2686–2667 BCE
3rd Dynasty of Egypt
2686–2613 BCE
The 3rd Dynasty opens the Old Kingdom. Under Djoser, his architect Imhotep raised the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, the first monumental building in cut stone and the starting point of the pyramid age.
Djoser's successors experimented with the form, as the unfinished complex of Sekhemkhet shows. Some attributions for the later kings of the dynasty are still disputed, so the succession is best read as a well-attested core with uncertain edges.
- Period
- Old Kingdom
- Dates
- 2686–2613 BCE
- Rulers profiled
- 5
Rulers of the 3rd Dynasty
Best-known rulers: Djoser; Sekhemkhet; Khaba; Huni. Every ruler profile in the archive for this dynasty, in the order used by the chronology. Each name links to a full profile with dates, background, sources and illustrations.
2667–2648 BCE
2648–2640 BCE
2640–2637 BCE
2637–2613 BCE
Major monuments
- Djoser Step Pyramid and Saqqara enclosure
- unfinished Sekhemkhet complex
Key events
- Architectural experimentation.
Reading the evidence
Several later Dynasty 3 attributions remain disputed.
Sources: Metropolitan Museum; UCL Digital Egypt; Shaw (2000). See the full bibliography.