Depictions of a king with such a flail as a ceremonial insignia appear no earlier than the Middle Kingdom. A harsh ruler who treated his subjects cruelly. p. 891, http://guardians.net/hawass/articles/secretchambers.htm, http://www.gizapyramids.org/static/pdf%20library/verner_archiv_or_69.pdf, "Most Ancient Port, Hieroglyphic Papyri Found", "4,500-year-old harbor structures and papyrus texts unearthed in Egypt", "Story of the Pyramid builders revealed in 4500-yr-old papyri", "A 4,500 Year Old Papyrus Holds the Answer to How the Great Pyramid Was Built", "Revealed: 4,500-year-old Papyrus that details the construction of the Great Pyramid – Mysterious Earth", "Revealed: 4,500-year-old Papyrus that details the construction of the Great Pyramid", https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/455942.The_Second_Coming_of_the_Star_Gods, 3362 Khufu in the internet-database of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Travertine fragment of a small seated statue of Khufu, on display in the Boston museum of fine arts, Zahi Hawass: Khufu – Builder of the Great Pyramid, An early pharaonic harbour on the Red Sea coast, The Harbor of Khufu on the Red Sea Coast at Wadi al-Jarf, La découverte des papyrus de Chéops sur le port antique du ouadi el-Jarf, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Khufu&oldid=1008504340, Wikipedia pending changes protected pages, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 23 February 2021, at 17:08. He enslaved his people in order to build some of his ideal creations like the Pyramid of Giza. pyramid of Khafre: mortuary temple Mortuary temple of the pyramid of Khafre, near Giza, Egypt. This pyramid was made after the manner of steps, which some call 'rows' and others 'bases': When they had first made it thus, they raised the remaining stones with devices made of short pieces of timber, lifting them first from the ground to the first stage of the steps, and when the stone got up to this it was placed upon another machine standing on the first stage, and so from this it was drawn to the second upon another machine; for as many as were the courses of the steps, so many machines there were also, or perhaps they transferred one and the same machine, made so as easily to be carried, to each stage successively, in order that they might take up the stones; for let it be told in both ways, according as it is reported. Herodotus’s story of Khufu’s prostitution of his daughter in order to raise money for his building projects is clearly apocryphal. Much later it was called Heru-im-Akhet (Hârmachís; "Horus at the horizon") by the Egyptians and Abu el-Hὀl ("father of terror") by the Arabians. what is Pharaoh Khufu remembered for? Until recently, it was assumed that these people must have been slaves. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Khufu, Khufu - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Today nothing remains but the foundation. In contrast, Herodotus claimed he ruled for fifty years while Manetho a Ptolemaic priest credits him with a staggering reign of sixty-three years! [15] As a result, researchers now think Khufu may not have been Sneferu's biological son, but that Sneferu legitimised Khufu's rank and familial position by marriage. We know that Khufu was the son of Snefru, the founding pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty. One of them is the so-called "Brooklyn head" of the Brooklyn Museum in New York City. King Khufu Reign There is no specific information about the reign of King Khufu, but the 19th dynasty Royal Canon of Turin granted Khufu 23 years of rule. And of these stones, they told me, the pyramid was built which stands in front of the great pyramid in the middle of the three, each side being 150 feet in length. One of the fragments, that of a small seated statue, shows the legs and feet of a sitting king from the knuckles downward. [49][50][51][52][53], During the New Kingdom the necropolis of Khufu and the local mortuary cults were reorganized and Giza became an important economic and cultic destination again. This is inconsistent with a typical statue group of the Old Kingdom — normally all statue groups were built as an artistic unit. He also mentions that Khufu built the Great Pyramid, then he claims that his contemporary Herodotus says that the pyramid was built by a king "Khéops". [5], Sources contemporary to Khufu's time give three key pieces of information: One of them was found at the Dakhla Oasis in the Libyan Desert. Khafre reigned after Djedefre’s short rule, and was also a son of Khufu. [49][56] Additionally some Egyptologists point out that the philosophies of the ancient Egyptians had changed since the Old Kingdom. On one hand, he is depicted as ruthless when deciding to have a condemned prisoner decapitated to test the alleged magical powers of Dedi. ), or