Episode 8: That Which I Own – The History of Egypt Podcast

Menkaure and the Third Giza Pyramid.

The furious work at Giza continues, as Khafre’s son Menkaure takes the throne. Opting for a smaller – but more exquisitely constructed – monument, the new king’s reign heralds the more moderate phase of pyramid construction.

The small size of this monument may reflect the strain being placed on the Egyptian economy, a system not particularly similar to our own. We investigate.

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An alabaster head of Menkaure, discovered in his Valley Temple at Giza — An alabaster head of Menkaure, discovered in his Valley Temple at Giza
Source: the Boston Museum of Fine Arts

A restored statue of Menkaure, discovered in pieces at Giza — A restored statue of Menkaure, discovered in pieces at Giza
Source: the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Read about the restoration and modern conservation of this statue here.

The monument of Khafre, viewed from the mortuary temple adjoining its eastern face — The monument of Khafre, viewed from the mortuary temple adjoining its eastern face
Dominic Perry, 2013

The pyramid of Menkaure viewed from the north-east

Bibliography

Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt, 1994 (Amazon).
Erik Hornung, Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt: the One and the Many, 1996 (Amazon).
Barry Kemp, Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization, 2005 (Amazon).
Mark Lehner, The Complete Pyramids, 2008 (Amazon).
Gay Robins, The Art of Ancient Egypt, 2008 (Amazon).
John Romer, A History of Egypt: from the First Farmers to the Great Pyramid, 2013 (Amazon).
Robert Wenke, The Ancient Egyptian State, 2009 (Amazon).