Period of ancient Egypt
Old Kingdom Egypt
2686–2181 BCE
The Old Kingdom, from the 3rd to the 6th Dynasty, is the age of the pyramids. Djoser's Step Pyramid, the Giza pyramids and the Abusir and Saqqara pyramids show the state's power to organise labour and materials.
Solar religion, a growing bureaucracy and long-distance expeditions shaped the period. In the late Old Kingdom, provincial officials became more independent, and central authority weakened in the First Intermediate Period.
Key themes
- Pyramid building from Djoser to Pepi II
- The rise of the cult of Ra
- Pyramid Texts and elite tomb inscriptions
- Expeditions to Nubia, Sinai and the Levant
3rd Dynasty of Egypt
2686–2613 BCE
The 3rd Dynasty opens the Old Kingdom.
4th Dynasty of Egypt
2613–2494 BCE
The 4th Dynasty is the age of the great pyramids.
5th Dynasty of Egypt
2494–2345 BCE
In the 5th Dynasty the cult of the sun-god Ra moved to the centre of royal ideology.
6th Dynasty of Egypt
2345–2181 BCE
The 6th Dynasty is the final dynasty of the Old Kingdom.