Old maps of Giza show anywhere from 2 to 11 pyramids, while today there are three main ones plus six subsidiary. Danish naval officer Frederic Louis Norden claimed a "fourth" dark stone pyramid near Menkaure. The video argues he was describing GIII-a, the easternmost of Menkaure's three subsidiary pyramids — the only true one — whose summit still carries a single squared block on a pedestal, just as Norden described. A theory, but a well-reasoned one. 🧱
Video argues Norden's "fourth black pyramid" was Menkaure's GIII-a subsidiary
EgyptTheory
Key facts
- Maps of Giza from about 200 years ago show varying counts of pyramids (2, 3, 4, 7 and even 11), reflecting what each mapmaker counted
- Giza today comprises three main pyramids and six smaller subsidiary pyramids, nine in total
- Norden disputed John Graves's description in Pyramidia that Menkaure's pyramid was covered with basalt, stating that the black-stone pyramid was instead the fourth pyramid
- Norden wrote on page 146 that the fourth pyramid was built toward the middle of a stone darker and harder than common granite, with stones 'wanting' to it lying in a heap at the northeast corner and a summit of yellowish limestone like Portland stone terminating in a cube
- Norden wrote on pages 120-121 that the fourth pyramid stood about 100 ft lower than Menkaure, was without casing, closed, had no temple, lay out of line slightly to the west, and ended at the top in a single great stone serving as a pedestal
- Norden also stated the pyramids were about 400 paces apart and that one opened subsidiary pyramid contained a square chamber 30 ft deep
- Howard Vyse proposed that Norden was referring to GIII-a, the easternmost of Menkaure's three subsidiary pyramids and the only one that is a true pyramid, the others being stepped; the video agrees GIII-a is the most likely candidate
- The video argues that drifting sand buried a lower granite belt on Menkaure while dark granite casing rubble lying near the site made GIII-a look darker than Menkaure's limestone core
- A large squared single block standing on a pedestal is visible on top of GIII-a, matching Norden's description of the fourth pyramid's summit
- The video notes a pyramid placed by Norden's 400-pace spacing could hardly have vanished entirely before Vyse and Lepsius worked at Giza roughly a century later
Sources
archive.org
Linked in video description
Norden's four pyramids. | Download Scientific Diagramresearchgate.net
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They are made of limestone and basalt slabs or just hard clay and small stones. Numerous patches of cleaner sand indicated the presence of graves.
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