Talk:Pyramid of Menkaure

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WikiProject Ancient Egypt to-do list:

Needed articles.

We should have an article on every pyramid and every nome in Ancient Egypt. I'm sure the rest of us can think of other articles we should have.

Cleanup.

To start with, most of the general history articles badly need attention. And I'm told that at least some of the dynasty articles need work. Any other candidates?

Standardize the Chronology.

A boring task, but the benefit of doing it is that you can set the dates !(e.g., why say Khufu lived 2589-2566? As long as you keep the length of his reign correct, or cite a respected source, you can date it 2590-2567 or 2585-2563)

Stub sorting

Anyone? I consider this probably the most unimportant of tasks on Wikipedia, but if you believe it needs to be done . . .

Data sorting.

This is a project I'd like to take on some day, & could be applied to more of Wikipedia than just Ancient Egypt. Take one of the standard authorities of history or culture -- Herotodus, the Elder Pliny, the writings of Breasted or Kenneth Kitchen, & see if you can't smoothly merge quotations or information into relevant articles. Probably a good exercise for someone who owns one of those impressive texts, yet can't get access to a research library.

/* Attempted demolition */ This section seems to have omitted the reason why they were trying to demolish it. That seems like a crucual part of the story to miss out. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.77.173.85 (talk) 14:48, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Controversey of Pyramid constructor

This document cites this pyramid was constructed by King Menkaure and mentions that Menkaure's name was found on coffin found within the pyramid. But goes on to say that the coffin was later found to be a 'replacement' from a later period (replacement for the original? why?). It even says the error in the dating could have been due to an 'all too common' mischap in the sample dating process (laughable exuse?) So the only evidence that this pyramid was built by menkaure is that there was name found on a coffin found inside the pyramid which was found to be from a later period ('a replacement') Can someone please provide some actual evidence to attach this pyramid to Menkaure or I think this article is due to major overhaul. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.167.243.169 (talk) 23:57, 22 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Coffin and Sarcophagus

The survey made by Howard Vyse took place in 1824 rather than in 1924! Shaqspeare 13:36, 19 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Can you enter this pyramid

Are there passageways to enter this pyramid? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.31.110.84 (talk) 23:43, 21 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Probably, but I doubt that just anyone can go inside. You probably need a PhD. The more interesting question is: Will anyone ever find the sarcophagus that was lost in transit? We know roughly where it sank, so why isn't anyone looking for it? Fuzzform (talk) 02:46, 2 April 2008 blah(UTC)

Only one of the pyramids to which entry is allowed?

"Menkaure's Pyramid is the only one of the Great Pyramids that tourists are allowed to enter. "

Wrong. I myself have entered Khafre's Pyramid, and I know a friend who has been into Khufu's. Should this be changed? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.36.75.86 (talk) 01:55, 24 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe it's just easier to get into. ~BRENT —Preceding unsigned comment added by 211.31.190.87 (talk) 12:49, 16 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Size and Construction

The article -- as of Sept 25, 2010 -- gives TWO contradictory measures of the base length of the Menkaure Pyramid -- 103.4 meters in the title of the illustration and 108.5 meters under the Size and Construction Heading. No reference is given to the surveyor(s) who came up with these numbers and I cannot find a single source for the 108.5 meters figure. That is pretty sloppy reference work. People interested in ancient metrology like more precise numbers. W.M. Flinders Petrie, in his famous "Pyramids and Temples of Giza" 1883 gives the base length as 4153.6 +/- 1.8 inches ( 105.50 meters +/- 4.6 cm ). There may have been later and more accurate surveys, but I am unaware of them. Donbury (talk) 23:47, 25 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I found the reference to 108.5 meters. It is from I.E.S. Edwards book, page 141, where he gives 356.5 feet (108.66 m) for the base length of the third Pyramid but does not reference the number to any survey. Edwards was a scholar but not a man who was particularly careful with numbers. I found many instances of numerical sloppiness in his book. I believe Petrie's figure of 4153.6 +/- 1.8 inches for the base (105.50 m) to be much more credible because he was an extremely careful surveyor. See "The Pyramids and Temples of Giza" by Flinders Petrie, section 80, page 111 for his discussion of the survey of the base of the Menkaure (Mycerinus) pyramid. Petrie's book is public domain and available on the internet.

The base length of the Third Pyramid is exactly 201 Royal cubits if we define the Royal Cubit as 7/6 of the standard Egyptian cubit of which there are 512 in the base of Giza's Great Pyramid. Note: there are two definitions of the Royal cubit. If we divide the base of the Great Pyramid into the conventional 440 cubits we are using definition (#1) which assumes that the Royal cubit is the remen times Sqrt(2) -- since there are 880 remens in the GP's diagonal. This Royal cubit is shorter than the Royal Cubit of definition (#2) where it is assumed to be 7 hands of the six handed standard Egyptian cubit of length 230.364m/512 = 449.297 mm -- which is 20.666 inches rather than the 20.633 inches that Petrie derived from his measurements of King's Chamber. Donbury (talk) 05:15, 29 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]