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The pyramid’s date of construction is un-
known, because Menkaure’s reign has not
been accurately defined, but it was prob-
ably completed in the 26th century BC. It
lies a few hundred yards southwest of its
larger neighbours, the Pyramid of Khafre

and the Great Pyramid of Khufu in the Giza
necropolis.

Richard Vyse, who first visited Egypt in 1835, sarcophagus, described as beautiful and
discovered on 28 July 1837 in the upper an- rich in detail with a bold projecting cor-
techamber the remains of a wooden an- nice, which contained the bones of a young
thropoid coffin inscribed with Menkaure’s woman. Unfortunately, this sarcophagus
name and containing human bones. This now lies at the bottom of the Mediterranean
is now considered to be a substitute coffin Sea, having sunk on October 13, 1838, with
from the Saite period. Radiocarbon dating the ship Beatrice, as she made her way be-
on the bones determined them to be less tween Malta and Cartagena, on the way to
than 2,000 years old, suggesting either an Great Britain. It was one of only a handful of

all-too-common bungled handling[citation Old Kingdom sarcophagi to survive into the
needed] of remains from another site, or modern period. The lid from the anthropoid
access to the pyramid during Roman times. coffin mentioned above was successfully
Deeper into the pyramid, Vyse came upon transported to England and may be seen
a basalt today at the British Museum.

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Menkaure