The three pyramids at Giza were constructed during the Old Kingdom and housed the remains of Menkaure, Khafre, and Khufu. Sahura did not have a funerary monument in this complex. 

The first pyramid was built during the reign of King Djoser, during the third dynasty. The architect responsible for building the pyramid of Djoser was Imhotep. Such was Imhotep’s renown and influence that he became the subject of cult worship in the years after his death. Imhotep is one of the few ancient Egyptians to have achieved such renown without having been a ruler.

In ancient Egypt viziers were the chief ministers of Pharaohs. Their functionality changed over the course of Egyptian history, but they were in existence in one form or another during the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms.

Throughout ancient Egyptian history, women were largely prohibited from working in government. In spite of this, women in ancient Egypt generally enjoyed a far more elevated status than women elsewhere during this time period.

Although some Old Kingdom Pharaohs might have done any of these things (except renounce their divinity), the only practice that was common was the acquisition of four royal names. These names, like the Horus name and the Two Ladies name, were designed to reassert the Pharaoh’s divinity and to encourage the cult worship of the living Pharaoh.

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.