A man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it is committing another mistake.
~Confucius~

Friday, September 19, 2008

King Khufu

Dear all,

Do you remember that we talk about King Khufu during our English lesson?

Here is a link for all of you to gather more information on him.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/khufu.shtml

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi guys(and gals)!!!
I'm here to share what I have found about KING KHUFU...

Khufu was the second king of the fourth Dynasty of Egypt. He ruled during the Old Kingdom. His father was King Senefru, his mother was Queen Hetep-Heres. He was maried to Maritates, and Henutsen, and two unknown Queens. Khufu was the father of six sons and three daughters.

Khufu's father, King Senefru was remembered as a gentle and beneficient person and a ruler. Khufu was seen to be more cruel and violent. He was said to like to listen to mystical stories and enjoyed magic. Khufu's father also built pyramids so Khufu had the joy and benefit of watching pyramids be built.

Khufu's greatest accomplishment was his Great Pyramid at Giza. It was built around 2560 B.C. There are two other pyramids at Giza, but of them his is the largest and the one with the greatest detail. His Pyramid is now one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This pyramid was said to have taken twenty three years to build. When it was built it was 146m tall, but now it is 137m tall. It was covered with stones so it would be smooth. The base was 230.38m in width. The only remaining Ancient Wonder that is still standing today is The Great Pyramid at Giza.

A large discovery was made in the pit of the base of the Great Pyramid. A large ancient wooden boat was found. The boat was found in pieces but since then they restored and now it is reassembled. Also found in the Pyramid was a nine centimeter statue of the great ruler, Khufu.
King Khufu was buried in his Great Pyramid when he died. Khufu was a cruel and violent leader as he killed a number of people but still, he changed history in a big way with his pyramid. Many tales were told about Khufu and he was remembered throughout the history of Pharoahs, and will be remembered for his accomplishments.

......THE END......
heheheheheheheheheh

Anonymous said...

Hi everyone!!!
I'm about to tell you about KING KHUFU WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....

Khufu was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom. He reigned from around 2589 to 2566 B.C. Khufu was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty. He is generally accepted as being the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. Khufu's name means "Protected by Khnum."

Khufu was the son of King Sneferu and Queen Hetepheres. Unlike his father, Khufu is remembered as a cruel and ruthless pharaoh in later folklore. Khufu had nine sons, one of whom, Djedefra, was his immediate successor. He also had fifteen daughters, one of whom would later become Queen Hetepheres II.

Khufu came to his throne in his twenties, and reigned for about 23 years, which is the number ascribed to him by the Turin King List. Since 2000, two dates have been discovered from his reign. An inscription containing his highest regnal year, the "Year of the 17th Count of Khufu", first mentioned by Flinders Petrie in an 1883 book and then lost to historians, was rediscovered by Zahi Hawass in 2001 in one of the relieving chambers within this king's pyramid. Secondly, in 2003, the "Year after the 13th cattle count" of Khufu was found on a rock inscription at the Dakhla Oasis in the Sahara.

He started building his pyramid at Giza, the first to be built in this place. Based on inscriptional evidence, it is also likely that he led military expeditions into the Sinai, Nubia and Libya.

The Pharoah was told magical tales by his sons Khafra and Djedefra. This story cycle depicts Khufu as mean and cruel, and is ultimately frustrated in his attempts to ensure that his dynasty survives past his two sons. Whether or not this story cycle is true is unknown, But Khufu's negative reputation lasted at least until the time of Herodotus, who was told further stories of that king's cruelty to his people and to his own family in order to ensure the construction of his pyramid. What is known for certain is that his funerary cult lasted until the 26th Dynasty, which was one of the last native-Egyptian royal dynasties, almost 2,000 years after his death.

Now that you learnt about KHUFU, why don't you start building a pyramid...

WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA......

Anonymous said...

:D You're not the only one who did research, Jo - Wayn!! I did some research too :
About King Khufu
Khufu was the son of King Snefuru and Queen Hetepheres. King Khufu was not remembered like his father, he was actually remembered as a cruel and ruthless pharaoh in later folklore. Khufu had nine sons and one of then was Djedefra. He was the immediate successor of King Khufu. Not only that, he had fifteen other daughters. One of them would become Queen Hetepheres II.

