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Over the course of the fifth and sixth dynasties, the king’s wealth was steadily depleted, partially due to the huge expense of pyramid-building, and his absolute power faltered in the face of the growing influence of the nobility and the priesthood that grew up around the sun god Ra (Re). The pharaohs held absolute power and provided a stable central government the kingdom faced no serious threats from abroad and successful military campaigns in foreign countries like Nubia and Libya added to its considerable economic prosperity. Two other pyramids were built at Giza for Khufu’s successors Khafra (2558-2532 B.C) and Menkaura (2532-2503 B.C.).ĭuring the third and fourth dynasties, Egypt enjoyed a golden age of peace and prosperity. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus estimated that it took 100,000 men 20 years to build it.

Built for Khufu (or Cheops, in Greek), who ruled from 2589 to 2566 B.C., the pyramid was later named by classical historians as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Egyptian pyramid-building reached its zenith with the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo. Around 2630 B.C., the third dynasty’s King Djoser asked Imhotep, an architect, priest and healer, to design a funerary monument for him the result was the world’s first major stone building, the Step-Pyramid at Saqqara, near Memphis. The Old Kingdom began with the third dynasty of pharaohs. The earliest known hieroglyphic writing also dates to this period.

To the ancient Egyptians, the king was a godlike being, closely identified with the all-powerful god Horus. The Archaic Period saw the development of the foundations of Egyptian society, including the all-important ideology of kingship. The capital would grow into a great metropolis that dominated Egyptian society during the Old Kingdom period. King Menes founded the capital of ancient Egypt at White Walls (later known as Memphis), in the north, near the apex of the Nile River delta. A century later, King Menes would subdue the north and unify the country, becoming the first king of the first dynasty. A southern king, Scorpion, made the first attempts to conquer the northern kingdom around 3200 B.C. 5000-3100 B.C.)įew written records or artifacts have been found from the Predynastic Period, which encompassed at least 2,000 years of gradual development of the Egyptian civilization.Īround 3400 B.C., two separate kingdoms were established near the Fertile Crescent, an area home to some of the world’s oldest civilizations: the Red Land to the north, based in the Nile River Delta and extending along the Nile perhaps to Atfih and the White Land in the south, stretching from Atfih to Gebel es-Silsila. The picture that emerges is of a culture with few equals in the beauty of its art, the accomplishment of its architecture or the richness of its religious traditions.

The main sources of information about ancient Egypt are the many monuments, objects and artifacts that have been recovered from archaeological sites, covered with hieroglyphs that have only recently been deciphered. From the great pyramids of the Old Kingdom through the military conquests of the New Kingdom, Egypt’s majesty has long entranced archaeologists and historians and created a vibrant field of study all its own: Egyptology. to its conquest by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.-ancient Egypt was the preeminent civilization in the Mediterranean world.