Son of Snofru by queen Hetepheres I, father of Khafre and Djedefre the great pharaoh Khufu was the builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza. The Turin Canon records 23 years of rule and Manetho (priest of Heliopolis) writes that about his reign for 63 years.
Unfortunately, besides the Great Pyramid Complex, which can be found in saqqara, there are few archaeological sites, artifacts and more importantly primary texts which shed more light about King Khufu’s reign in the fourth dynasty. Therefore, this paper aims to look at the possible primary sources which give us more information about his life. The kind of sources that I will be looking at are descriptions and stories in the Westcar Papyrus (most likely in the Middle Kingdom), writings of the Greek philosopher Herodotus (5th century BC)1 and writings of priest Mantheo (3rd century BC)2. However these primary sources were written much after Khufu’s recorded death and since they were developed over time as many such evidences tend to be, they become distorted and the descriptions highlight a cruel and godless pharaoh, which means not much about his life is actually noted.
The Palermo Stone which is one of seven surviving fragments of a stele known as the Royal Annals of the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, mentions the existence of a colossal statue which is approximately seven meters high and another statue which is made of pure gold which could potentially be King Khufu. The evidence suggested by the Palermo Stone could be compared with stories written by Herodotus, which describes King Khufu as a tyrant who harassed his people by forcing them to build colossal structures. Other primary sources which will be analyzed to uncover facts about King Khufu, are traces found at Bubast...
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...higher ranking positions. This explains as to how Khufu’s son Rahotep became high priest of Re, his nephew Hemiunu had the title ‘greatest of the five of the House of Thoth’ and his half-brother was second vizier. This way Khufu was able to gain a lot of power.
From the primary texts that have been interpreted in this paper, it is possible to conclude that King Khufu was a key figure in the changes that ensued his reign10; both social and religious however he followed a very different approach to his father. Khufu primarily maintained diplomatic relationships with his people and during his period of rule he conducted a religious shift towards Heliopolis (capital of Upper Egypt). Textual evidence as well as expeditions to quarries that have uncovered inscriptions help monumentally to studying the 4th dynasty and understanding the truth behind King Khufu’s existence.
Pharaoh Khufu reigned about 2,551 - 2,528 B.C.E. It was during the old kingdom which is also called the Age of the Pyramids. It was called the age of the pyramids because during this time Pharaoh Khufu had the Great Pyramids of Giza built. Pharaoh Hatshepsut reigned about 1,473 - 1,458 B.C.E. This was during the new kingdom. This period of time is also called the Golden Age. It was called this because the Egyptian arts and architecture flourished under her rule. Trade also flourished under her rule.
The statue of Khafre is an example of how pharaohs utilized their wealth to elaborate the power they possessed while they were alive and to utilize while they were dead. They ordered statues to be made in their name to decorate the valley temple. The valley temple is a funerary setting in which Khafre ordered 23 statues to be made for it. In this case, Khafre’s statue was made and place near the
King Menkaure and Queen Khamerenebty ruled during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom in ancient Egypt, circa 2533-2515 BCE. The 4th Dynasty is associated with the Great Pyramids of Giza. The increasing wealth of the ruling families of the period is reflected in their large, elaborate royal portraits. The statue of King Menkaure and his wife, standing 4’8” high, was found in the Valley Temple of the pyramid of Menkaure at Giza. It is a good example of Old Kingdom royal tomb sculpture, although it is the first known work depicting a couple. The pair statue of Menkaure and Khamerenebty exemplifies both dignity and marital affection.
Weigall, A. E. P. B. 1970. The life and times of AkhnAten, Pharaoh of Egypt. Port Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat Press.
The statue of King Khafre Seated , from the fourth dynasty of the Old Kingdom, 2520 - 2492 BCE, was created by an unknown artist in the smooth permanence of graywacke stone. Although the statue is currently at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as number 56 in the Special Egyptian Exhibition, its true home is at the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo. The man being portrayed, King Khafre, ruled Egypt for approximately thirty years, during which he commissioned the single most recognizable monuments of Egypt, the a fore mentioned Pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx. These monuments of symmetry and solidity characterize the focus of popular architecture and sculpture from the Old Kingdom in Egypt.
