Imhotep was an architect who lived during the reign of King Djoser in the third dynasty. He is most famous for leading the construction of the Step Pyramid (the first pyramid built in Egyptian history). He was renowned in ancient Egypt for the construction of the Step Pyramid and for the fact that he was the first architect to use stone instead of mudbrick. Stone has many advantages over mudbrick, not least of all longevity. Imhotep’s innovation has allowed some of ancient Egypt’s finest monuments to survive to this day.

At least as early as the rule of the Third Dynasty of the Old Kingdom (and possibly much earlier), much of Egypt was divided into Nomes or “districts, provinces.” These Nomes were administered by Nomarchs or “governors.”

Although today any mention of Ancient Egypt immediately conjures up visions of pyramids, in actuality the very first pyramid was not built in Egypt until the Old Kingdom, in the middle of the Third Dynasty. Known as the Saqqara Pyramid, it was commissioned by the Pharaoh Djoser, who intended the new building to serve as his tomb. According to Ancient Egyptian beliefs, a deceased individual had to first survive the long journey into the afterlife before he or she could enjoy the benefits of the underworld, and so Djoser had his master architect, Imhotep, construct the external face of the pyramid as a series of giant steps, with the intention that these steps would allow the pharaoh’s soul (once he died) to ascend into the heavenly realm.

Ancient Egyptian history is packed full of illustrious rulers but one of the most famous is the Pharaoh Khufu, who reigned during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Both Khufu and his son Khafre, who succeeded to the throne after him, are renowned for their monumental and impressive building projects. Khufu’s greatest achievement was the Great Pyramid of Giza, which he commissioned as his burial site and became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. For forty-five centuries, the Great Pyramid of Giza reigned supreme as the tallest man-made structure on Earth.

Giza is located close to the modern Egyptian capital of Cairo. It is where the great pyramids and many ancient monuments (including the Sphinx) are located. The Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest and largest of the ancient wonders of the world, was built around 2,500 BCE as a burial tomb for the Pharaoh Khufu.

The Great Pyramids of Giza were built around the year 2,500 BCE, during the Old Kingdom period of Egyptian history. The pyramids were burial tombs for powerful Pharaohs like Khufu.

Contrary to popular belief, the Ancient Egyptians only constructed pyramids for a relatively brief time in their civilization’s lengthy history. In fact, the majority of the pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom, with a few other remnants being erected in the Middle Kingdom. By the time of the New Kingdom, pyramids had fallen entirely out of use; by then, most pharaohs favored rock-cut tombs instead. We cannot be entirely sure why Ancient Egypt’s preference for pyramids died out, but this was most likely due to a combination of factors (which are seen across many complex societies), including architectural innovation, technological improvements, the evolution of styles, changing religious beliefs, and a fluctuation in the availability of money and physical resources.

By the Sixth Dynasty royal authority had begun to weaken as nobles acquired more political influence. The Niles extreme flooding, disastrous droughts and border threats have also been cited as factors in the decline of the Old Kingdom. Political and military overextension was not an issue during the Old Kingdom. 

The Old Kingdom, spanning from 2686 - 2181 BCE, was the period in which most of the pyramid-building occurred. This largely stemmed from the fact that civilized rule began in this period and the rulers first realized decided that rulers should be memorialized and buried in these large monuments. Pyramid-building tapered off towards the end of the Old Kingdom and beginning of the Middle Kingdom because rulers during this time realized how building the pyramids was incredibly time-consuming and expensive, not to mention that they were often robbed by tomb raiders.

The Fifth and Sixth dynasties were the last two dynasties of the Old Kingdom period of Egyptian history. During the rule of the Fifth Dynasty, the authority of the Pharaoh was slowly eroded by the growing power of the Egyptian nobility and priesthood. Egypt underwent a prolonged period of decline and destabilization which eventually led to the fall of the Old Kingdom and the beginning of the First Intermediate Period.