How far apart were the Great Pyramid and Cleopatra?
Nearly 2,500 years.
The Great Pyramid was built for Khufu, whose reign the Met dates to 2551 to 2528 BC. Cleopatra was born in 69 BC. Between them: 2,459 to 2,482 years.
- Great Pyramid2551 to 2528 BC
- Cleopatra69 BC to 30 BC
- Moon landing20 Jul 1969
From the Great Pyramid to the Moon landing
2551 BC–1969 one continuous scaleKhufu’s reign2551 to 2528 BC
2,459 to 2,482 yearsfrom the pyramid to Cleopatra’s birth
Cleopatra’s life69 BC to 30 BC
1,998 yearsfrom her death to the Moon landing
2551 to 2528 BC
The Great Pyramid is built for Khufu
The largest pyramid at Giza is raised as the tomb of the king Khufu.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗1473 to 1458 BC
Hatshepsut rules Egypt
Hatshepsut reigns as king, a thousand years after the Great Pyramid was built.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗1336 to 1318 BC
Tutankhamun reigns
The boy king rules for about a decade and is buried in the Valley of the Kings.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗1290 to 1224 BC
Ramesses II reigns
One of Egypt’s longest reigns, remembered in temples across the country.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗69 BC
Cleopatra is born
Cleopatra VII, the last ruler of Egypt before Rome, is born.
Smithsonian American Art Museum ↗20 Jul 1969
Humans land on the Moon
Apollo 11 brings Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the lunar surface.
NASA ↗Between landmarks
Feel the distance.
Keep moving to explore another moment. The spaces between the markers are years, too.
20 Jul 1969
Humans land on the Moon.
Cleopatra lived closer to this than to the building of the Great Pyramid.
What happened between the Great Pyramid and Cleopatra?
Most of ancient Egypt’s famous rulers lived in the gap between the pyramid and Cleopatra. These are three of them.
From 2528 BC or earlier to 69 BC: 2,459 to 2,482 years. This is the span the dated records below cover.
Years before AD 1 are marked BC. There was no year zero: 1 BC was followed by AD 1, and every span on this site is counted that way.
Hatshepsut rules Egypt
Hatshepsut reigns as king, a thousand years after the Great Pyramid was built.
Estimated date: 1473 to 1458 BC. The museum dates the joint reign of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III to about 1473 to 1458 BC. It is 1,055 to 1,093 calendar years after the interval begins.
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Tutankhamun reigns
The boy king rules for about a decade and is buried in the Valley of the Kings.
Sources disagree: 1336 to 1318 BC. The museum’s object page dates the reign to about 1328 to 1318 BC; its catalogue data gives 1336 to 1327 BC, from an older dating. It is 1,192 to 1,233 calendar years after the interval begins.
- The museum’s object page: 1328 BC to 1318 BC. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- The museum’s catalogue data: 1336 BC to 1327 BC. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ramesses II reigns
One of Egypt’s longest reigns, remembered in temples across the country.
Estimated date: 1290 to 1224 BC. The museum dates the reign of Ramesses II to about 1290 to 1224 BC. It is 1,238 to 1,327 calendar years after the interval begins.
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Endpoint sources: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Smithsonian American Art Museum
Cleopatra lived closer to the Moon landing than to the building of the Great Pyramid. From her death to Apollo 11 is 1,998 years. From the pyramid to her birth is at least 2,459.