00:00This is the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt. He ruled over Egypt about 400 years before Jesus
00:06Christ was born. His real name was Khufu, but we call him Chaops because that's how the Greeks
00:12pronounced it. Khufu built the largest pyramid in Egypt and one of the seven wonders of the ancient
00:18world. But when he died, nobody knew what happened to his body. For over 2,000 years, historians have
00:26been searching for the lost tomb of the great pharaoh, and just when they thought they had
00:30found it, bam! Another discovery that turns everything upside down. What? The official
00:37story says that after King Khufu died, his son, Kha, took over the throne. But according to another
00:45theory, it was actually Queen Huttia Shepsis who became the new ruler after Khufu's death.
00:51Who's that? Well, she was Khufu's wife and the mother of his successor. But wait, there's more.
01:01According to some historians, Queen Hettiferes may have actually been the one who built the
01:06Great Pyramid of Giza as her own tomb. Why would she want to be buried in a pyramid? Well, back in
01:12those days, the bigger the tomb, the more important the person was. And what could be more important
01:18than an actual pyramid? Plus, it's not like they were short on space or anything. Just look at this
01:24aerial view. They got all kinds of room to spare. Okay, let me get you up to speed on what we know
01:30so far. See, King Khufu was the second pharaoh of the fourth dynasty, which means he had a dad and a
01:37successor. We know that because the ancient Egyptians kept meticulous records of their lineage. Like the
01:44kingship wasn't hereditary or anything. King Khufu's dad was King Sneferu, and his successor
01:50was King Khafre, unless it was Queen Hatshepsut. We don't really know because the ancient Egyptians
01:55didn't exactly write down everything they were thinking. What?
02:01According to this crazy theory, Queen Hatshepsut faked her way into King Khufu's heart and then into the
02:08throne. To pull off this elaborate scheme, she had to make everyone think that her son was the true
02:15heir to the throne, even though he was really just a product of her treachery. But why would she want
02:21to be queen? Well, if you're gonna commit a string of betrayals, you might as well go all the way. And
02:28besides, women weren't allowed to be pharaohs in ancient Egypt, unless they were acting pharaohs, so maybe
02:35she just wanted to keep it in the family. Okay, now let's talk pyramids. What's the deal with that?
02:42Well, we know that King Khufu built his pyramid first, but Queen Hetafiris may have wanted one
02:47too. You know, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so maybe she built hers bigger to
02:55show how much she loved him, or maybe she was just trying to outdo her predecessor. It's hard to say,
03:00because people are complicated. But what does it mean for King Khufu's legacy if his pyramid was
03:07actually built by his wife? Well, for starters, it means he wasn't as great as we thought he was.
03:13I mean, come on, he couldn't even protect his own pyramid. But seriously, it just shows how much
03:20things have changed over the years. Back in the day, it was all about the size of your tomb.
03:25The bigger, the better. But these days, it's more about the memories you make along the way.
03:33Oh, and speaking of memories, do you remember when we went to the British Museum and saw this statue
03:38of King Khufu? Yeah, me too. It's one of my favorite memories. Well, folks, it looks like we've
03:48reached the end of our time here today. Join us next time for more adventures in history.
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