Triads of Menkaure
These three schist triads of Menkaure were found by the Egyptologist George Reisner in the valley temple of Menkaure near his pyramid in Giza.
The triads was discovered in 1908 in the valley temple of Menkaure in its own hierarchical group, and 5 were found and it is believed that they were eight as there are eight places allocated for them there, in the eight corridors of the temple.
1- In this triad, the king can be seen standing, the muscles of his body well defined, wearing the white Hedjet crown of Upper Egypt, a false beard, and a short kilt. His left leg strides forward, in the conventional manner.
The goddess Hathor, to his right, holds his hand, identifiable by the cow’s horns and sun-disc that surmount her wig, and by the inscription below, which reads, Hathor, Lady of the Sycamore Tree in all her places.
To his left stands a personification of the Diospolis Parva Nome (Hu district) of Egypt, herself identifiable by the standard above her head.
2- Menkaure in the center, accompanied by Hathor on his right, standing with her hands at her sides.
The personification of the Theban Nome stands to his left, presented as a short man with his left leg advancing forward, and his arms down by his sides.
As with the other Nome personification described above, he is identifiable by the standard above his head. The king’s beard has broken off.
3- This piece shows the king accompanied by Hathor and a Nome Goddess with the crouching jackal emblem of the nome of Cynopolis. Menkaure is wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt.
It was believed that they were placed in each region of Egypt, but this is an exaggeration, and the five were found in good condition, except for one completely broken and the other almost intact, and there are now three of them in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and two in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (11.1738 – 09.200.1)
Photo: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Menkaure was the fifth king of the 4th Dynasty. These are the oldest triads in the history of ancient Egyptian statuary.
Old Kingdom, 4th Dynasty, ca. 2530-2500 BC. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 46499, JE 40679, JE 40678