Khufu came to his throne in his twenties, and reigned for about 23 years, which is the number ascribed to him by the Turin King List. Other sources from much later periods suggest a significantly longer reign. Manetho gives him a reign of 65 years, while Herodotus states that he reigned fifty years. Since 2000, two dates have been discovered from his reign. An inscription containing his highest regnal year, the "Year of the 17th Count of Khufu", first mentioned by Flinders Petrie in an 1883 book and then lost to historians, was rediscovered by Zahi Hawass in 2001 in one of the relieving chambers within this king's pyramid. Secondly, in 2003, the "Year after the 13th cattle count" of Khufu was found on a rock inscription at the Dakhla Oasis in the Sahara.

He started building his pyramid at Giza, the first to be built in this place. Based on inscriptional evidence, it is also likely that he led military expeditions into the Sinai, Nubia and Libya. The Westcar Papyrus which was written well after his reign during the Middle Kingdom or later, depicts the pharaoh being told magical tales by his sons Khafra and Djedefra. This story cycle depicts Khufu as mean and cruel, and is ultimately frustrated in his attempts to ensure that his dynasty survives past his two sons. Whether or not this story cycle is true is unknown, But Khufu's negative reputation lasted at least until the time of Herodotus, who was told further stories of that king's cruelty to his people and to his own family in order to ensure the construction of his pyramid. What is known for certain is that his funerary cult lasted until the 26th dynasty, which was one of the last native-Egyptian royal dynasties, almost 2,000 years after his death.

Meanings of...
King Snefuru : The founder of the fourth dynasty of Egypt.
Hetepheres : The sister and wife of King Snefuru.
Turin King List : This list mentions the names of all Egyptian rulers preceded by the register of the gods, as believed, to have reigned at that time.
Regnal year : The year of the reign of a sovereign.
Nibai : A piece of land in Egypt.
Nubia : A region along the river Nile.
Lybia : Fourth largest country in Africa.
Westcar Papyrus : An ancient Egyptian text containing five stories about marvels performed by priests.

P.S. I have a high fever so I will not be able to attend school tomorrow. Might be dengue. So scary. D: Why must I always be sick?? On a MONDAY too!

Anonymous said...

Hello all! I am here to tell you what I found about KHUFU's pyramid...
Khufu's full name was Khnum-Khufwy, which means'[the god]King Khufu was known as the "Father of Pyramid Building at Giza" (Khufu 1). His Great Pyramid at Giza was more amazing than any other structure any human had ever seen. The great king influenced an age that spread like wild fire in a parched forest. This was the Pyramid Age. Before King Khufu started the construction of his pyramid, the expansive burial place was not as popular. Until this time, pharaohs were buried in small bench-shaped mounds. It is inevitable that descendants of pharaohs like Khufu, Tut, and Ramses the Great are to be perplexed by their predecessors’ technology, intelligence, and architectural perseverance.

The pyramids of Egypt were constructed as a funerary ritual during the "Pyramid Age" (Aldred 49). Historians say that pyramids were built as transportation devices to the afterlife. Pharaohs made sure that had all material possessions that had been cherished in their lifetime were placed inside. This was to insure the pharaoh that he/she would be as happy in the afterlife as in their previous life. Pyramid building in Egypt started sometime around 2780 BC with King Djoser. King Djoser’s pyramid was made of six matsabas (The Egyptian Pyramid 1,2). Matsaba tombs were built for the king’s family- wives, sons, and daughters, and for high court officials. The burial places were constructed around the pyramid of the pharaoh to enable these members of the royal family and court to have the "privilege" of surrounding the king in death, just as they had in life. These pyramids have opened present-day minds to the intelligence and technology of individuals that lived some five thousand years before. Inside the massive, final resting-places, hundreds of millions of dollars in possessions were found. It is possible that builders and pharaohs thought that by putting treasured items in the tomb, that they would be happy.

The great pharaoh, Khufu was also known by the name of Cheops, the later Greek form of his name. The great king was the child of King Sneferu, constructor of the Bent Pyramid, and Queen Hetpeheres, his loyal spouse (King Khufu (Cheops) 1). During the peak of King Khufu’s life, he was married to two women, Queen Merey-it-is and Queen Henutsen. One of his many male offspring, Djedefre, also known as Khafre or Chephren, was to be the king after his death. Egyptologists dispute as to when Khufu was the ruler of the ancient nation. The dates range anywhere from 2551-2528 BC (Khufu 1) to 2589-2566 BC (King Khufu (Cheops) 1). Since there is no actual written documents to tell when Khufu was the one in charge, speculations must be made based on personal opinion. While the great Khufu was in charge, he was found to be a cruel, yet organized leader (King Khufu (Cheops) 1-2). Intellectual ruthlessness was a must in order to build such a great monument as the Great Pyramid of Khufu, at Giza.