Cheops, was an Egyptian king who built the Great Pyramid at Giza and ruled as the second king of the Fourth Dynasty. Another one shows a row of fat oxen decorated with flowers – they were obviously prepared as sacrifices during an offering procession. What's more, they even call the pyramids after the name of Philítîs the shepherd, who at that time pastured flocks in those regions. His historical figure appears in movies, novels and documentaries. His full name was Khnum-Khufu. Khafre, also spelled Khafra, Greek Chephren, (flourished 26th century bce), fourth king of the 4th dynasty (c. 2575– c. 2465 bce) of ancient Egypt and builder of the second of the three Pyramids of Giza. His birth name was Khnum-Khufu and he succeeded his father, Sneferu, to rule Upper and Lower Egypt in the 26th century B.C. Parents:[9][15][16], It is still unclear how long Khufu ruled over Egypt, because historically later documents contradict each other and contemporary sources are scarce. [38] A similar object is on display at the State Collection of Egyptian Art in Munich. Reign of Psamtik III, pharaoh of Egypt. [18], Diodorus states that the Khufu pyramid was beautifully covered in white, but the top was said to be capped. [9][15][16], The following list presents family members, which can be assigned to Khufu with certainty. Scholars generally agree that Khufu ruled for nearly a quarter of … about Diodoros). The Fourth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty IV) is characterized as a "golden age" of the Old Kingdom of Egypt.Dynasty IV lasted from c. 2613 to 2494 BC. The subterranean chamber remains mysterious as it was left unfinished. From this period of time several "priests of Isis" (Hem-netjer-Iset), who were also "priests of Khufu" (Hem-netjer-Khufu), worked there. In his literary work Historiae, Book II, chapter 124–126, he writes: "As long as Rhámpsinîtos was king, as they told me, there was nothing but orderly rule in Egypt, and the land prospered greatly. Zahi Hawass therefore concludes that the figurine was possibly made as an amulet or lucky charm to sell to pious citizens. Dynastie (= Ägypten und Altes Testament 46). Indeed, if the compiler of the Turin Canon did not take into account a biennial cattle count, it could even mean that Khufu ruled for 46 years. The story about the alleged "Sacred Book" is questioned by modern Egyptologists, for it would be highly unusual that a pharaoh wrote books and that such a precious document could be sold away so easily.[55][56][57]. For example, Khufu is the main character noted in the Westcar Papyrus from the 13th dynasty. This town was still held in high esteem during the Middle Kingdom period. Aidan Dodson & Dyan Hilton: The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. The cattle count as an economic event served the tax collection in the whole of Egypt. On the western side lies the West Cemetery, where the highest officials and priests were interred. There are also a large number of mastabas and even a coptic cemetery. When Petrie recognized the importance of the find, he stopped all other work and offered a reward to any workman who could find the head. [22][23], The only three-dimensional depiction of Khufu that has survived time nearly completely is a small and well restored ivory figurine known as Khufu Statuette. From the mortuary temple a causeway 0.43 miles long once connected to the valley temple. The Great Pyramid was built around 2551 BC, while Khufu was still alive and ruling Egypt. Other sons of Khufu held important positions at court during the reigns of their brothers. [73] In the classic action role playing game Titan Quest, the Giza Plateau is a large desert region in Egypt, where the Tomb of Khufu and The Great Sphinx can be found. The harbor was of strategic and economic importance to Khufu because ships brought precious materials, such as turquoise, copper and ore from the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula. The artifact was found in 1903 by Flinders Petrie at Kom el-Sultan near Abydos. He was the one who was responsible for building the great pyramid that you can visit during your Cairo day tours. For this, they said, 10 years were spent, and for the underground chambers on the hill upon which the pyramids stand, which he caused to be made as sepulchral chambers for himself in an island, having conducted thither a channel from the Nile. 2. überarteitete und erweiterte Auflage., von Zabern, Mainz 1991. Khufu's full name (Khnum-khufu) means "Khnum protect me". Another nightmare showed the stars falling down from heaven and kidnapping humans, then putting them beneath two large mountains. Khufu holds a flail in his left hand and his right hand rests together with his lower arm on his right upper leg. 2566 BCE - 2558 BCE. This theory may be supported by the circumstance that Khufu's mother was buried close to her son and not in the necropolis of her husband, as it was to be expected. It was erected in small steps by more or less roughly hewn blocks of dark limestone. Because few records from that time survive, limited details about Khufu are known. Verena Lepper and Miriam Lichtheim suspect that a difficult-to-assess depiction of Khufu was exactly what the author had planned. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Everything known about Khufu comes from inscriptions in his necropolis at Giza and later documents. Khufu’s reign and that of his son Khafre were represented by the Greek historian Herodotus as 106 years of oppression and misery, but this was belied by Khufu’s posthumous reputation in Egypt as a wise ruler. It was … [58], Al-Maqrizi notes that Khufu was named Saurid, Salhuk and/or Sarjak by the biblical Amalekites. Within the story, Khufu is characterised in a difficult-to-assess way. In sum, all these documents would prove that Khufu ruled for at least 26 or 27 years, and possibly for over 34 years, if the inscription in the relieving chambers points to a biennial cattle count. It is built of stone smoothed and fitted together in the most perfect manner, not one of the stones being less than 30 feet in length. Diodorus estimates that the total number of workers was 300,000 and that the building works lasted for 20 years. The figurine was found headless; according to Petrie, it was caused by an accident while digging. [56][57] This negative picture was presumably projected onto Khufu and his pyramid. The appearance of Khufu on the ivory statue instead looks like the artist did not care very much about professionalism or diligence. Even if Khufu's name survived within the literary traditions for so long, different cultural circles surely fostered different views about Khufu's character and historical deeds. Diodorus claims that the Egyptians of his lifetime were unable to tell him with certainty who actually built the pyramids. And they worked by 100,000 men at a time, for each three months continually. [9][15] Instead of the spouse's title, Hetepheres bore only the title Sat-netjer-khetef (verbatim: "daughter of his divine body"; symbolically: "king's bodily daughter"), a title mentioned for the first time. [9][15][16], A literary masterpiece from the 13th dynasty talking about Khufu is the famous Papyrus Westcar, where king Khufu witnesses a magical wonder and receives a prophecy from a magician named Dedi. [32][36], Two further objects are on display at the Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum Hildesheim. For the making of the pyramid itself there passed a period of 20 years; and the pyramid is square, each side measuring 800 feet, and the height of it is the same. The inner corridors and chambers have walls and ceilings made of polished granite, one of the hardest stones known in Khufu's time. [5][10], Khufu is well known under his Hellenized name Khêops or Cheops (/ˈkiːɒps/, KEE-ops; Greek: Χέοψ, by Diodorus and Herodotus) and less well known under another Hellenized name, Súphis (/ˈsuːfɪs/ SOO-fis; Greek: Σοῦφις, by Manetho). The exact number of Khufu's children is unknown, as pharaohs generally had both a primary wife and many 'lesser' wives. Closer examinations of and comparisons between contemporary documents, later documents and Greek and Coptic readings reveal that Khufu's reputation changed slowly, and that the positive views about the king still prevailed during the Greek and Ptolemaic era. Updates? Khufu's sons Djedefre and Khafre ruled Egypt after their father. The fact that Diodorus credits the Giza pyramid to Greek kings, might be reasoned in legends of his lifetimes and that the pyramids were demonstrably reused in late periods by Greek and Roman kings and noblemen. The papyri fragments show several storage lists naming the delivered goods. Ancient Egyptian leader-Hatshepsut, Khufu, Ramses II, Senusret I. Reign. During the Eighteenth Dynasty king Amenhotep II erected a memorial temple and a royal fame stele close to the Great Sphinx. Khufu may have viewed himself as a divine creator, a role that was already given to Khnum, the god of creation and growth. This king followed the same manner as the other ... and ruled for 56 years. [19] The second source can be found in the relieving chambers inside Khufu's pyramid above the burial chamber. The faces of these three kings are of even beauty, slender and with a kindly expression – the clear result of idealistic motivations; they are not based on reality. [5][10] A rare version of the name of Khufu, used by Josephus, is Sofe (/ˈsɒfi/ SOF-ee; Greek: Σόφε). It was assumed that this was a highly structured society…Read more The Pharaoh Khufu › Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). King Khufu, as already mentioned, was named "Saurid", "Salhuk" and/or "Sarjak", and often replaced in other stories by a prophet named Šaddād bīn 'Âd. It is possible that the lack of building space, the lack of local limestone quarries and the loosened ground at Dahshur forced Khufu to move north, away from the pyramid of his predecessor Sneferu. Timeline Search. By this time, no inhabitant of Egypt was able to tell and no one could translate the Egyptian hieroglyphs anymore. [56][57], Furthermore, several Egyptologists point out that Roman historians such as Pliny the Elder and Frontinus (both around 70 A.D.) equally do not hesitate to ridicule the pyramids of Giza: Frontinus calls them "idle pyramids, containing the indispensable structures likewise to some of our abandoned aqueducts at Rome" and Pliny describes them as "the idle and foolish ostentation of royal wealth". [20][21] Newer evidence from Wadi al-Jarf however, gives a third clue about the true length of reign: Several papyrus fragments contain handwritten reports from a royal harbour at modern-day Wadi al-Jarf. Its foundation was made of black basalt, a great part of which is still preserved. [59], Modern Egyptologists evaluate Herodotus's and Diodorus's stories as some sort of defamation, based on both authors' contemporary philosophy. However, at the same time, Diodorus distances himself from Herodotus and argues that Herodotus "only tells fairy tales and entertaining fiction". However, they give no hint of a negative reputation of the kings themselves, and thus they do not judge Khufu in a negative way. At the end of 6th dynasty at least 67 mortuary priests and 6 independent high officials serving at the necropolis are archaeologically attested. [34] Most Egyptologists believe the statuette is contemporary, but some scholars, such as Zahi Hawass, think that it was an artistic reproduction of the 26th dynasty. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Close behind the queens' pyramids G1-b and G1-c, the cult pyramid of Khufu was found in 2005. The dating of these important documents is secured by phrases typical for the Old Kingdom period, as well as the fact that the letters are addressed to the king himself, using his Horus name. Sakuji Yoshimura, Nozomu Kawai, Hiroyuki Kashiwagi: Richard A. Fazzini, Robert S. Bianchi, James F. Romano, Donald B. Spanel: Sylvia Schoske, Dietrich Wildung (Hrsg. And finally, Hawass also argues that the sort of throne the figurine sits on does not match the artistic styles of any Old Kingdom artifact. Khufu is often described as a cruel leader. Gender: Male Re. However, it seems that the reason for the restoration lay more in an interest in the goddess, than in a royal cult around the king figures: their names were covered with gypsum. Newer evaluation of contemporary documents and the Palermo stone inscription strengthen the theory that the cattle count under Khufu was still performed biennially, not annually, as thought earlier. A Tale of the 22nd Century. He was an ancient Egyptian monarch, who ruled Egypt through the fourth dynasty during the 26th century B.C as a second king. The majority of these documents date to the 27th year of Khufu's reign and describe how the central administration sent food and supplies to the sailors and wharf workers. These mortuary cults were still practiced even in Saitic and Persian periods. He is depicted as the direct follower of Khufu and as likewise evil and that he ruled for 56 years. ... Rule of Pharaoh Amasis of Egypt, who built a shrine to Ammon at Siwa. Dietrich Wildung: Die Rolle ägyptischer Könige im Bewußtsein ihrer Nachwelt. It is the oldest archaeologically detected sailing route of Ancient Egypt. Ten of them were already serving during the late 4th dynasty (seven of them were royal family members), 28 were serving during the 5th dynasty and 29 during the 6th dynasty. Khufu was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty in Egypt. There is a stone inscription on the Wadi Maghareh in Sinai, which portrays Khufu holding two crowns. It was a time of peace and prosperity as well as one during which trade with other countries is documented. They argue that the classical authors lived around 2000 years after Khufu, and their sources that were available in their lifetimes surely were antiquated. [11][12] While modern Egyptological pronunciation renders his name as Khufu, at the time of his reign his name was probably pronounced as Khayafwi(y). Wildung thinks that Dedi's refusal was an allusion to the respect Egyptians showed to human life. The outer surface of the casing stones were finely polished so the pyramid shimmered in bright, natural lime-white when new. Like other kings, such as Sekhemkhet, Sneferu and Sahure, who are also depicted in impressive reliefs there, he was looking for those two precious materials. In one scene king Khufu wears the