Ancient Egypt
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Great Pyramids of Giza. (2026). In Q-files Encyclopedia, History, Ancient Egypt. Retrieved from
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"Great Pyramids of Giza." History, Ancient Egypt, Q-files Encyclopedia, 26 Mar. 2026.
https://www.q-files.com/history/ancient-egypt/great-pyramids-of-giza.
Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.
Great Pyramids of Giza 2026. History, Ancient Egypt. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from
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History, Ancient Egypt, s.v. "Great Pyramids of Giza," accessed September 13, 2026.
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Great Pyramids of Giza
Three massive pyramids were built on the desert plateau above Giza, almost perfectly aligned along a diagonal. Pharaoh Sneferu’s son, Khufu (2589–2566), chose the site for his pyramid, at 147 metres (482 feet) tall, the largest. The pyramid of Khafre (2558–2532 BC), Khufu’s second reigning son, is a little smaller than his father’s, but was built on ground 10 metres (33 feet) higher. Two descending passages led to an underground burial chamber. The pyramid of Menkaure (2490–2472 BC), Khufu’s grandson, was much smaller—just 66 metres (216.5 feet) high. The casing stones of its lower slopes were made of red granite.
Inside the
Great Pyramid
Work commenced on the Great Pyramid, as it came to be called, soon after Khufu ascended to the throne in 2589 BC. Like Sneferu’s pyramids at Dahshur, it consisted of casing and core stones laid horizontally. Inside the pyramid were three chambers, together with several passageways and shafts. The King’s Chamber was reached via the Grand Gallery and three granite portcullis sliding slabs. Five more chambers bore the weight of the pyramid above the King’s Chamber.
Two other chambers were built beneath the King’s Chamber. No one knows what these were for: perhaps the pharaoh just changed his mind about where he wanted his tomb to be. The purpose of the shafts is also unclear: they may have been intended as the routes to be taken by the pharaoh's soul on its way to the stars.
Giza
This is how the Giza pyramids would have looked soon after the completion of Menkaure’s pyramid in around 2472 BC. The pyramids were surrounded by palaces, temples and other tombs. There were also the villages where the workers, who came from all over Egypt, lived while they worked on the massive construction projects. The harbour was full of boats delivering supplies.
The Great Sphinx
The Great Sphinx stands within the funerary complex of the Pyramid of Khafre. Many Egyptologists think the Sphinx’s face is a depiction of Pharaoh Khafre and that the giant limestone sculpture was carved during his reign, around 2500 BC. No inscriptions tell us what the Sphinx’s builders called it or used it for. The name “sphinx” was given many hundreds of years later by the ancient Greeks, after a mythical Greek monster with the body of a lion and a human head.
The Sphinx’s lion body was probably intended to show the pharaoh’s close relationship with the sun goddess Sekhmet, who was a lioness. It was common for pharaohs to have their likenesses carved on lion statues as guardians for their tombs.
Consultant: Phillip Parker
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