Old Kingdom
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| Dynasties of Pharaohs in Ancient Egypt |
| Protodynastic Period |
| Early Dynastic Period |
| 1st 2nd |
| Old Kingdom |
| 3rd 4th 5th 6th |
| First Intermediate Period |
| 7th 8th 9th 10th |
| 11th (Thebes only) |
| Middle Kingdom |
| 11th (All Egypt) |
| 12th 13th 14th |
| Second Intermediate Period |
| 15th 16th 17th |
| New Kingdom |
| 18th 19th 20th |
| Third Intermediate Period |
| 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th |
| Late Period |
| 26th 27th 28th |
| 29th 30th 31st |
| Graeco-Roman Period |
| Ptolemaic Roman Empire |
The royal capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom was located at Memphis, where Djoser established his court. The Old Kingdom is perhaps best known, however for the large number of pyramids which were constructed at this time as pharaonic burial places. For this reason, the Old Kingdom is frequently referred to as "the Age of the Pyramids".
| Contents |
The Beginning: the Third Dynasty
The first famous pharaoh of the Old Kingdom was Djoser (2630–2611 BC) of the Third Dynasty who ordered the construction of the first pyramid (the Step Pyramid) in Memphis's new necropolis, Saqqara. An important person during the reign of Djoser was his vizier Imhotep, who oversaw the constructions of that necropolis.
It was in this era that formerly independent ancient Egyptian states became known as nomes, ruled solely by the pharaoh. Subsequently the former rulers were forced to assume the role of governors or otherwise work in tax collection. Ancient Egyptians in this era emphatically believed that their pharaoh could assure the annual flooding of the Nile for their crops. They also perceived themselves as a specially selected people, "as the only true human beings on earth" (ANCIENT AFRICAN CIVILIZATIONS TO ca. 1500: Pharaonic Egypt to Ca. 800 BCE (http://www.louisville.edu/a-s/history/herlin/textsup.htm#_ftn18), by Dr. Susan J. Herlin, 2003, page 27).
Golden Age: the Fourth Dynasty
The Old Kingdom and its royal power reached their zenith under the Fourth dynasty, which began with Sneferu (2575–2551 BC). Using a greater mass of stones than any other Pharaoh, he built three pyramids: a mysterious pyramid in Meidum (a failure), the famous Bent Pyramid in Dahshur (another failure) and the small Red Pyramid, also in Dashur.
Sneferu was succeeded by his (in)famous son, Khufu (2551–2528 BC), who built the Great Pyramid of Giza. Later Egyptian literature describes him as a cruel tyrant, who imposed forced labour on his subjects to complete his pyramid. After Khufu's death his sons Djedefra (2528–2520 BC) and Khafra (2520–2494 BC) may have quarrelled. The latter built the second pyramid and the Sphinx in Giza.
The later kings of the Fourth dynasty were Menkaura (2494–2472 BC), who built the smallest pyramid in Giza, and Shepseskaf (2472–2467 BC).
Decline and Collapse: Fifth through Eighth Dynasties
The Fifth Dynasty began with Userkhaf (2465–2458 BC), who initiated reforms that weakened the Pharaoh and central government. After his reign civil wars arose as the powerful nomarchs (regional governors) no longer belonged to the royal family. The worsening civil conflict undermined unity and energetic government and also caused famines. But regional autonomy and civil wars were not the only causes of this decline. The massive building projects of the Fourth dynasty exceeded the capacity of the treasury and populace, and weakened the Kingdom at its roots.
Rulers of the Sixth Dynasty saw themselves confronted with the worst excesses of civil war, which devoured the Old Kingdom after the very long reign of Pepi II (2246 BC–2151 BC). The eighteen kings that followed between 2150 and 2134 BCE comprised the whole of the Seventh and Eighth Dynasties.
The final blow was a sudden and short-lived cooling in the region that resulted in a drastic drop in precipitation between 2200 and 2100 BCE, which in turn prevented the normal flooding of the Nile. The result was decades of famine and strife. An inscription on the tomb of Ankhtifi, a leader of the First Intermediate Period describes the state of the country at the end of the Old Kingdom: All of Upper Egypt was dying of hunger and people were eating their children...
Ancient Egypt Clipart and Pictures
- Ancient Egypt Architecture (http://classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imageFolio.cgi?direct=History/Ancient_Civilizations/Ancient_Egypt/Architecture)
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- Ancient Egypt Hieroglyphs (http://classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imageFolio.cgi?direct=History/Ancient_Civilizations/Ancient_Egypt/Hieroglyphs)
- Ancient Egypt People (http://classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imageFolio.cgi?direct=History/Ancient_Civilizations/Ancient_Egypt/Historical_People)
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- Ancient Egypt Musical Instruments (http://classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imageFolio.cgi?direct=History/Ancient_Civilizations/Ancient_Egypt/Musical_Instruments)
- Ancient Egypt Pyramids (http://classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imageFolio.cgi?direct=History/Ancient_Civilizations/Ancient_Egypt/Pyramids)
- Ancient Egypt Religion (http://classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imageFolio.cgi?direct=History/Ancient_Civilizations/Ancient_Egypt/Religion)
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- Ancient Egypt Transportation (http://classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imageFolio.cgi?direct=History/Ancient_Civilizations/Ancient_Egypt/Transportation)
- Ancient War and Armies (http://classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imageFolio.cgi?direct=History/Ancient_Civilizations/Ancient_Egypt/War_and_Armies)