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Interesting indeed. “Cadman’s testing demonstrated that the pulse rate can be altered … between sixty and eighty pulses per minute.” Perhaps it sounded like a giant beating heart.

The descending passage leading to the chamber in the bedrock doesn't appear to have anything to do with the eventual construction of Khufu's pyramid. It may have an abandoned or superseded effort to build a tomb, probably by an earlier ruler.

OTOH, the Giza monuments remained of great interest to later dynasties. The coffin in the third one, Menkaure, when entered in modern times, was found to contain a burial of New Kingdom date.

So-called Campbell's Tomb, which is a shaft cut down into the plateau behind the Sphinx enclosure was also made during the New Kingdom (and doesn't lead to secret treasure chambers, passages, or the like).

The recent-years discoveries of ancient excavations on the plateau appear to be of New Kingdom date. The Sphinx itself was dug out by order of Thutmose IV of the 18th Dynasty. He left the Dream Stele between its paws.

The recarving (or perhaps first carving) of the head probably took place during the 25th, Kushite dynasty, which would explain the African features. That dynasty also really liked the Sphinx imagery, and pharaohs of that dynasty had sphinx versions of themselves carved and displayed around Egypt.