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Event / publication / experimentBranchesc. 2560 BCEViews on dating

The Great Pyramid (Pyramid of Khufu)

KhufuMererPierre TalletMark LehnerJean-Pierre Houdin

This page delivers no verdict; it presents claims and evidence with their sources. No theory in science is absolute. Method

For everyone

The Great Pyramid at Giza was built in the 26th century BCE for the pharaoh Khufu of Egypt's 4th Dynasty. At about 146 metres it remained the tallest known human structure for some 3,800 years. A logbook kept by an official named Merer, found on the Red Sea coast, tells how limestone blocks were shipped by boat to Giza. How the blocks were raised onto the pyramid is not known for certain, and different ramp models have been proposed.

For specialists

The pyramid consists of about 2.3 million stone blocks, and its sides are aligned to the cardinal directions within a few arcminutes. The papyri found at Wadi al-Jarf are the oldest known inscribed papyri and date to the last years of Khufu's reign. The discovery at Giza of a workers' town and workers' cemeteries supports the view that the building was built by paid, organised crews. Measurements with cosmic-ray muons showed a large void, at least 30 metres long, above the Grand Gallery; its function is unknown.

Views on dating

No single date is given because the date is not documented with certainty; the views of different sources are listed.

Common Egyptological chronologyKhufu's reign about 2589–2566 BCE; the pyramid's construction is dated to this period.[1]

Claims

Evidence

Supporting

Archaeological / fossil find

Merer's logbook records, day by day, a crew shipping limestone from the Tura quarries to Giza via the Nile and canals.[2]

Observation

Measurements with cosmic-ray muons using three different techniques detected a previously unknown large void inside the pyramid.[4]

Challenging

—

Positions

Straight or zigzag external ramp models
The blocks were hauled up on external ramps extended as the structure rose.[1]
Internal ramp model (Houdin)
The lower part was built with an external ramp and the upper part with a ramp spiralling up inside the pyramid.[3]

Open questions

Connections

Parent

Architecture

Related

Babylonian mathematics and Plimpton 322The invention of writing

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Sources

  1. BookLehner, M. (1997). The Complete Pyramids. Thames & Hudson, London
  2. BookTallet, P. (2017). Les papyrus de la mer Rouge I: le « journal de Merer » (Papyrus Jarf A et B). Institut français d'archéologie orientale, Le Caire
  3. BookHoudin, J.-P. (2006). Khufu: The Secrets Behind the Building of the Great Pyramid. Farid Atiya Press, Cairo
  4. ArticleMorishima, K. et al. (2017). Discovery of a big void in Khufu's Pyramid by observation of cosmic-ray muons. Nature 552, 386–390DOI 10.1038/nature24647archive

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Cite this page

APA

Athena contributors. (2026). The Great Pyramid (Pyramid of Khufu). Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/keops-piramidi/

BibTeX
@misc{athena_keops_piramidi,
  title        = {The Great Pyramid (Pyramid of Khufu)},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/keops-piramidi/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 28, 2026 · Last changed: September 28, 2026 · Page history

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