The Great Pyramid at Giza is the only remaining Ancient Wonder that is still standing today (The 7 Wonders: Great Pyramid…1). The pyramid of Khufu dominated a necropolis called the "Great City of the Dead". The "Great City of the Dead" consisted of Khufu’s pyramid and three smaller, less important pyramids, one of which was constructed for his favorite wife (Pace 67). The Great Pyramid was built from 2589-2566 BC (Khufu 1).


King Khufu’s Great Pyramid was made of some 2.3 million blocks of limestone and granite. The limestone was found on the plateau on which the pyramid is located, and the granite was found almost six hundred miles away at Aswan. The blocks had an average weight of 2.5 tons; some of them weighed up to fifteen tons (Edwards 98). The site of the pyramid was chosen by King Khufu himself. The Great Pyramid lies on the west back of the Nile, to the north of the remainder of the pyramids. The great king’s final resting-place was built in the location it was because of the immense plateau of limestone (Pace 57). The limestone from the plateau was the limestone that was used in the construction of the pyramid. The pyramid’s base is 568,500 square feet (Khufu 1). Each side was originally 754 feet, but the walls are now all nine feet shorter. In 2566B.C., when King Khufu’s great tomb was finally completely constructed, it was 481 feet tall. Currently, the pyramid only stands at 449 feet.

When the pyramid was being constructed, builders used layers or courses to help. Some 201 layers were used to help the pyramid reach its final height (Pace 66). Two large chambers were found inside King Khufu’s pyramid. Historians named them the "King and Queen’s Chambers" (Aldred 102-105). King Khufu’s pyramid has broken barriers of thought and opened people’s minds to the intelligence of inhabitants of Egypt in his time.

The great Khufu’s pyramid was originally built so that the body of the king was buried underground. The preliminary chamber was too narrow for transportation of the casket. With this obstacle, another, larger, grander chamber was build to hold the body of King Khufu (Aldred 103). Vizier Hermon, the pharaoh’s cousin, was the architect responsible for the construction of the pyramid. Great evidence has been found to ensure that Hermon was mentally ruthless (Aldred 105). With his cruelty fully in check, Vizier was a great leader in the construction of his cousin’s pyramid.

The exact method of building pyramids similar to King Khufu’s is unknown. Although ancient Egyptians had copper tools that could cut soft stone (The Egyptian Pyramid 1), hard stone, like granite, could not have been cut with such tools. As far as historians know, the pyramid was built with knowledge of astronomy, and by using cardinal points and water-filled trenches. Using cardinal points and trenches makes people wonder how technologically advanced the people of ancient Egypt were.

The first recorded raid of the great Cheops’ tomb happened in 820 AD. The tombs pirate was a caliph named Abdullal al Mamun. After the raid, boats were found inside the Great Pyramid (Pace 122). It is believed that these boats might have been put inside the tomb to help King Khufu on his journey to the next world. King Khufu’s time in the afterlife was to be as nice as that, which he had in his previous life, especially since he had all the things he held dear to him.

With the ideas of current technology in mind, people who study the past think that the pyramids of Egypt were built by moving the stones on huge sledges. The sledges were placed on ground that was previously made slippery with liquid. Builders then put the blocks on ramps to move the giant stones to their chosen place on the pyramid. As the final casing of the pyramid was being assembled, from the top down, the ramps were dismantled as the work was completed . Greek historians such as Heroditus said that it took 100,000 men, which were employed for three months a year for twenty years to build the Great Pyramid
The Great Pyramid of King Khufu and other pyramids in Egypt have broken many barriers. The technology and intelligence of ancestors that lived four thousand years ago astonish those who live in the current time. As times go on, it’s inevitable that Egyptologists and historians will figure out how the Egyptian pyramids were built, and by whom.

Anonymous said...

I wonder why King Khufu was important if he was cruel and violent.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the website!there is loads of information there.

Anonymous said...

KING KHUFU AND THE GREAT PYRAMID

Khufu was the second king of Dynasty 4 of the Old Kingdom.He built the most famous tomb in the ancient world, "The Great Pyramid", one of the seven wonders of the world.

Khufu ruled for 23 years after the reign of his father Snefru. His real name was Khnum-Khufwy, which means "the god Khnum protects me". Khufu planned that his son Kawab would be his heir. Kawab was a scribe and he wanted to be like Senefru who was described by the Egyptians as a cultured and wise king. But Kawab died during the reign of his father.
Khufu's mother was Queen Hetepheres I, who was buried at Dahshur. Khufu married Queen Merey-it-es, who was buried in G1b. He also married Queen Henutsen who is buried in G1c.

