2551-2528 B.C.

Egyptian pharaoh during the fourth dynasty (c. 2575-c. 2465 B.C.) who built the Great Pyramid at Giza. This pyramid, the largest built by any pharaoh, was part of a funerary complex that included a mortuary temple, valley temple, causeway, seven boat pits, a satellite pyramid, and pyramids for three of Khufu's queens. Khufu's authority was so great that he was able to mobilize and support as many as 20,000 workers each year throughout his reign to work on his pyramid complex.