Old Kingdom
Egypt's pyramid age
The Old Kingdom is the period of ancient Egyptian history spanning roughly 2686–2181 BCE, encompassing the Third through Sixth Dynasties.
It represents the age of pyramid building, when the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Sphinx were constructed.
Historians sometimes call it the "Age of the Pyramids" for this reason.
The Old Kingdom ended with a period of political fragmentation and declining central authority.
Tennessee city, ancient Egyptian capital
- NileAfrica's longest river
- DeltaAlluvial formation at mouth
- GizaEgyptian necropolis plateau
- HeliopolisAncient sun-worship center
Upper Egypt · Lower Egypt · Bronze Age · vizier · unification · famine · desiccation · collapse
Ancient Egyptian royal tomb
- causewayRaised road over water
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
- graniteIgneous rock, quartz-rich
- constructionProcess of building something
laborers · ramps · Imhotep · architecture · monuments · tombs
Egyptian sun deity
- OsirisEgyptian afterlife deity
- HorusEgyptian sky deity
- AnubisEgyptian mortuary deity
- afterlifeExistence beyond mortality
mummification · ba · Pyramid Texts · funerary rites · offerings · cult · priesthood · temples
Symbolic picture-based writing
- papyrusAncient plant-derived writing material
- scribesProfessional document copiers
- inscriptionsWords carved into surfaces
- cartoucheOval framing royal hieroglyphs
glyphs · logograms · ideograms · Pyramid Texts · autobiographies · decrees · stele · administration
Egyptian king, largest pyramid
- dynastySuccessive family rulers
- reignSovereign's time in power
- throneCeremonial chair for sovereigns
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
cartouche · regalia · scepter · crook · flail · double crown · royal court · succession
Memphis
Tennessee city, ancient Egyptian capital
Heliopolis · Upper Egypt · Lower Egypt · Bronze Age · vizier · unification · famine · desiccation · collapse
Great Pyramid
Ancient Egyptian royal tomb
construction · laborers · ramps · Imhotep · architecture · monuments · tombs
Ra
Egyptian sun deity
afterlife · mummification · ba · Pyramid Texts · funerary rites · offerings · cult · priesthood · temples · sarcophagus
hieroglyphics
Symbolic picture-based writing
- papyrusAncient plant-derived writing material
- scribesProfessional document copiers
- inscriptionsWords carved into surfaces
cartouche · glyphs · logograms · ideograms · Pyramid Texts · autobiographies · decrees · stele · administration · record-keeping
Khufu
Egyptian king, largest pyramid
sovereignty · cartouche · regalia · scepter · crook · flail · double crown · royal court · succession
Old KingdomMiddle Kingdom
China's traditional self-designation