Home › Old Kingdom › 4th Dynasty
.jpg){kind=link}
Old Kingdom · 4th Dynasty
Khufu
- Reign
- c. 2620–2580 (2579–2556) BC
- Other names
- Suphis, Cheops, Khnumkhufu, Mededju
- Dynasty
- 4th Dynasty
- Period
- Old Kingdom, c. 2700–2200 BC
- Capital at the time
- Memphis
Khufu is listed in the king list under ‘4th Dynasty’ and so belongs to this period: Old Kingdom (c. 2700–2200 BC). Reign: c. 2620–2580 (2579–2556) BC. The figures in brackets give the alternative dating by the Egyptologist Jürgen von Beckerath. Other recorded names: Suphis, Cheops, Khnumkhufu, Mededju.
Khufu in portrait
Had the Great Pyramid of Giza built — originally 146.6 metres tall, it was the tallest structure in the world for thousands of years.
The Great Pyramid consists of about 2.3 million stone blocks with an average weight of 2.5 tonnes. According to common estimates, construction took around 20 to 26 years and employed thousands of paid workers — not slaves, as was long assumed.
What is known about Khufu
Builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza; expeditions to Nubia and Sinai, trade with Byblos.
From the German Wikipedia list of pharaohs, CC BY-SA 4.0, translated and edited.
During this reign
- c. 2600 BCPyramid of Khufu at Giza, originally 146.6 m high: the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing.
Other events of the period
- c. 2640 BCSneferu builds three pyramids and makes the transition from the step pyramid to the true pyramid (Red Pyramid at Dahshur).
- c. 2560 BCPyramid of Khafre and the Great Sphinx of Giza.
More about this period: Old Kingdom
4th Dynasty: all rulers
This site is free and has no banner ads. Here is how you can support it