KHUFU

flourished 25th century BC also spelled Khufwey, or Khnomkhufwey, Greek Cheops second king of the 4th dynasty (c. 2575c. 2465 BC) of Egypt and builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza, the largest single building to that time. Khufu's reign and that of his son Khafre (Greek: Chephren) were represented by the Greek historian Herodotus as 106 years of oppression and misery, but this was belied by Khufu's posthumous reputation in Egypt as a wise ruler. Herodotus' story of Khufu's prostitution of his daughter in order to raise money for his building projects is clearly scandalmongering legend. Although few written sources remain, it is known that Khufu was the son and successor of King Snefru and his queen Hetepheres and was probably married four times: to Merityetes, who was buried in one of the three small pyramids beside his own; to a second queen, whose name is unknown; to Henutsen, whose small pyramid is the third of the group; and to Nefert-kau, the eldest of Snefru's daughters. Two of his sons, Djedefre (Redjedef) and Khafre, succeeded him in turn.