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The Great Pyramid

c. 2560 BCE

The Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, photographed in daylight with the desert plateau in front.

Recorded HistoryThe Great Pyramid

The pyramid of Khufu.

The Great Pyramid is conventionally dated to about 2560 BCE, in the reign of Khufu of the Fourth Dynasty. It is the largest pyramid at Giza and the oldest of the ancient Seven Wonders still standing.

The work took a whole reign, and no record gives the day of completion.

c. 2560 BCE, placed on the scale of its era on a line leading toward now.

Era
Recorded History
Period
c. 2560 BCE
Edition
1/1
Status
Not Released
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Background artwork

Cinematic background showing the Great Pyramid at sunset beside the Nile floodplain. An illustration generated with an AI image tool for TIME. It is an artistic depiction, not a photograph or a record of the moment. It is shown with smooth white casing, as it is thought to have first looked.