Khufu, the second King in the Fourth Dynasty, was the son of King Senefru and Queen Hetepheres and was the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Though this pyramid somehow represents the very essence of "ancient Egypt," the king for whom it was built as a tomb has left little recorded information about his actual reign. Khufu probably reigned for 23 or 24 years.

It is ironic indeed that for all the magnificence of his pyramid, the only portrait we have of Khufu himself is a tiny 3-inch-high statue sculpted in ivory.