Khufu
Khufu, also known as Cheops in Greek, was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the Fourth Dynasty around the 2500s BCE. He is most renowned for constructing the Great Pyramid of Giza, which served as a royal burial chamber and is celebrated as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Born Khnum-Khufwy, his name reflects devotion to the god Khnum, a significant figure in ancient Egyptian religion. Khufu ascended to the throne in his twenties after the death of his father, Sneferu, but little reliable information about his reign exists, leading to contrasting interpretations of his character and leadership style.
While some historical accounts depict him as a tyrannical ruler, others celebrate him as benevolent and philosophical. His architectural legacy, particularly the Great Pyramid, is marked by the use of approximately 2.3 million stone blocks, with construction estimated to have taken twenty-three years. The pyramid complex also included additional structures and features intended to assist Khufu in the afterlife. Despite the uncertainty surrounding his life, Khufu's legacy endured, with his spirit being venerated long after his death, and he continues to capture public imagination, recently being featured in a virtual reality exhibit that explores his life and monumental achievements.
Khufu
- Born: around 2,575 BCE
- Died: around 2,465 BCE
Significance: Khufu was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during Egypt’s Fourth Dynasty in the 2500s BCE. He is best known for building the Great Pyramid of Giza, a royal burial chamber that was later named one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Aside from this major accomplishment, little else is known about Khufu, and historians disagree even among themselves about the details of his life.
Background
Khufu was born in the early 2600s BCE in ancient Egypt with the full name Khnum-Khufwy, which means "Khnum protect me." Khnum was a central god in ancient Egyptian religion. Khufu was later known among Greeks by the name Cheops. He was the son of Sneferu, a pharaoh and the founder of ancient Egypt’s Fourth Dynasty, and Hetepheres I, queen of Egypt.
Sneferu died around the late 2500s BCE, leaving Khufu, probably in his twenties, to become pharaoh of Egypt. No reliable historical information exists that details Khufu’s personal qualities as pharaoh. Later Egyptian traditions and other literature assert conflicting stories about him.
Numerous sources—including the writings of the fifth-century Greek historian Herodotus—describe Khufu as a brutal and merciless tyrant who at one point forced one of his daughters into prostitution to generate more money for the royal family. Other sources, such as the ancient Egyptian Westcar Papyrus document, portray Khufu as a kind, friendly ruler who respected his subordinates and studied philosophical concepts such as human existence and magic.
Life’s Work
Khufu would go on to be remembered principally for a single accomplishment: his construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The pyramid was meant as an elaborate necropolis, or burial ground, for the royal Egyptian family. Khufu was the first pharaoh to establish a royal burial ground in the deserts of Giza, a site just a few miles south of the future city of Cairo.
Khufu named his nephew Hemiunu as head of the pyramid’s construction. Sources differ on the exact people who built the pyramid and under what conditions. Some ancient historical texts claim Khufu enslaved his own people and forced them to construct his pyramid.
Hebrew Scriptures and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible assert that the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites and compelled them into hard labor. Although the pyramids are not named in these texts, some Jewish people and Christians later came to believe the Israelites were made to build the Great Pyramid. Other, more modern sources argue that Khufu more likely used a conscription system, rather than enslavement, to enlist his people into building the pyramid.
The Great Pyramid is constructed of about 2.3 million stone blocks weighing between 2.5 and 15 tons each. The workers built up these blocks in increasingly small layers, filling in the spaces between them with plaster, until they created the point at the top.
The outermost layer of stones was white limestone, which would have made the pyramid appear smooth and bright. Over the pyramid’s point was a capstone that was probably gilded, or covered with gold paint. This would have made the top of the pyramid shine brightly in the sun and be visible for miles. Historians estimate that it took about twenty-three years, about the length of Khufu’s reign, to complete the pyramid. This means the workers would have had to set a new block on the pyramid every two and a half minutes.
The Great Pyramid eventually housed three separate burial chambers. The first is underground and carved out of bedrock. It was never finished, and its purpose remains unknown. The other two chambers are located inside the pyramid itself. A narrow passageway leads from outside the pyramid into the Grand Gallery, a long hallway with a ceiling that is twenty-six feet high.
A small passage leading off from the gallery opens into what is generally referred to as the Queen’s Chamber, although historians suspect it was meant not to hold the body of one of Khufu’s wives but rather a holy statue of Khufu himself. Finally, the Grand Gallery leads into the King’s Chamber, which held a sarcophagus, or stone tomb, meant for Khufu when he died. The sarcophagus was placed at almost the exact geometric center of the pyramid.
While the Great Pyramid was being constructed, Khufu also had numerous other structures built nearby in the larger burial ground complex. To the east of the pyramid were several boat pits, boat-shaped carvings in the ground that symbolized how Khufu would be transported to the afterlife. The rest of Khufu’s complex contained smaller pyramids, temples, and tombs for the members of the royal family.
Impact
Khufu died around 2566 BCE, having completed construction of the Great Pyramid. He proved to have a lasting influence on the ancient Egyptian people, as they still prayed to his spirit during Egypt’s Twenty-sixth Dynasty, some two thousand years after his death. Khufu’s Giza pyramid complex was later named one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the only one surviving into the twenty-first century, and a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.
In 2024, Khufu became the subject of a popular virtual reality exhibit called Horizon of Khufu. Created by the French software company Excurio in conjunction with the Giza Archives Project at Harvard University and presented by the European company Eclipso, Horizon of Khufu was an immersive virtual reality experience that allowed visitors to walk through the Great Pyramid of Giza, navigate the Nile River, explore Khufu's tombs, and learn about Khufu himself.
Personal Life
Khufu is believed to have had three wives. He had several sons and daughters. His immediate successor was his son Djedefre (also known as Radjedef).
Bibliography
Calvert, Amy. "Old Kingdom: Pyramid of Khufu." Khan Academy. Khan Academy. Web. 27 May 2016.
Cooper, Carly. "To Ancient Egypt and Back in 45 Minutes: What to Expect at the Horizon of Khufu Experience in Atlanta." Atlanta, 30 Apr. 2024, www.atlantamagazine.com/news-culture-articles/to-ancient-egypt-and-back-in-45-minutes-what-to-expect-at-the-horizon-of-khufu-experience-in-atlanta. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024.
"Great Pyramid." National Geographic. National Geographic Society. Web. 27 May 2016.
"Khufu (2609 BC–2584 BC)." BBC. BBC. Web. 27 May 2016.
Kratovac, Katarina. "Egypt: New Find Shows Slaves Didn’t Build Pyramids." U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News & World Report L.P., 12 Jan. 2010. Web. 27 May 2016.
"Memphis and Its Necropolis—The Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur." United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Web. 27 May 2016.
Schoch, Robert M. Voyages of the Pyramid Builders: The True Origins of the Pyramids, from Lost Egypt to Ancient America. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 2003. Print.
Silverman, David P., ed. Ancient Egypt. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Print.