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Secondary sourcePhotograph1865-1869

Pyramids at Giza

Gustave Le Gray · 1865-1869

An 1860s photograph of the Giza pyramids, including the Great Pyramid built for Khufu, with the Great Sphinx in the foreground.

Depicts the Great Pyramid Khufu built, photographed centuries later as part of the Giza monuments.

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Sepia albumen photograph of the Great Pyramid of Giza rising behind the partly buried Great Sphinx in the foreground, with stone blocks at the bottom edge and a bare, pale sky above.
Gustave Le Gray, 'Pyramides de Gizèh', 1865–69. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This albumen photograph was made between 1865 and 1869 by the French photographer Gustave Le Gray. It shows the Great Pyramid rising behind the partly buried Great Sphinx at Giza, Egypt. The print is held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Why it matters

The Great Pyramid was built as the tomb of the pharaoh Khufu, who ruled during Egypt's Fourth Dynasty. By the time Le Gray photographed the site, more than four thousand years had passed, and the pyramid had long been a symbol of ancient Egypt's power and engineering skill that drew photographers from Europe. This image reflects nineteenth-century fascination with ancient Egypt rather than Khufu's own era.

Look closer

  • Why do you think the Sphinx is shown half-buried in sand in this photograph?
  • What might this image tell us about European interest in Egypt during the 1860s?
  • What can and can't a photograph like this tell us about the people who actually built the pyramid?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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A large limestone pyramid with a smooth-edged stepped outer surface rises against a clear blue sky over pale desert sand. Small figures stand at the lower left, and rubble and low stone blocks lie at its base.Artifact

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Great Pyramid of Giza

c. 2560 BCE

Vintage postcard showing the Great Pyramid of Giza in grey tones against a pale sky, with a large dark tree in front, two palm trees at left, a camel and rider at lower left, and the caption 'La Grande Pyramide Cheops'. Handwriting and a stamp are on the right.Photograph

Secondary source

La Grande Pyramide Cheops

1903

A small ivory statuette of a seated figure wearing a tall royal crown, with hands resting on the lap, on a clear acrylic base set against a blue cloth. Dark encrusted patches mark the chest and arm.Sculpture

Primary source

Khufu Statuette

c. 2600–2494 BCE (possibly later, 664–525 BCE)

Sepia albumen photograph of the Giza pyramids of Cheops and Chephren, with the Sphinx and the Valley Temple ruins in the foreground, and robed men with camels standing to the right. Caption printed in white script along the bottom.Photograph

Secondary source

Pyramids of Cheops and Chephren and the Sphinx at Giza

The Khufu ship, a large ancient Egyptian wooden solar barque displayed in a museum gallery. Its long hull is supported by a criss-crossed framework of metal and wooden struts, and visitors stand along the walkways and balconies around it under a curved, illuminated ceiling.Artifact

Primary source

Khufu ship

Royal shipwrights of Khufu · c. 2566 BCE

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