double-crown; nearby, the depiction of the god Thoth is visible. Today, the complete or partially preserved cartouches with the name Khufu or Khnum-Khuf remain. According to Tallet, the harbor could also have been one of the legendary high sea harbours of Ancient Egypt, from where expeditions to the infamous gold land Punt had started. Contemporary documents suggest that unlike his father he was not seen as a beneficent ruler and by the Middle Kingdom he is generally described as heartless ruler. King Khufu then received a warning from his prophets about a devastating deluge that would come and destroy Egypt. Khufu chose the high end of a natural plateau so that his future pyramid would be widely visible. The Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu or usually recognized by his Greek name Cheops ruled as the second pharaoh in Egypt during the Fourth Dynasty found on the Bible Timeline. "[49][56][57], The ancient historian Diodorus claims that Khufu was so much abhorred by his own people in later times that the mortuary priests secretly brought the royal sarcophagus, together with the corpse of Khufu, to another, hidden grave. The excavators point out that the statues were restored during the Middle Kingdom, after they were broken apart. [5][10][49], During the Late Period huge numbers of scarabs with the name of Khufu were sold to the citizens, possibly as some kind of lucky charms. This theory is promoted by findings such as alabaster vessels with Khufu's name found at Koptos, the pilgrimage destination of Wadi Hammamat travellers. The faces of Djedefre and Khaefra are both similar to that of the Sphinx, but they do not match perfectly. Khufu, Greek Cheops, (flourished 25th century bce), second king of the 4th dynasty (c. 2575–c. Of this oppression there passed ten years while the causeway was made by which they drew the stones, which causeway they built, and it is a work not much less, as it appears to me, than the pyramid. An official agreement that … For example, Khufu is the main character noted in the Westcar Papyrus from the 13th dynasty. He reigned from around 2589 to 2566 B.C. [69], A near-Earth asteroid bears Khufu's name: 3362 Khufu. However, by the end of the 6th dynasty the number of domains abated quickly. Egyptologists clearly see politically and socially motivated intentions in these criticisms and it seems paradoxical that the use of these monuments was forgotten, but the names of their builders remained immortalized. The people of Egypt often described him in many rude and horrible ways. [9] In 1925 the tomb of queen Hetepheres I, G 7000x, was found east of Khufu's pyramid. [25] Khufu also entertained contacts with Byblos. Such mortuary cults were very important for the state's economy, because for the oblations special domains had to be established. But she not only obtained the sum that was appointed by her father, but she also formed a design for herself privately to leave behind her a memorial: She requested each man who came in to her to give her one stone for her building project. Khufu's serekh name is carved in a rock inscription reporting the "Mefat-travelling in the year after the 13th cattle count under Hor-Medjedu". When did Khufu rule? Khufu, whose full name was Khnum-Khufu, is best remembered for his association with the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is also known as the Pyramid of Khufu. Only the mummy of Khufu can save them. When did Pharaoh Khufu rule? Especially earlier Egyptologists and historians such as Adolf Erman, Kurt Heinrich Sethe and Wolfgang Helck evaluated Khufu's character as heartless and sacrilegious. What type of ruler was Pharaoh Khufu? [41][42], At the Wadi Maghareh in Sinai a rock inscription contains Khufu's names and titles and reports: "Hor-Medjedu, Khnum-Khuf, Bikuj-Nebu, the great god and smiter of the troglodytes, all protection and life are with him". But to this day, there still isn't much information on his rain. As a consequence, the Arab historians wrote down their own theories and stories. [5][10], Khufu's name was dedicated to the god Khnum, which might point to an increase of Khnum's popularity and religious importance. From the same period comes the famous Inventory Stela, which names Khufu and his wife Henutsen. 526 BCE - 525 BCE. Pillars and portals were made of red granite and the ceiling stones were of white limestone. Because of its chubby cheeks the head is assigned to Khufu as well as to king Huni. Reign of King Djedefre in Egypt. Another inscription, found on the limestone walls of the harbor, mentions the head of the royal scribes controlling the exchange of goods: Idu. [65] The novel The Legend of The Vampire Khufu, published by Raymond Mayotte in 2010, deals with king Khufu awakening in his pyramid as a vampire.[66].

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