Constructed during Egypt's 4th Dynasty, The Pyramids of Giza are truly an astonishing work of architecture. These pyramids display several of the characteristics, that are now known, to be attributed to the Ancient Egyptian era. Years of research show that much of the ancient Egyptian's focus in their artistry, was that of a religious nature, regardless of medium. Artists of the time, focused their efforts on depicting the various Gods and Goddesses, immortality and the afterlife, and the glorification of the pharaohs. (MindEdge) One of the best examples of this are the pyramids. Each pyramid was built to be the final resting place of a pharaoh (Khufu, Khafre, or Menkaure) upon his death, and subsequent mummification. They were built on the
The Woman who was King. Kings and Queens. 1997-2005. Mark Millmore's Ancient Egypt. 20 Nov. 2004. <http://www.eyelid.co.uk/k-q1.htm>.
Bart, A 2007, ‘Amenhotep III (Ca 1388 - 1348 BC)’, http://euler.slu.edu/~bart/egyptianhtml/kings%20and%20Queens/amenhotepiii.htm, viewed 5th May, 2014,
The Valley of the Kings is a valley in Egypt which was chosen as the burial ground for a great number of pharaohs and nobles of the New Kingdom; the New Kingdom in Egypt spans the time between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC which includes the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth dynasties of Egypt (Long 2015: 39). In 1979 an organization known as the Theban Mapping Project was organized to strategically catalogue the present and available archaeological record of the Theban Necropolis in the Valley of the Kings. “The TMP’s goal is to establish a historical and contemporary record of all monuments … and to prepare detailed topographical maps, architectural plans and surveys of their history and condition (Weeks 2000:1).” The book
Hawass,Zahi. Egyptology at the Dawn of the Twentity-first Century. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2000.
This periodical discusses the physical appearance of The Pyramids Of Giza as built by each pharaoh, and also the function of the pyramid as a mortuary temple (Salima Ikram, Janice Kamrin 2012). It also discusses the Pyramids of Giza as great structures of the ancient world (Salima Ikram, Janice Kamrin 2012). This periodical was very important to my understanding as it showcased why Pyramids were so important to the burial process, showing the connection between burial and architecture. The authors of this periodical remain non bias throughout, providing factual information about the Pyramids Of
A. SUBPOINT: The Great Pyramid of Giza was constructed during the fourth dynasty of Pharaoh Khufu, and around
When one travels to Egypt, what does he/she see - pyramid after temple after tomb, each standing the test of time. One stands out - they are all associated with religious beliefs, they all have stood unmoving for thousands of years, and they all involve mechanical genius- the moving of colossal stones without the use of the wheel. The finest example such mechanics is shown in the construction of the revered pyramid. These three factors, all belonging to the religious architecture of ancient Egypt, do nothing else but prove its greatness.
...n 1163 B.C., Egypt entered a period of slow decline (Scarre 1997:116). Pharaohs became less powerful, and their prestige dwindled. Hungry soldiers were terrorizing the community, while tomb robbers were raiding the pyramids for resources that were very much needed. They had buried their pharaohs with food, goods and jewelry, all of which were needed to keep the civilization in tact. They had built too many pyramids, and there were setbacks in Asia which corrupted trade. People did not understand why the pharaohs could not fix the problems that were going on. They viewed them as gods and lost trust and faith. Egypt fell apart as these things culminated with loss of belief in the pharaohs.
Of all the pyramids of Egypt, the first three are held in the highest regards. This is known as the Great Pyramid. It was built for the Pharaoh Khufu. The Great Pyramid is about 450 feet tall and covers about 13 acres. The subject of this pyramid was to honor the pharaoh and show him some respect. It took about 100,000 workers and 20 years to build the pyramid.