Pièce Petrie MSS 5.5.19e - Notes on Granite Temple

1 page

Giza (Gîza). Pyramid Complex of Khafra (Khafre; Khephren). Valley Temple.
Notes opposite photographs on page 19 which read:
'The Granite Temple stands on the plain at the foot of the pyramid hill of gizeh; and was about 40 or 50 feet high, when unencumbered originally. It had probably two entrances, one at the N.E., and one at the S.E. corner; and from the N. end of the W. side a causeway led askew out of the temple, directly (No 365) up to the door of the temple on the E. side of the Second pyramid, which is exactly similar to it in the character of the building. This granite temple consisted of a great hall of granite with colonades (No 376) about 22 1/2 feet high; and on the roof an open court of limestone, now stripped of its casing all but one corner (No 368). The great hall is T shaped, 77 feet long & 86 feet across. The lesser hall is 60 feet long and 12 1/2 ft wide. The court on the top is 103 feet by 86 feet.
The fact of a skew passage being part of such a regular and well-oriented building, shews a strong necessity for it; and therefore that the place to which it led must have been built before this temple; which must then be after, or in the end of the reign of Chefren of the fourth dynasty. The great statue of Chefren in the Bulak Museum was found, with smaller statues, in a well in the lesser hall; the cynocephalus ape now lying there is probably the oldest idol known.
Thought the Sphinx is placed near this temple it has no known connection with it.

In the bottom right hand corner of the page there is also the note: 'See over for plan.'.

Copyright Griffith Institute, University of Oxford