ike that of Kheops, bore neither
the name of a king nor the representation of a god. The cover was fitted
so firmly to the trough that the Arabs could not succeed in detaching
it when they rifled the tomb in the year 1200 of our era; they were,
therefore, compelled to break through one of the sides with a hammer
before they could reach the coffin and take from it the mummy of the
Pharaoh.*

* The second pyramid was opened to Europeans in 1816 by
Belzoni. The exact date of the entrance of the Arabs is
given us by an inscription, written in ink, on one of the
walls of the sarcophagus chamber: "Mohammed Ahmed Effendi,
the quarryman, opened it; Othman Effendi was present, as
well as the King Ali Mohammed, at the beginning and at the
closing." The King Ali Mohammed was the son and successor of
Saladin.

Of Khephren's sons, Menkauri (Mykerinos), who was his successor, could
scarcely dream of excelling his father and grandfather;* his pyramid,
the Supreme--Hiru** --barely attained an elevation of 216 feet, and was
exceeded in height by those which were built at a later date.*** Up to
one-fourth of its height it was faced with syenite, and the remainder,
up to the summit, with limestone.****

* Classical tradition makes Mykerinos the son of Kheops.
Egyptian tradition regards him as the son of Khephren, and
with this agrees a passage in the Westcar Papyrus, in which
a magician prophesies that after Kheops his son (Khafri)
will yet reign, then the son of the latter (Menkauri), then
a prince of another family.

** An inscription, unfortunately much mutilated, from the
tomb of Tabhuni, gives an account of the construction of the
pyramid, and of the transport of the sarcophagus.

*** Professor Petrie reckons the exact height of the pyramid
at 2564 +-15 or 2580 +- 2 inches; that is to say, 214 or 215
feet in round numbers.

**** According to Herodotus, the casing of granite extended
to half the height. Diodorus states that it did not go
beyond the fifteenth course. Professor Petrie discovered
that there were actually sixteen lower courses in red
granite.

For lack of time, doubtless, the dressing of the granite was not
completed, but the limestone received all the polish it was capable of
taking. The enclosing wall was extended to the north so as to meet, and
become one with, that of the second pyram