Khufu | Biography, Reign, Pyramid, Tomb, History, & Facts | Britannica (original) (raw)

Quick Facts

Flourished:

25th century bce

Flourished:

c.2600 BCE - c.2501 BCE

Khufu (flourished 25th century bce) was the second king of the 4th dynasty (c. 2543–c. 2436 bce) of Egypt and builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza, the largest single building to that time. It and two nearby pyramids are collectively known as the Pyramids of Giza.

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. Herodotus’s story of Khufu’s prostitution of his daughter in order to raise money for his building projects is clearly apocryphal.

Although few written sources remain, it is known that Khufu was the son and successor of King Snefru and his queen Hetepheres and was probably married four times: to Merityetes, who was buried in one of the three small pyramids beside his own; to a second queen, whose name is unknown; to Henutsen, whose small pyramid is the third of the group; and to Nefert-kau, the eldest of Snefru’s daughters. Two of his sons, Redjedef and Khafre, succeeded him in turn.

Al-Jizah. Giza Necropolis, Giza Plateau, Cairo, Egypt. Side view of Sphinx with the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) rising in the background. The sides of all three of the Giza pyramids are astronomically oriented to be north-south, east-west (see notes) Britannica Quiz Pop Quiz: 18 Things to Know About Ancient Egypt

For a list of ancient Egyptian kings, see list of pharaohs of ancient Egypt. For a list of Egyptian dynasties, see list of dynasties of ancient Egypt.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Teagan Wolter.