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Secondary sourcePainting15 October 1842

Raising the Prussian Flag on the Cheops Pyramid

Johann Jakob Frey · 15 October 1842

A watercolour depicting Prussian expedition members celebrating atop Khufu's Great Pyramid in October 1842.

Depicts a later ceremonial visit to Khufu's pyramid, showing its enduring fame long after his reign.

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Watercolor painting of men on a stone summit of a pyramid in a desert, raising a cream flag with a black eagle. Men in European clothing wave hats and gesture; robed and turbaned people sit and stand around them. A smaller pyramid is at right.
Johann Jakob Frey, The Prussian expedition to Egypt celebrates King Frederick William IV's birthday atop the Cheops pyramid, 15 October 1842.

About this source

What it is

Painted by Johann Jakob Frey, this watercolour shows the Prussian expedition led by Karl Richard Lepsius celebrating the Prussian king's birthday atop the Great Pyramid on 15 October 1842. Named participants include Lepsius, missionaries Mühleisen and Isenberg, and several artists and scholars of the expedition.

Why it matters

Though it shows no trace of Khufu himself, the scene marks a moment in the long history of his pyramid as an object of study. It illustrates how European scholars in the 19th century used Khufu's monument as a stage for national pride and scientific ambition, far removed from the pharaoh's own era.

Look closer

  • Why might the expedition choose to celebrate a Prussian king's birthday on an Egyptian monument?
  • What does the detailed list of participants tell us about who is remembered from such expeditions?
  • Who besides the named Europeans appears in the scene, and how are they shown?

This painting 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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