Throughout ancient Egyptian history, powerful or wealthy rulers (and often upper class elites and government officials) were buried in elaborate monuments, like the Pyramids of Giza or the Valley of Kings. During the Old Kingdom, many rulers were buried at sites along the westbank of the Nile near the capital city of Memphis. Such necropolis sites include Saqqara, Abusir, Giza, Meidum, Dahshur, and Abu Rawash. Faiyum, however, is the name of an oasis located further to the south and was only used as the site of a necropolis beginning in the Middle Kingdom.

Abusir and Saqqara are both necropolises. They were both used during the Old Kingdom period by the rulers of Memphis for their interment. Notable pyramids can be found at both locations and they are two of the most important modern archaeological sites for informing our understanding of Egyptian history.

Due to a widespread lack of wood, Ancient Egyptian engineers and architects primarily relied upon stone and brick as their main building materials. Bricks were formed out of the Nile River’s fertile mud and then left to bake beneath the sun until they had been scorched hard and solid under its fiery rays. As for stone, multiple varieties were quarried and utilized; granite, limestone, and sandstone were the most abundantly favored. Generally speaking, stone was mainly used in the construction of pyramids, temples, tombs, and sculptures, while bricks were used much more ubiquitously, to build everything from temple walls, palaces, and civic complexes.

Most archaeologists estimate the population of ancient Egypt during the height of the Old Kingdom (during the fourth and fifth dynasties) to have been around two million.

Contrary to popular belief, the Nile actually flows from south to north rather than from north to south. It is one of the only rivers in the world to do this. This is because the water begins in the "Upper" region, in the higher lands, and distributes out into the ocean at "Lower Egypt" through tributaries and deltas.

The Nile River bisected Egypt and provided a lifeline in the arid conditions of Northeast Africa. The river's annual flood created black silt which Egyptians depended on to grow crops. Irrigation programs arose up and down the river to water large tracts of agricultural lands. The river was also used as source of food, and papyrus and for transportation. However, the river was not used as a mass evacuation route.  

Evidence suggests that theoretically anyone could attain a high office, which dispels the notion that the Old Kingdom was a total dictatorship. Researchers have also uncovered evidence of markets where people could sell produce and crafts. The notion of an Old Kingdom in which people slaved away building pyramids with no independent local life is fading.  

Despite centuries of historical focus and inquiry, our understanding of much of ancient Egyptian history remains limited. This is primarily because much of the archaeological record has since been wiped out. There are many reasons for this: The annual flooding and receding of the Nile naturally erodes and conceals archaeological sites; the movement of the Nile’s path over time means that some settlements are lost and other’s cannot be placed with any certainty; the destruction of monuments by later conquerors and the desecration of monuments by tomb raiders have also contributed to the loss of evidence. As a result, Egyptologists are forced to extrapolate many of their conclusions about Egyptian life and our understanding remains incomplete.

Mummification was first commonly practiced in Egypt during the rule of the fourth dynasty, at the height of the power of the Old Kingdom. The practice of mummification evolved over time, but the fundamental procedures originated with the powerful rulers of the fourth dynasty.

King Unas was the last ruler of the fifth dynasty during the Old Kingdom. His royal mortuary complex is notable because it contains the earliest known example of the Pyramid Texts. The Pyramid Texts would appear on the burial tombs of rulers throughout the rest of the Old Kingdom. The Pyramid Texts were a series of inscriptions written on the walls of Pharaoh’s burial tombs and were intended to protect the Pharaoh in the afterlife and discourage tomb raiders.