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Χρονικόν
EL · Ελληνικά

Chronicle III of XIV

The Old Kingdom

Age of the Pyramids

The Age of the Pyramids: Djoser, Imhotep, Giza, and the collapse that followed.

Span
c. 2686 – 2181 BCE
Entries
8
  1. 2670 BC

    Third DynastyCultural

    Djoser, Imhotep, and the Step Pyramid

    King Djoser and his architect Imhotep raise the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, the first monumental building of dressed stone and the prototype of all later pyramids.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  2. 2600 BC

    Fourth DynastyPolitical

    Sneferu and the perfecting of the pyramid

    Sneferu, founder of the Fourth Dynasty, builds on a colossal scale — the Meidum pyramid, the Bent Pyramid, and the Red Pyramid — achieving the first true smooth-sided pyramid.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 2
  3. 2560 BC

    Fourth DynastyCultural

    Khufu and the Great Pyramid of Giza

    Khufu (Cheops) raises the Great Pyramid at Giza, the largest stone monument ever built and the last surviving Wonder of the Ancient World.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  4. 2532 BC

    Fourth DynastyCultural

    Khafre, Menkaure, and the Great Sphinx

    Khafre and Menkaure complete the Giza necropolis with two more pyramids; the Great Sphinx, carved from the bedrock, guards Khafre's causeway.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  5. 2400 BC

    Fifth DynastyReligious

    Sun temples and the rise of Ra

    The kings of the Fifth Dynasty build open-air sun temples to the god Ra at Abu Ghurab and Abusir, signalling the ascendancy of the solar cult of Heliopolis.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  6. 2350 BC

    Fifth DynastyReligious

    The Pyramid Texts of Unas

    Unas, last king of the Fifth Dynasty, inscribes the walls of his pyramid at Saqqara with the Pyramid Texts, the oldest religious writings in the world.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  7. 2278 BC

    Sixth DynastyPolitical

    The long reign of Pepi II

    Pepi II ascends the throne as a child and reigns for as long as ninety years, the longest documented reign in history, during which royal power slowly ebbs.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 2
  8. 2181 BC

    CollapsePolitical

    The fall of the Old Kingdom

    After Pepi II, the monarchy fragments into the ephemeral Seventh and Eighth Dynasties; central authority collapses and Egypt slides into the First Intermediate Period.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3