After the death of Khufu, the family was divided into three branches. The first was headed by Khufu's queen who was the mother of DjedefHor and Buefre, who never succeeded to the throne. The second was headed by the mother of DjedefRe.The third branch was headed by the mother of Khafre.

The important achievement of Khufu was building the great pyramid at Giza plateau. There were 13 components attached to his pyramid. The royal family was buried in tombs and pyramids to the east of the pyramid.The name of Khufu and his pyramid is always attached to a notion that the pyramid was built by slaves. But that was not the case, because the workers built their own tombs near the pyramid of Khufu,and prepared their tombs for eternity. They were also paid by the king.This pyramid indicates that they were proud to build the tomb of their great god.

The name of Khufu has been found written in the alabaster quarry at Hatnub.It has also been inscribed on a temple at Byblos. Finally, his name was found written in the western desert to the north of Abu Simbel,where they took the diorite to be used in the statues.

It the 26th Dynasty, Khufu was worshipped as a god - his name was found written on scarabs and names of two 26th Dynasty priest have been found who were in charge of maintaining his cult.

Khufu closed the temples of the gods and forbade the Egyptians to offer presents to gods other than himself.He generally considered an unpopular king for the Egyptians. Manetho also relates that Khufu did not respect the gods and that he wrote a book and that he obtained a copy of it.
It seems that Khufu appointed himself as Re during his lifetime. This would explain the reason for all the bad publicity about Khufu both in terms of cruelty and impiety.

Khufu was remembered by the Egyptians throughout history. Even today the spiritual aspect of the pyramid and its builder touches our hearts.

Anonymous said...

King Khufu was known as the "Father of Pyramid Building at Giza" (Khufu 1). His Great Pyramid at Giza was more amazing than any other structure any human had ever seen. Before King Khufu started the construction of his pyramid, the expansive burial place was not as popular. Until this time, kings were buried in small bench-shaped mounds.

The pyramids of Egypt were constructed as a funerary ritual during the "Pyramid Age" (Aldred 49). Historians say that pyramids were built as transportation devices to the afterlife. Kings made sure that had all material possessions that had been cherished in their lifetime were placed inside. This was to insure the king that he/she would be as happy in the afterlife as in their previous life. Pyramid building in Egypt started sometime around 2780 BC with King Djoser. The burial places were constructed around the pyramid of the king to enable these members of the royal family and court to have the "privilege" of surrounding the king in death, just as they had in life.

Anonymous said...

Halo!I am here to present a extremely detailed manuscript on the one and only King Khufu!According to ancient folklore,Mr King Khufu was known as a cruel and ruthless dictator.He is also known as Cheops.Cheops is reconised as the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza.The Pyramid Cheops was buried under is widely known as Cheop's Pyramid(no prizes for guessing why)That's about all I learnt about Cheops.Have a nice day!

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah,I got a last minute comment.If King Khufu was cruel,just exactly how cruel was he?

Anonymous said...

Me too jo-wayn!!!!
BTW,Khufu's full name was Khnum-Khufwy, which means '[the god] Khnum protect me'. He was the son of Sneferu and Queen Hetepheres I, and is believed to have had three wives. He is famous for building the Great Pyramid at Giza, one of the seven wonders of the world, but apart from this, we know very little about him. His only surviving statue is, ironically, the smallest piece of Egyptian royal sculpture ever discovered: a 7.5 cm- (3 inch-) high ivory statue found at Abydos.

Khufu came to the throne, probably during his twenties, and at once began work on his pyramid. The entire project took about 23 years to complete, during which time 2,300,000 building blocks, weighing an average of 2.5 tons each, were moved. His nephew Hemiunu was appointed head of construction for the Great Pyramid. Khufu was the first pharaoh to build a pyramid at Giza. The sheer scale of this monument stands as testament to his skills in commanding the material and human resources of his country. It is now believed the pyramids were built using conscripted labour rather than slaves. The idea that Khufu used slaves to build the pyramid comes from Greek historian Herodotus. He also describes Khufu as a cruel and wicked leader who prostituted his daughter when he ran short of money. However, the Westcar Papyrus describes Khufu as a traditional oriental monarch: good-natured, amiable to his inferiors and interested in the nature of human existence and magic.

Despite not being remembered as fondly as his father, the funerary cult of Khufu was still followed in the 26th Dynasty, and he became increasingly popular during the Roman period.
P.S. Sorry. I copied yun shan's post.HEHE!!!!
P.P.S.Read this...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................










LOL!!!!!!!!