Khafre << KAF ray >> was king of Egypt from about 2520 to 2494 B.C. He was the fourth king of Dynasty IV, during the historical period called the Old Kingdom (about 2650 to 2150 B.C.). Scholars often divide ancient Egyptian history into such time periods as the Old, Middle, and New kingdoms; and into dynasties—that is, series of rulers from the same family. The ancient Greeks called Khafre “Chephren” << KEHF rehn >>.
Khafre ruled during the age of the pyramid builders. He built a towering pyramid at the site of Giza, just west of modern Cairo. The only Egyptian pyramid larger than Khafre’s was built by his father, Khufu << KOO foo >>. Also at Giza, it is known as the Great Pyramid. Khafre’s pyramid is the middle one of the three large pyramids at Giza. It is easy to recognize because of its white “cap” at the top. This cap is all that remains of a casing, or layer, of fine white limestone blocks that once covered the whole pyramid. Egyptians took the casing blocks from the pyramids to build the new city of Cairo during a period commonly called the Middle Ages (about the A.D. 400’s through the 1400’s). Today, Khafre’s pyramid appears to be the tallest of the pyramids at Giza. One reason for this is that Khafre built on higher ground than Khufu did. In addition, Khufu’s pyramid has lost its casing blocks, as well as about 30 feet (9 meters) of its height. Khafre’s mummy (preserved body) and goods intended for use in the afterlife were stolen from his pyramid long before the time of modern archaeologists.
Historians do not know much about Khafre’s personality because hieroglyphic inscriptions made during Dynasty IV do not include this kind of detail. Much later, during the 400’s B.C., the Greek historian Herodotus described Khafre as an evil king. However, there is no way to know if his description is true. Scholars do have an idea of Khafre’s appearance, based on many surviving stone images of him. However, Egyptian artists were not all that concerned with showing how people actually looked. Archaeologists found many statues and fragments of statues scattered around the two temples connected with Khafre’s pyramid. The most famous one shows Khafre seated on a throne, looking powerful and confident. The falcon god Horus protects him with outstretched wings. Historians think it is likely that the face of the famous Great Sphinx statue at Giza is a portrait of Khafre. The sphinx is part man and part lion. It was carved from a natural limestone mound east of Khafre’s pyramid.
