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The Pharaoh Cheops, or Khufu, was the second ruler in the fourth dynasty of ancient Egypt. He is remembered most for building his burial tomb, the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the seven wonders of the world. Cheops ruled for 23 years after his father King Snofu. His mother was Queen Hetep-heres I, whose burial equipment was moved by Cheops’ priests to a shaft near his tomb in Giza. He had three wives and many sons.
After his death, his family separated into three divisions. His first wife, Merey-it-es, was the mother of DjedefHor and Buefre, she headed one division but none of her sons succeeded to the throne. The second branch was headed by the mother of DjedefRe, who ruled eight years after Cheops’ death. Lastly the third was ruled by the mother of Khafre, or Chephren, who also ruled Egypt for awhile and built a pyramid at Giza.
Cheops ruled his kingdom from Memphis, 10 miles from present day Cairo. Assisted by nobles, his officials, and a prime minister, he conducted most of his governmental business from Audience Hall in the Royal Precinct. Cheops would also sail North and South of Memphis to overlook his kingdom yearly. On these trips he would note the condition of the irrigation systems, visit temples, commission architects to build new temples, and pay a state visit to the more than twenty provinces his land was divided
into. While on this yearly tour, Cheops would also spend at least a day or two to see how work was progressing on his tomb.
Cheops’ real name is Khnum-Khufwy, which means “the god Khnum protects me”. Cheops is the Greek name given to him by the Greek historian Herodotus. Herodotus derived the history of Cheops from the stories told to him by Egyptian priests. His history depicts Cheops as a feared tyrant who forced slaves, some to death, to build his pyramid. However, further excavations on the Great Pyramid and other ancient monuments reveal that though he wasn’t remembered warmly, as most pharaohs who built massive monuments weren’t, no evidence suggests that he was singularly harsh
or tyrannical.
The Great Pyramid provides valuable insight into what kind of a man Cheops was. It shows that he had remarkable control of his kingdom’s wealth and the people. He made the building of the pyramid the national project by organizing households all over Egypt to participate in some way. Cheops’ used great socializing and administration skills to organize the large
scale project. However, contrary to Herodotus’ theory, the workers were not necessarily slaves.
The men worked for pay or exemption from taxes willingly as an act of worship to their Pharaoh. The workers were also fed and housed, in addition it is estimated that Cheops would have had to spend the modern equivalent of three million dollars a year to care for the workers. Recently a town was discovered that Cheops had built that included
support facilities, residential areas and cemeteries for the workers who created and maintained the Great Pyramid.
The Great Pyramid still stands at Giza today, some 480 feet high; a height equivalent to a modern forty-story skyscraper. The pyramid was built with over 200,000 stones weighing two and a half tons apiece that were polished to high gloss, and it was topped by a golden capstone, that has now weathered away. It took over 100,000 men between 2589 and 2566 BC to build the pyramid. Cheops chose a pyramid for a tomb to baffle tomb-raiders who had a history of savagely destroying rich burial tombs. Architects
intended the massive size and complexity to scare potential robbers away. In fact Cheops’ had the scheme of security devices and the location of his tomb changed twice during the construction of the pyramid. Nevertheless, in later years his tomb was destroyed and his mummy, the first ever, was stolen along with any other riches that could be carried out.
Archeologists estimate that Cheops had 100 to 120 life size statues of himself thought the pyramid. Unfortunately only one portrait has been recovered of the pharaoh. It is a small ivory statue of Cheops sitting on a throne wearing the Crown of Egypt. Fortunately, a burial boat was found in one of the pyramid’s chambers. It could be an example of an earlier popular Egyptian custom of burial. The boat is miraculously well preserved,
especially since it is over 4,500 years old. It even has ropes that are still intact. It would have been the largest boat until recent years to sail the Nile. Archeologists believe that there is another burial boat somewhere in the pyramid waiting to be uncovered.
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