Pharaoh Menkaure Egyptian
Valley of the Ancient Temples
King Menkaure and Queen
Pharaoh Menkaure during the Egyptian period 2490–2472 BC King Menkaure also known as Mycerinus of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt the fifth king is an ancient deity in ancient Egyptian history. The dark stone surfaces of the statues smooth and polished in the physical form of the ancient Egyptian period create a sense of eternity through the quiet passage of time. The nearly life size statue of Pharaoh Menkaure and Queen built between 2490–2472 BC is the most prominent from ancient Egypt Built on a natural rock layer part of a large and mysterious pyramid structure the three main pyramids at Giza were built during the heyday of the so-called Old Kingdom.
The Giza Plateau southwest of Cairo serves as the burial site of the most powerful Egyptian pharaohs as well as a memorial to the deceased pharaohs of Egypt.These three were discovered in 1908 in the Valley Temple of Menkaure In the image the left foot steps forward and wears the white hetjet crown of the Upper Egyptians These three were discovered in 1908 in the Valley Temple of Menkaure. In the image the left foot steps forward. There were five in total and it is believed that there were eight in total as there were eight seats arranged on the eight aisles of the Valley Temple of Menkaure's pyramid. According to Egyptian archaeologists the five statues are still relatively intact except for one that is broken.
Noam, the goddess Hathor from the Valley Temple of the Pyramid of Menkaure / Image smarthistory.org
Three Menkaure Gods
In the southwest corner of the structure the team discovered a beautiful statue carved from a smooth dark stone called greywacke or slate There were several triads each representing three people the king the goddess Hathor who was of great importance and a person named Nome a geographic designation similar to the modern concept of a region district or province. Hathor was worshipped in the pyramid temple complex along with the supreme sun god Re and the god Horus who represented the living king. The goddess’s name was actually Haut-Hor which means House of Horus and she was associated with the wife of the living king and the mother of the future king.
Statue of Goddess Hathor at the British Museum London
Hathor was also a fierce protector who protected her father Ra. As the Eye of Re a title given to the group of dangerous goddesses she was able to represent the sun’s heat and use its blazing fire to destroy his enemies There are four complete triads one incomplete triad and at least one more incomplete triad The precise meaning of these trinities is unclear Reisner believes there was one trinity for each ancient Egyptian gnome meaning that there were likely more than 30 trinities originally However recent research suggests that there were originally eight trinities each associated with an important site related to the cult of Hathor Hathor's prominence in the trinity she is in the center in one image and her unique significance to the royal position lend weight to this theory
Menkaure, Hathor (left) and a Noman goddess
From the Valley Temple of Menkaure's Pyramid / Giza, Ancient Egypt
Menkaura has three similar statues all three of which are believed to be modern gods There are believed to be eight in total each of which is an Egyptian dwarf an important place of worship for Hathor Three statues have been found in the ruins of the temple of Menkaura in the valley showing the goddess seated on a throne but larger than the group of gods The pharaoh and the goddess Hathor who represents the sun god and the god Napoleon appear to be of equal height The goddess of the early bulls her name means feminine power or feminine spirit and was an important deity in the late dynastic and early Egyptian history
The Pyramid of Menkaure is the smallest of the three main pyramids of the Giza pyramid complex.
The seventh goddess of Upper Egypt called the Sistrum House was located at the mouth of the Nile River to the south-north around Nag Hammadi or the Dendara region where Hathor was located The technical expertise of pyramid building remained only in the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom whose large statues still survive Pharaoh Menkaura of the Fourth Dynasty is known as the builder and former occupant of the third and smallest of the three pyramids at Giza. His reign was also marked by artistic talent even at this early stage in Egyptian history Among the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom only the earlier Pharaoh Shephren and the slightly younger Pharaoh Djoser have large statues left
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