DW Podcast | Ancient Egypt - 08 – Pharaohs Khafre & Menkaure

The following is a DW Ancient Egypt production. In the last episode we focused on Khufu and the Great Pyramid. We left off at a brief reign of his son, Jetafri. He was succeeded by his half-brother, Khafre, who would build the Second Pyramid of Giza. The topics of this episode include Pharaoh Khafre, Khafre's Pyramid, The Great Sphinx, Pharaoh Menkaure and the Third Pyramid of Giza, Pharaoh Shepsiskeph and the Mastaba el-Faraon, and Queen Kint Khawaz. Pharaoh Khafre Pharaoh Khafre, who ruled from roughly 2558 to 2532 BC, is most famous for being the builder of the Second Pyramid of Giza. The actual length of his reign is believed to have lasted between 24 to 26 years, although the famous ancient Egyptian scholar Manetho wrote that it lasted 66 years. Khafre, whose name means appearing like Ra, may have been the younger son of Khufu and his consort, Hnutsen. As a result, Khafre had to wait for his older brother Jetafri's reign to end before ascending to the throne as the fourth ruler of the Fourth Dynasty. Khafre continued Jetafri's promotion of the sun god Ra's cult by adopting the title Son of the Sun and incorporating the god's name into his own. We have knowledge of several of Khafre's wives, including Meresankh III, daughter of his brother Khawab, and his principal wife, Kamaramneti I. His sons include Nekure, Sekhamkare, and Menkaure, who succeeded him and married Kamaramneti II, Khafre's daughter and Menkaure's sister. The mastaba tombs of nobles in Khafre's court provide clear evidence of Egypt's prosperity during his reign. The tomb of Prince Nekure, a king's son, contains a unique will to his heirs inscribed on its walls. This will bequeaths 14 towns to his heirs, at least 11 of which are named after his father Khafre. While his legacy is divided among his five heirs, 12 of the towns were designated for the prince's mortuary cult. It is known that Khafre engaged in foreign trade or diplomacy since artifacts dating from his reign have been discovered in Byblos, as well as in Ebla, Syria. He likely had diorite quarried in Tashka, Nubia, and possibly dispatched expeditions to the Sinai region. Although few inscriptions remain to fully comprehend Khafre's era of rule, he left behind some of ancient Egypt's most significant treasures. The lifelike diorite statue of Khafre found in his valley temple, now housed in the Egyptian Antiquities Museum, is such an example. He is portrayed as eternal, possessing an athletic physique in the prime of life, regardless of his actual age at the time of the statue's creation. This convention was typically followed by most pharaohs and their royal images, except for the notable exception of the heretic king Akhenaten in the New Kingdom. From the inception of kingship, the god Horus had been the main patron of the king, who was the god's earthly embodiment. That ideology survived into the Old Kingdom period. This statue, where the falcon god cradles pharaoh Khafre in his wings, is a vivid expression of this ideology. The falcon not only protects the king with his wings, but he also merges with the king, so that there is no distinction between the bird's breast and the back of the king's head. Mythology makes clear that the Egyptians saw Horus as the successor of Osiris, and that they equated the living king of Horus and the dead king of Osiris. Horus' lengthy struggle to wrestle kingship from the god Seth was one of the most elaborate tales of Egyptian mythology. The Old Kingdom pyramid texts would later allude to it, and over the next centuries into the Roman period, various versions of it appeared. As we mentioned earlier, the two gods were perpetual antagonists and seemed to have represented two competing ideologies that began in the early dynastic period. Khafre's Pyramid Khafre's layout of the temple complex, the valley temple, causeway, mortuary temple, and pyramid set the standard for the rest of the Old Kingdom royal tombs. To give the impression of a taller pyramid, Khafre built on slightly higher ground. At 447 feet, his pyramid was 33.5 feet smaller than Khufu's Great Pyramid. This pyramid does have the advantage of retaining some of its original Tura limestone casing on the upper courses leading to the apex. It was believed in classical antiquity that Khafre's pyramid was completely solid with no entrance or rooms inside. This pyramid actually contains two entrances, both on the north face. The lower descending passageway is carved completely out of the bedrock, descending, running horizontal, then ascending to join the horizontal passage leading to the burial chamber. There is a subsidiary chamber that opens to the west face of the lower passage, the purpose of which is uncertain. The upper descending passage is clad in granite and descends to join the horizontal passage to the burial chamber. The chamber is almost centrally located and cut from