tf 



I'YKAMID. 



1'YKAMIP. 



HI 



the Christian en. The pyramids in recent time* hare been visited 

 and described by travellers since Beloniu- 



The wcond pyramid, called the |iynuniil of ('ephrcn, w.v- built by 

 that monarch, who reigned, according to II. i .I..tn. (6, and Manetho, 

 66, and the Canon of Turin give* the length of hi* life as 95 years. 

 The base of this pyramid is elevated 83 ft. '. in nlxive that i.f the great 

 pyramid, or nearly 'l7i! ! 1 "f tin- high Nile. Th. 



base measurtd 7"7 ft. !' in., but it Ol'o ft. !' in. ; tho 



height was formi > in., but is i.o-.v 1 17 it. 6 in., the inclined 



was 57-' ft C in., now diminished by '.' ft, ; the angle is 52 '. 

 apex is 9 ft. square, the casing ban tin- top KtO i It i- 



placed in an excavation made in the solid ruck. Belzoni, after great 

 ns, succeeded in opt-niug this pjnniid, wUeh hM two iacunad 

 entrances, one in the inavomy oi 'he p\ ramid itself 37 fl- 8 in. al>ovc 

 the base, at an angle of -.V 55', an< ' in. long ; the lower one 



IMS ft 4 in. long, at an angle of 21 40', placed before the base, both 

 leading to a sepulchral chamber of 40 ft. -J in. by 1(1 ft. _' in. .and HI ft 3 in. 

 high, with a roof of the same shape as the pyramid, in w hich was found 

 granite sarcophagus 8 ft. 7 in. lung, 3 ft. 65 in. wide, and 3 ft. high, 

 close to the S. and W. sides of tin- clamber, on which was found :i 

 Cutic inscription, recording the visit of the Caliph Othuinn, nnd thr 

 opening of the pyramid by him in A.M. 1 1 !'<i-7. Some bones of a bull. 

 but no human remains were found in this pynmiid. Tin- two lower 

 tiers of the exterior and entrance have fresh coatings of granite. Un- 

 casing u hard stone of MokaUam. The masonry is formed of blocks 

 and rubble. 



The third pyramid was built by Menkare. the Myceriuus of Hero- 

 dotus, Mencheres of Hanetho, and Moscheria of Eratosthenes, the third 

 king of the 4th dynasty. A level for the site was obtained by a sub- 

 struction more than 10 ft deep, laid to the west, consisting of two 

 tiers of immense blocks." Tli<> entrance of this pyramid was discovered 

 by Colonel Howard Vyse, in July 1837, at a height of 13 feet 

 above the base, and measuring 8ft 5} in. by 3 ft ll.J in. The 

 passage appears to have been forced by the Mamelukes. The base 

 measured 354 ft 6 in., the perpendicular height 218 ft, its angle was 

 51. The passage entered at 26 2', ran for 104 feet, and led to an 

 ante-room of 10 ft. 6 in. by 12 ft. and 7 ft. high, covered with white 

 plaster worked in comportments, passing thence to three portcullises, 

 a passage of 41 ft. 3 in. long, 3 ft. 5A in. broad, and 5 ft. 10 in. high, 

 led thence, at an angle of 4, to the so-called large apartment, measur- 

 ing 46 ft 3 in. long by 12 ft. 7 in. broad, about 15 ft. high, in which 

 was a place for a sarcophagus. A passage of 4 ft 9 in. high thence 

 descended for 30 ft. to a portcullis which closed the sepulchral chamber 

 of 21 ft Sin. by 8 ft 7 in., and 1 1 ft. 3 in. high, lined with granite, 

 containing a sarcophagus of whinstoue, of 8 ft long by 3 ft. 1 in. broad, 

 and 2 ft 11 in. high, ornamented with plain architectural ornaments 

 similar to those seen in tombs of the 4th dynasty. A room 1 7 ft. 6 in. 

 long by 6 ft 3 in. broad, and 6 ft. 7 in. high, containing niches, was 

 reached by a series of 7 steps. The Large apartment had an ascending 

 passage similar to the first, of 80 ft. 4 in. in length by 3 ft. 5i in. 

 broad, and almost 4 ft high. 



