Originally
it was thought that this pyramid had never
been completed, but the current archaeological
consensus is that not only was it completed,
but that it was originally about the same
size as the Pyramid of Menkaure —
the third largest of the Giza pyramids.
On this basis Djedefre's edifice would
have claimed the title of the fourth or
fifth largest pyramid in Egypt. Unfortunately
its location adjacent to a major crossroads
made it an easy source of stone, and quarrying
— which began in Roman times —
continued until as recently as the early
20th century. Today little remains apart
from a few courses of stone superimposed
upon the natural hillock that formed part
of the pyramid's core — although
a small adjacent satellite pyramid is
in a better state of preservation.
Originally
it was thought that this pyramid had never
been completed, but the current archaeological
consensus is that not only was it completed,
but that it was originally about the same
size as the Pyramid of Menkaure —
the third largest of the Giza pyramids.
On this basis Djedefre's edifice would
have claimed the title of the fourth or
fifth largest pyramid in Egypt. Unfortunately
its location adjacent to a major crossroads
made it an easy source of stone, and quarrying
— which began in Roman times —
continued until as recently as the early
20th century. Today little remains apart
from a few courses of stone superimposed
upon the natural hillock that formed part
of the pyramid's core — although
a small adjacent satellite pyramid is
in a better state of preservation.
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