Rise of the Old Kingdom The first King of the Old Kingdom was
Djoser (sometime between 2691 and 2625 BC) of the
Third Dynasty, who ordered the construction of a pyramid (the
Step Pyramid) in Memphis' necropolis,
Saqqara. An important person during the reign of Djoser was his
vizier,
Imhotep. It was in this era that formerly independent ancient Egyptian states became known as
nomes, under the rule of the king. The former rulers were forced to assume the role of governors or otherwise work in tax collection.
Egyptians in this era believed the king to be the incarnation of
Horus, linking the human and spiritual worlds. Egyptian views on the nature of time during this period held that the universe worked in cycles, and the Pharaoh on earth worked to ensure the stability of those cycles. They also perceived themselves as specially selected people. File:Saqqara BW 5.jpg|The
Pyramid of Djoser at
Saqqara. File:Templo de Zoser en Saqqara.jpg|The Temple of Djoser at
Saqqara File: Djoser statue.jpg| Limestone
Ka statue of Djoser from his pyramid
serdab at
Saqqara,
Egyptian Museum, Cairo File:Head of a King, ca. 2650-2600 B.C.E..jpg|The head of a King, likely
Huni –2600 BC,
Brooklyn Museum. depicts the unification of the Two Lands. File:Limestone head of a king. Thought by Petrie to be Narmer. Bought by Petrie in Cairo, Egypt. 1st Dynasty. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg|
Limestone head of an early Egyptian king,
The Petrie Museum. Modern scholars have considered the stone bust to depict an
Early Dynastic or
Old Kingdom pharaoh.
Height of the Old Kingdom in front of the
Great Pyramid of Giza The Old Kingdom and its royal power reached a zenith under the
Fourth Dynasty (2613–2494 BC). King Sneferu, the first king of the Fourth Dynasty, held territory from
ancient Libya in the west to the
Sinai Peninsula in the east, to
Nubia in the south. An Egyptian settlement was founded at
Buhen in Nubia which endured for 200 years.Alternatively, the Sphinx has been proposed to be the work of Khafre and Khufu himself. There were military expeditions into
Canaan and
Nubia, with Egyptian influence reaching up the Nile into what is today
Sudan. The later kings of the Fourth Dynasty were
Menkaure (2532–2504 BC), who commissioned the smallest of the three great pyramids in Giza;
Shepseskaf (2504–2498 BC); and, perhaps,
Djedefptah (2498–2496 BC). , the builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza , likely daughter of
Khufu, from her Giza tomb. Louvre Museum E 15591.
Fifth Dynasty The
Fifth Dynasty (2494–2345 BC) began with
Userkaf (2494–2487 BC) and was marked by the growing importance of the cult of sun god
Ra. Consequently, fewer efforts were devoted to the construction of pyramid complexes than during the Fourth Dynasty and more to the construction of
sun temples in
Abusir. Userkaf was succeeded by his son
Sahure (2487–2475 BC), who commanded an expedition to
Punt. Sahure was in turn succeeded by
Neferirkare Kakai (2475–2455 BC), who was Sahure's son. Neferirkare introduced the
prenomen in the royal titulary. He was followed by two short-lived kings, his son
Neferefre (2455–2453 BC) and
Shepseskare, the latter of uncertain parentage. Shepseskare may have been deposed by Neferefre's brother
Nyuserre Ini (2445–2421 BC), a long-lived pharaoh who commissioned extensively in Abusir and restarted royal activity in Giza. The last pharaohs of the dynasty were
Menkauhor Kaiu (2421–2414 BC),
Djedkare Isesi (2414–2375 BC), and
Unas (2375–2345), the earliest ruler to have the
Pyramid Texts inscribed in his pyramid. Egypt's expanding interests in trade goods such as
ebony, incense such as
myrrh and
frankincense, gold, copper, and other useful metals inspired the ancient Egyptians to build suitable ships for navigation of the open sea. They traded with Lebanon for
cedar and travelled the length of the
Red Sea to the
Kingdom of Punt- modern-day
Eritrea—for ebony, ivory, and aromatic resins. Shipbuilders of that era did not use pegs (
treenails) or metal fasteners, but relied on the rope to keep their ships assembled. Planks and the superstructure were tightly tied and bound together. This period also witnessed direct trade between Egypt and its Aegean neighbors and Anatolia. The rulers of the dynasty sent expeditions to the stone quarries and gold mines of Nubia and the mines of Sinai. There are references and depictions of military campaigns in Nubia and Asia.
Decline into the First Intermediate Period The sixth dynasty peaked during the reigns of Pepi I and Merenre I with flourishing trade, several mining and quarrying expeditions and major military campaigns. Militarily, aggressive expansion into Nubia marked Pepi I's reign. At least five military expeditions were sent into Canaan. There is evidence that Merenre was not only active in Nubia like Pepi I but also sent officials to maintain Egyptian rule over Nubia from the northern border to the area south of the third cataract. Whatever its cause, the collapse of the Old Kingdom was followed by decades of famine and strife. An important inscription on the tomb of
Ankhtifi, a
nomarch during the early
First Intermediate Period, describes the pitiful state of the country when famine stalked the land. ==Art==