the rock at ground level. The roof is constructed of gabled limestone beams. Archaeologist Giovanni Belzoni entered this chamber on March 2, 1818. He was disappointed to find that medieval Arabs had previously entered. But even before this, the pyramid had been robbed in ancient times. All that remained in the chamber was a plain polished red granite sarcophagus sunk into the floor at the west end, which contained a few animal bones. Another pit in the floor likely contained the canopic chest. Its lid would have been one of the pavement slabs. Belzoni wrote his name and date of entry on the south wall and above the entrance before leaving. Along the center line of the pyramid on the south side was a satellite pyramid, but almost nothing remains other than some core blocks and the outline of the foundation. It contains two descending passages, one of which ended in a dead end, with a niche that contained pieces of ritualistic furniture. Though it is now largely in ruins, enough of the mortuary temple survives to understand the plan. It was larger than previous temples and was the first to include all five standard elements of later mortuary temples. An entrance hall, a columned court, five niches for statues of the pharaoh, five storage chambers, and an inner sanctuary. There were over 50 life-size statues of Khafre, but these were removed and recycled, possibly by Ramses II. The temple was built of megalithic blocks, the largest is an estimated 400 tons. A causeway runs 541 yards to the valley temple, which was very similar to the mortuary temple. Khafre's valley temple is the largest old kingdom structure to survive, other than the actual pyramids. It was built of local limestone, but the walls were veneered with great slabs of red granite stones brought from the quarries at Aswan, some 600 miles to the south. The square pillars of the T-shaped hallway were made of solid granite and the floor was paved in alabaster. The exterior was built of huge blocks, some weighing over 100 tons. In addition to his pyramid complex at Giza, it is widely believed among Egyptologists that he also constructed the Great Sphinx, bearing his likeness situated adjacent to his valley temple. The Great Sphinx The Great Sphinx, located west of Khafre's pyramid, is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt. As to whether Djedefre or Khafre constructed it is a matter of debate. The Sphinx was carved from the bedrock of the plateau, which also served as the quarry for the pyramids and other monuments in the area. A possibility is that the workmen, when building Khafre's causeway, ran into a huge sandstone rock, and instead of moving it, they carved out the Sphinx. If this is true, the Sphinx could be considered an accident, something not really planned. It is about 66 feet high and about 240 feet long. The Great Sphinx is one of the world's largest and oldest statues, but basic facts about it are still subject to debate, such as when it was built, by whom and for what purpose. For most of the last four and a half millennia it has been buried in sand. In roughly 1400 BC, Prince Tuthmosis cleared away the sand and erected a stele commemorating the event. The one meter wide nose on the face is missing. Examination of the Sphinx's face shows that long rods or chisels were hammered into the nose. One down from the bridge and one beneath the nostril, then used to pry the nose off towards the south. The Arab historian Al-Makrizi, writing in the 15th century, attributes the loss of the nose to a coniclasm by Muhammad Sayyam al-Da'a, a Sufi Muslim, in AD 1378. Upon finding a local peasants making offerings to the Sphinx in hopes of increasing their harvest, he destroyed the nose. And was later hanged for vandalism. There is a story that the nose was broken off by a cannonball fired by Napoleon's soldiers. Other variants indict British troops. But sketches of the Sphinx in 1738 show the Sphinx missing its nose and this predates Napoleon's birth in 1769. In addition to the lost nose, a ceremonial pharaonic beard is thought to have been attached, but this was most likely added in later periods after the original construction. Pharaohs wore false beards. They were usually clean-shaven, but it was a sign of authority to have a beard. During official occasions, they wore a straw or even a human hair beard that was plaited and with a chin strap. Even the powerful female rulers participated in this custom at times. The Sphinx has indentations indicating a chin strap. Fragments of red pigment are visible on areas of the Sphinx's face. Traces of yellow and blue pigment have been found elsewhere on the Sphinx, leading Mark Leonard to suggest that the monument was once decked out in gaudy comic book colors. The Sphinx has the head of a man and the body of a lion. To the ancient Egyptians, the Sphinx represented two things. The power of the lion and the intelligence of man. The lion during pharaonic