The Giza "written" landscape and the double project of King Khufu

TL;DR

This paper explores the hypothesis that the original plans for Khufu's pyramid complex at Giza included a second pyramid for Khafra, offering new insights into ancient Egyptian landscape planning and monument construction.

Contribution

It systematically investigates the possibility of a double project at Giza, combining multidisciplinary evidence to challenge traditional views on Old Kingdom monument planning.

Findings

Evidence suggests a coordinated double project at Giza.

Implications for understanding ancient Egyptian landscape and monument construction.

Reconsideration of the planning and execution of Old Kingdom pyramids.

Abstract

In recent years, different scientific disciplines, from Physics to Egyptology, from Geology to Archaeoastronomy, evidenced a series of clues pointing to the possibility that the original project of the pyramid complex of Khufu at Giza included also the project of the second pyramid complex at the same site, that of Khafra. The aim of the present paper is to discuss this issue in a systematic fashion and to explore its consequences on the way the ancient Egyptians conceived and built monuments and entire landscapes during the Old Kingdom.