Great Pyramids (Menkaura, Khafre, Khufu) and Great Sphinx

Great Pyramids (Menkaura, Khafre, Khufu) and Great Sphinx. Giza, Egypt. Old Kingdom, Fourth Dynasty. c. 2550–2490 B.C.E. Cut limestone.

• The three primary pyramids on the Giza plateau were built over the span of three generations by the rulers Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. Each pyramid was part of a royal mortuary complex that also included a temple at its base and a long stone causeway 
• Being buried near the pharaoh was a great honor and helped ensure a prized place in the afterlife.
• The shape of the pyramid was a solar reference, perhaps intended as a solidified version of the rays of the sun. Texts talk about the sun’s rays as a ramp the pharaoh mounts to climb to the sky
• The pyramid was considered a place of regeneration for the deceased ruler.
•  2,000 conscripted peasants. 
• The Great Pyramid, the largest of the three, was built by the pharaoh Khufu
• The pyramid contains an estimated 2,300,000 blocks, some of which are upwards of 50 ton
• and angled, outer casing blocks laid in even horizontal courses with spaces filled with gypsum plaster.
• These blocks of white Tura limestone would have given the pyramid a smooth surface and been quite bright and reflective.
• This dazzling point, shining in the intense sunlight, would have been visible for a great distance.
• The interior chambers and passageways of Khufu’s pyramid are unique and include a number of enigmatic features. 
• Above the King’s Chamber are five stress-relieving chambers of massive granite blocks topped with immense cantilevered blocks forming a pent roof to distribute the weight of the mountain of masonry above it. The king’s sarcophagus, also carved from red granite, sits empty at the exact central axis of the pyramid. This burial chamber was sealed with a series of massive granite blocks and the entrance to the shaft filled with limestone in an effort to obscure the opening.
• The second great pyramid of Giza, that was built by Khufu’s second son Khafre
• The interior is much simpler than that of Khufu’s pyramid, with a single burial chamber, one small subsidiary chamber, and two passageways.
• Right next to the causeway leading from Khafre’s valley temple to the mortuary temple sits the first truly colossal sculpture in Egyptian history: the Great Sphinx. This close association indicates that this massive depiction of a recumbent lion with the head of a king was carved for Khafre.
• The third of the major pyramids at Giza belongs to Menkaure. This is the smallest of the three
• Menkaure’s pyramid chambers are more complex than those of Khafre and include a chamber carved with decorative panels and another chamber with six large niches. The burial chamber is lined with massive granite blocks.
• the three primary pyramids at Giza were constructed during the height of a period known as the Old Kingdom and served as burial places, memorials, and places of worship for a series of deceased rulers--the largest belonging to King Khufu, the middle to his son Khafre, and the smallest of the three to Khufu's grandson, Menkaure.
• Pyramids are not stand-alone structures. Those at Giza formed only a part of a much larger complex that included a temple at the base of the pyramid itself, long causeways and corridors, small subsidiary pyramids, and a second temple (known as a valley temple) some distance from the pyramid. These Valley Temples were used to perpetuate the cult of the deceased king and were active places of worship for hundreds of years (sometimes much longer) after the king’s death.