when were the pyramids of giza built

The Pyramids of Giza were built during Egypt’s Old Kingdom, mainly between about 2589 and 2504 BCE, across the reigns of three 4th‑dynasty pharaohs.

Quick Scoop

Core timeline (short answer)

Most Egyptologists date construction of the three main Pyramids of Giza to roughly 2600–2500 BCE.

• Khufu’s Great Pyramid: started around 2589–2550 BCE, often narrowed to a completion date near 2560 BCE.

• Khafre’s Pyramid (second largest): built during Khafre’s reign, about 2558–2532 BCE.

• Menkaure’s Pyramid (smallest of the three): begun roughly 2532–2503 BCE.

In modern terms, that means they are about 4,500–4,600 years old.

Why the dates are estimates

Archaeologists do not have a single inscription that says, “We finished the pyramid this year,” so dates are reconstructed from multiple sources.

Key methods include:

• Historical records: King lists and inscriptions tie each pyramid to a specific pharaoh’s reign in the 4th dynasty.

• Archaeology: Tools, worker settlements, and burial complexes around the pyramids match Old Kingdom material culture.

• Radiocarbon dating: Organic material in mortar and nearby contexts gives calibrated ranges that cluster around the mid‑3rd millennium BCE.

A large radiocarbon study suggests a completion window for the Great Pyramid between about 2620 and 2484 BCE, consistent with the historical reign of Khufu.

Mini sections and viewpoints

Viewpoint 1: Mainstream Egyptology

Mainstream scholars agree that:

• The pyramids are Old Kingdom royal tombs tied to Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure.

• Construction occurred over roughly 85 years in the 4th dynasty (about 2589–2504 BCE).

• Their age is about 4½ millennia, not tens of thousands of years.

An example: Khufu’s Great Pyramid is explicitly associated with his name in quarry marks and nearby funerary complexes, anchoring it to his time.

Viewpoint 2: Alternative theories online

On forums and “alternative history” discussions, some people argue the pyramids might be far older, sometimes linking them to lost civilizations or astronomical alignments.

• These views often rely on speculative interpretations of erosion patterns or star maps.
• They generally lack the repeatable archaeological and radiocarbon evidence that supports the Old Kingdom dating.

Even in those discussions, participants frequently push for solid evidence and emphasize scientific standards.

Simple timeline table (HTML)

Below is a compact HTML table since you requested tables in that format:

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Pyramid</th>
      <th>Pharaoh</th>
      <th>Approx. Reign</th>
      <th>Approx. Build Date</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Great Pyramid (Giza I)</td>
      <td>Khufu</td>
      <td>2589–2566 BCE</td>
      <td>c. 2589–2560 BCE</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Second Pyramid (Giza II)</td>
      <td>Khafre</td>
      <td>2558–2532 BCE</td>
      <td>c. mid‑2550s–2530s BCE</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Third Pyramid (Giza III)</td>
      <td>Menkaure</td>
      <td>2532–2503 BCE</td>
      <td>c. early‑2500s BCE</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

(Years and associations summarized from major reference works and archaeological syntheses.)

Tiny storytelling touch

Imagine standing on the Giza plateau around 2550 BCE, with the Nile flooding in the distance and thousands of workers hauling limestone blocks along earthen ramps.

Khufu’s pyramid would be rising season by season, a state project tying the king’s legacy to the gods and to eternity in stone.

TL;DR

The Pyramids of Giza were built in Egypt’s 4th dynasty, roughly 2589–2504 BCE, with the Great Pyramid of Khufu completed around 2560 BCE, making the complex about 4,500–4,600 years old.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.