza, partly cased in Aswan granite.
- Famous statue groups ("triads" and a pair statue with his queen) were found in his valley temple.
- The workers' town at Giza was in use during his reign.
