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Secondary sourcePhotograph21 November 1904

Pyramids of Gizah, Balloon Photograph

Eduard Spelterini · 21 November 1904

An early aerial photograph of the Giza pyramids taken from a balloon, naming the Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) among the three.

Shows the Pyramid of Cheops, Khufu's great monument, as seen from above many centuries after his reign.

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Black-and-white aerial photograph taken from a balloon of the Giza pyramid complex. Three pyramids stand across the desert, with a dense village and cultivated fields with a river visible in the foreground and lower right.
Eduard Spelterini, Pyramids of Gizah, Egypt, photographed from a balloon, 21 November 1904, first published 1928.

About this source

What it is

This black-and-white photograph was taken by Eduard Spelterini from a balloon about 600 metres above the ground in 1904, and later published in 1928. It shows the three pyramids of Giza — Menkaure, Khafre, and Cheops — with a village and cultivated fields visible below.

Why it matters

This is one of the earliest aerial photographs of the pyramids, taken long after Khufu's time but showing his pyramid still standing as a landmark in the landscape thousands of years later. It illustrates how Khufu's monument has continued to shape the view of Giza into the modern era.

Look closer

  • Why might someone in 1904 want to photograph the pyramids from a balloon rather than the ground?
  • What does the surrounding village and farmland tell you about the area around the pyramids at the time?
  • How does seeing the pyramids from above change your sense of their size compared to ground-level photos?

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

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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

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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

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Khufu ship

Royal shipwrights of Khufu · c. 2566 BCE

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