The sarcophagus in the sepulchral chamber was subsequently re- 

 moved by Colonel H. Vyse, and sent to the British Museum, but lost 

 at sea off Carthagena ; fragments of the lid were found in the entrance 

 of the passage to the large apartment, and close to it portions of a 

 mummy case of cedar, of the usual shape, inscribed with the name of 

 the king Menkare, and a prayer to the goddess Ku, and part of 

 with a woollen garment, supposed by some to be the body of the 

 monarch, by others that of an Arab. The casing of this pyramid In - 

 been nearly all removed ; according to Herodotus, it extended half 

 way up of Ethiopian stone, but the greatest height of the black granite 

 is now 36ft bin. on the went side ; according tin -re were 



only 15 layers of granite. The name of its builder, according to the 

 name, was inscribed on its north side. According to Manetho, Men- 

 cheres reigned 63 years. It is evident that, on account of the increased 

 length of reign, an important alteration took place in the construction 

 nf th; the increasing masonry having extended beyond the 



mouth of the first or upper passage, rendering necessary the con- 

 struction of the second inclined passage and the present sepulchral 

 chamber, in place of the large apartment originally destined for 

 that purpose, the old red granite sarcophagus having been broken 

 in ]'iecea for the purpose of removal, and a new sarcophagus made for 

 the lower chamber. The chiselling of the upper passage, which is 

 from the outside, and that of the lower inclined passage, which i- n-.n, 

 the inside, show that this passage was worked after the completion of 

 the masonry. The third pyramid is better constructed than the 

 others. 



The former height of the fourth pyiamid of fiizeh, the central, south 

 of the third, was 60 ft 6 in., the length of the base on the rock, 102 ft 

 6 in. ; it had an inclined postage of 27 ft leading to an ante-room, and 

 another 11 ft. 8 in. long, leading at an angle of 27* to a small sepulchral 

 chamber, in which was on empty granite sarcophagus 6 ft. 8 in. long ; 

 in it waa found the cartouche of Kamcnka, or Mycerinus, and it wan 

 supposed to have contained the wife or daughter of thai i 

 The fifth, or eastern pyramid, south of the third, formerly hod a 

 square base, 145ft. '.'in., a height of 8'! ft. I in., an im-limd p >,!:; 

 of 27 12', of 86 ft. 9 in., and a horizontal one of 4 ft., leading to an 

 apartment 25 ft by 10ft. 5 in., containing a sarcophagus of granite 



above 8ft long; part of the 112th chapter of the Koran was found to 

 have been formerly scrawUxl in it ) '' visitant. Th. 



or west' (.south of the third, is li'Jit. r.i- t base, 



in. liiL'h. with a passage of 30' i mining 47ft '.'in. vi'l. an 

 ante-room and sepulchral chamber. The .-< \.nth i uamid. north-east 

 of the groat pyramid, was formerly 111 ft. high, and 17'J ft. << in. 

 square, with an entrance passage <<i long, incl,: 



leading to an ante room and i-cpulchral chamber, \vithout any sarco- 

 phagus. The eighth, central, east of great pyiamid. of neaily the 

 same dimensions, had had an entrance passage 37ft 1- 

 34 5', leading to an ante-room and sepulchral chamber. The ninth, 

 ist of the great pyramid, completing the Cizeh group, measures 

 only lul ft. |i in. on a base 160 ft. square, with a paswu- 

 inclined 28, to a . hamber. The entrances of all these 



pyramids were placed in front of the north face, generally at a little 

 M from tin- base. 



The two largest pyramids were considered by the ancients one of 

 the man-els of the world, and to be, as they actually are. sepulchres ; 

 but many absurd notions have been put forth by moderns as to tlx-ir 

 object, which has been supposed to have l.,.n to : >nphU 



from the <n. loachments of sands, or imitation of Hindu edit,. 

 to square the circle, or vast reservoirs to purify the waters of th 

 the I inrial place of Apis, or the granaries of Joseph. The bestn 

 hypothesis was, that the pyramids were for astronomical obsen 

 and that the pole star was seen from the inclined ]-assage, but it has 

 been proved by Sir J. Herschel, that the pole star, a Draconis, of lin- 

 age of Cheops, could never have l.ien seen from the inclined passage. 