rule was a sort of talisman or totem animal to the pharaoh. Later in Egyptian history, Rameses II was reported to have a pet lion with him when he went into battle. Pharaoh Menkaure in the Third Pyramid of Giza. In 2532 BC, Khafre was succeeded by his son Menkaure, who continued to build on the Giza Plateau. According to the Turin King's List, Menkaure ruled for 18 years. Minetho credits him with a massive 63-year reign, while some experts have suggested that he may have actually ruled for around 28 years. His eldest son, Prince Ku-Enra, died before him and he was succeeded by another of his sons, who completed his pyramid and mortuary temple at Giza. He constructed the smallest of the Great Pyramids, the Third Pyramid of Giza. With an original height of 228 feet, the small scale of this pyramid may have resulted from internal political problems during this time, most likely caused by the manpower and resources strained from the huge building projects of his father and grandfather. This pyramid was, however, built using more expensive material. The lower courses of the outer casing of the pyramid were built using red granite from a swan, and much of this survives today. On the northern face of Menkaure's pyramid is the sad scar from an attempted demolition of the pyramids by Cairo's rulers in the 12th century. The upper casing blocks were made of white Tura limestone, which made for an impressive looking monument. The original plan of the pyramid was for a structure of only 100 feet. This plan included a north entrance at ground level, but a new entrance had to be constructed once the expansion began. What was originally intended as a burial chamber, now simply became an antechamber. Colonel Howard Weiss entered the burial chamber in 1837 and found a lidless basalt sarcophagus. Inside was a substitute coffin from the Saite period. Both items were shipped to England, destined for the British Museum. Luckily they were shipped separately, because the ship carrying the basalt sarcophagus sank in a storm in 1838 shortly after leaving Leghorn. South of the pyramid of Menkaure are three satellite pyramids, which are each accompanied with a temple, and have a substructure. The southernmost is the largest and a true pyramid. Its casing is partly of granite, like the main pyramid, and is believed to have been completed due to the limestone pyramidium found close by. Neither of the other two progressed beyond the construction of the inner core. The mortuary temple of the pyramid was not complete when Menkaure died. Construction began with huge limestone blocks and large pink granite blocks. One of the limestone blocks to this temple is the largest to be found in the whole of the Giza necropolis and it weighs at least 220 tons. The foundation and the inner core of the mortuary temple were composed of limestone. The floors and walls were to be clad in granite as well as limestone. However, Shepseskef used mud brick to complete the building. The causeway was partially constructed by Shepseskef after Menkaure's death, but it seems that it was not completed. It halts at the west side of Khafre's quarry, and we do not know for sure whether it connected to the valley temple or ran along the west wall of the temple. The foundations of the valley temple were made of stone, but the building was finished with rough bricks. It is thought that the west part of the base and the lower courses of the core of the north wall were built during Menkaure's lifetime, but the rest was built by Shepseskef. Behind the entrance there was a square antechamber with four columns whose alabaster bases were recovered from the site. Through this chamber the temple opened out into a wide courtyard with a series of niches in the inner walls. A path paved with limestone blocks ran from the entrance chamber through the courtyard to a stair which led to a portico with two rows of wooden columns and an offering hall. On the north side of the offering hall there were eight storerooms and on the south side there were a further seven storerooms. Many of the beautiful statues of Menkaure recovered from the site were found in these storerooms. There were also statues of the king standing with province deities, including a number of fragments which may suggest there was once such statuary for each gnome. The workmanship of these statues, which are now in the Egyptian Antiquities Museum in Cairo, is very high, particularly considering the difficulty of this type of stone. However, many of the statues that were discovered were not completed, as was his pyramid which was later finished by his son and successor, suggesting that Menkaure may indeed have met a sudden death. It has also been suggested that his valley temple, which was also not completed prior to the king's death and was also probably completed by his son, was expanded during the 5th and 6th dynasties, suggesting that his cult following was very