

It was built for Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops, in Greek), Sneferu’s successor and the second of the eight kings of the fourth dynasty. The oldest and largest of the three pyramids at Giza, known as the Great Pyramid, is the only surviving structure out of the famed Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. No pyramids are more celebrated than the Great Pyramids of Giza, located on a plateau on the west bank of the Nile River, on the outskirts of modern-day Cairo. The new pharaoh, in turn, became Horus, the falcon-god who served as protector of the sun god, Ra. Because of this, it was in everyone’s interest to keep the king’s majesty intact even after his death, when he was believed to become Osiris, god of the dead. Somewhere in between human and divine, they were believed to have been chosen by the gods themselves to serve as their mediators on earth. Kings held a unique position in Egyptian society. The Pharaoh in Egyptian Societyĭuring the third and fourth dynasties of the Old Kingdom, Egypt enjoyed tremendous economic prosperity and stability. More than 4,000 years later, the Egyptian pyramids still retain much of their majesty, providing a glimpse into the country’s rich and glorious past.

Though pyramids were built from the beginning of the Old Kingdom to the close of the Ptolemaic period in the fourth century A.D., the peak of pyramid building began with the late third dynasty and continued until roughly the sixth (c. Their massive scale reflects the unique role that the pharaoh, or king, played in ancient Egyptian society. Built during a time when Egypt was one of the richest and most powerful civilizations in the world, the pyramids-especially the Great Pyramids of Giza-are some of the most magnificent man-made structures in history.