 It is, however, generally agreed that the pyramids of this group are all 

 of the age of the 4th dynasty, older than 2000 years B.C. 



A' Aboil Koash, five miles N.W. of Gizeh, is a ruined pyramid 

 of stone 320 ft square at the base, without its casing, with a pas- 

 sage of 160 ft. at 22 35' inclination, leading to a sepulchral chamlicr 

 40 ft. by 15 ft., with chambers of constmction ; red illegible quarry 

 marks were found in this pyramid. Another at Zowyet el Arrian, made 

 of limestone from the neighbouring lulls, is so rude in const 

 destroyed as to have the appearance of a circular hill about ;'.' 

 broad, 61 ft. high above the rock. That of Keegah, situated near a 

 deserted village of that name, about three-quarters of a mile X.W. of 

 pyramid of Abooseer, composed of finer masonry cased with jj ; 

 rose at an angle of 75 20' with an upper part of Mokattam si- 

 52, and 123ft 4 in. square. Some Fculptured stone, found N.K.. 

 had the names of Usren-Ka, king of the 3rd dynasty. At Abooseer 

 are the remains of five pyramids the Northern, cased with 

 Tourah limestone, had a base of 257 ft., reduced now to '-il'! ft., ami 

 rose 162 ft. 9 in., now reduced to 118 ft, at 51 42' 35" : it had .. 

 passage of 27 5' inclination, with an apartment in the centre with a 

 destroyed sarcophagus of black basalt, and the name of l!a-sahu or 

 Sahu-ra, king of the 3rd dynasty, was found in this pyiamid. The 

 middle pyramid, of rather larger dimensions, contained the n 

 the monarch Ra-Usr, of the 3rd dynasty. The great pyramid had 

 been cased with granite. Its original base appears to hav> 



'.' in. ; now it is 325 ft, and it rose 237 ft. 10 in. high, now 

 only 1'Uft; layers of split reeds painted red were found on tli 

 of the passage. The quarry marks contained the name and titl- 

 functionary. The small pyramid lias only a base of 54 ft. ti in., and 

 was anciently only 78 ft. square. At Sakkara are eleven pyiamid.- all 

 built of stone, approached by inclined causeways from the plains 

 and much decayed, except the large step-formed p i that 



to the N.K. In the second pyramid remains of a plain basalt sarco- 

 phagus were found. The third step-'-haped 01- great pyiamid had an 

 1 with timbers, furnished with a hidden chamber. 

 Its old base had been 351 ft. 2 in. by 393 ft. 11 in.; it i 

 196 ft. 6 in. high. The doorway or entrance was encrusted with 

 coloured porcelain tiles worked into an inscription containing the 

 name and title of the monarch Ita-nub-tam or probably tl 

 Gneuros of Eratosthenes. The fifth was entirely buili 

 stone. The inscriptions in the third pyramid show that it was made 

 fora high officer of state. At Dashour are five pyramids th' 

 stone and two of brick. The northern briok pyramid, tupposad to b* 

 that of the Asychis of Herodotus, whose inscriptions boasted it 



i to the stone pyramids as Jupiter to the oil >merly 



218ft. and now i'O ft high, had a base of 350 ft. at an in 



25". This pyramid was anciently cased with stone, and had 

 a portico of the same material, a portion of which was found, as also the 

 end of a royal name resembling that of a king of the 12th dynasty. 

 nth brick pyramid, much destroyed, is mode of bricks mixed 

 with straw and rubbish ; it was cased witli Mokattam stone, anil the 

 -onth stone one hod an inscription with the name of a functionary. 

 Two ruined stone pyramids are at Lisht ; anoth called 



the false pyramid, which has not been opened, is supposed to belong to 



dynasty ; that of Illahoun, also made of brick and 



that of llovvara, also of brick, has been cased with stone, has no 



inn. but has been attributed to the 1st dynasty, whose 4th king 



\ on ph. s 01 Ycncphras is said to have erected a p\ r.nnid at Kokome; 



those of Biahmoo, at Medinat El Kayoum, two in number, appear to 



en the sepulchres of Ameiiemha IV., and .'< bcknefiu or 



Scemiophris, placed in the lake Jlo-ris. near the Labyrinth, in the 



Arsiuoite nome at Crocodilopolis. According to some these pyramids 