important and enduring. Pharaoh Shepsiskef and the Mastaba el-Faraon. In 2503 BC, Menkaure was succeeded by his son Shepsiskef, who had a short reign of only about four years. He returned to the 3rd dynasty burial ground at Saqqara and constructed the Mastaba el-Faraon, which was based on the earlier constructions of the kings before the pyramids. This Mastaba was 327 feet long and 244 feet wide. The Mastaba is oriented north to south and set within a large double enclosure wall of mud brick. The entrance has much in common with the standard pyramid entrance. It is set into the north wall about two and a half meters above ground level, with a small entrance hall leading to a descending pink granite corridor which was once plugged with large granite blocks. The entrance corridor leads to an antechamber, burial chamber, and small storerooms. The mortuary temple does not resemble those of the pyramids of his predecessors. It stands in front of the east wall oriented north to south and, despite its relatively small size, seems to have been built in two phases. There is a small open courtyard paved with limestone in the eastern half of the structure, which once had an altar in the northwest corner. The western half of the temple is shaped like an inverted T and included a false door and a number of small storage rooms. No statue niches have been found in the temple, but a fragment of a statue of Shepseskhef was found here. The causeway does not lead directly to the entrance of the temple, but rather to the southeast corner and along the south wall before emerging into the courtyard surrounding the It was composed of whitewashed mud bricks decorated to resemble a corridor with a vaulted ceiling. The valley temple has not been constructed and there are no tombs of officials or family members to the king, which raises more questions to the circumstances of the construction of this tomb. Queen Kentkawe. Shepseskhef's half-sister Kentkawe chose to have a similar style monument, but she built hers back in Giza. Her mastaba is believed to be the last royal tomb that was constructed at the necropolis. Her tomb is a large two-step structure, which was initially thought to have been an unfinished pyramid, which was ascribed to Shepseskhef. It was referred to by some as the fourth pyramid of Giza. Egyptologist Carl Lepsius, however, considered it to be a private tomb and gave it the designation LG100. When it was excavated in 1932 by Hassan, it became clear that it belonged to Queen Kentkawes I. Entry to the tomb was by a massive pink granite doorway in the southeast decorated with the name and titles of Kentkawes. The underground part of the tomb resembled the layout of Mint Qadri's pyramid and also bore some similarities to the Mastaba el-Firon of Shepseskhef. It consisted of a large antechamber, six small magazines, and the burial chamber, which was lined with pink granite. Other than some small fragments of alabaster, possibly from the sarcophagus, no trace of the queen's burial remained. A small brown limestone scarab, dated tentatively to the 12th dynasty during the Middle Kingdom, was found here, prompting the speculation that the tomb was used for later burials. The second step was not part of the original building. It seems to have been added at the beginning of the 5th dynasty, possibly in recognition of a change in status of the queen. The limestone step was not placed directly over the center of the tomb as its weight would probably have damaged the substructure, but instead it's offset to the east. The outer walls were clad in fine white limestone and a perimeter wall of whitewashed plaster was placed around the tomb. To the east of the pyramid lies one of the oldest planned settlements in Egypt. The Pyramid Town was arranged along the causeway which connected the pyramid and the valley temple and provided housing for the priests and workers who ran her mortuary cult. The houses were constructed from unbaked mud brick, decorated with yellow plaster, and had their own granaries and storerooms. The city was probably the home of the priests and servants of the pyramid complex. The southern extension comprised of a large structure which could either be the house of an overseer or possibly even a dummy palace. Constructed towards the end of the 4th dynasty or the early 5th dynasty, there is evidence that it was a thriving settlement well into the 6th dynasty. The valley temple lies due south of the southern extension and merges into the valley temple of Menkaure. Its proximity to the tomb of Menkaure is one of the reasons that many consider him to be her father. By occupying this site at the edge of the wadi, which provided access to the Giza Plateau, Kent Kawez seems to have made herself the symbolic gatekeeper of the Giza necropolis. Queen Kent Kawez married Usserkov who would take Egypt into a new direction during the rise of the 5th dynasty. Thank you for joining us.