A few days ago, in class, we discussed the Pyramids of Giza and most impressively, the Great Pyramid – Khufu. Even before this class, we all, I’m sure, had heard about the pyramids previously. However, not many people know the history of the man behind two of the pyramids – the story of Khufu himself.

Khufu was a Fourth Dynasty pharaoh with an interesting past. He ruled over the first half of the Old Kingdom and, while he commissioned the largest pyramid to exist in Egypt, the only other thing left to document his reign is a single small statue. All other statues or reliefs, along with his buildings, have all been destroyed or lost. The only way we learned anything about him as a pharaoh was through the inscription on his necropolis and in a few documents. Manetho, a famous historian (though questioned on his accuracy) was one of these few people to mention Khufu, placing his reign at about sixty-three  unhappy years. One of the main issues we have with learning about Khufu is that while he ruled for quite a long time, and was the tool of much cultural preservation, he is portrayed in a negative light in all the depictions we have found of him.

Khufu was a king who expanded his reign and trade interests out into the world. He sent many expeditions into the Sinai penisula looking for copper and turqoise. He also traded quite popularly with the Byblos, an ancient race who lived near Lebanon, for copper tools, weapons, and most commonly cedar wood.

In regards to the lack of representation of Khufu, the little limestone statue of him is the only true representation of him ever discovered. It was found by William Flinders Petrie near Abydos. It shows Khufu sitting in the throne wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt. The statue was actually found headless because of an accident that happened during excavation, but it has now been restored and is on display at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo.