and operated with efficiency. The land was poised to
enter one of the truly magnificent periods of Egypt’s his-
tory, the Old Kingdom.
Third Dynasty (2649–2575 B.C.E.)
The pharaoh NEBKAopened this royal line with compara-
tive calm in Egypt. Nebka was a warrior, and he led mili-
tary units into the SINAItoclaim new mines and quarries
and to garrison those already in operation. He also
extended the authority of the throne as far south as
ASWAN. Nebka’s successor, his brother DJOSER, would
cement Egypt’s hold on the area around the first cataract
of the Nile and Aswan.
Artistically, Djoser’s reign was pivotal in the Nile Val-
ley, as IMHOTEP, his vizier, designed and supervised the
building of the STEP PYRAMID. The monument declared
that the god-kings of Egypt were powerful and capable of
uniting the people in a single envisioned act of creation.
The Step Pyramid also solidified the spiritual aspirations
of the Nile Valley as it soared over the plain of Saqqara.
Djoser also saved Egypt from a famine by sailing to
ELEPHANTINE Island at Aswan where the god KHNUM
dwelled, the controller of the Nile’s inundations. One of
his successors, KHA’BA, built a layered pyramid at Zawiet
el-Aryan and Huni erected the MEIDUMpyramid complex.
OLD KINGDOM (2575–2134 B.C.E.)
Fourth Dynasty (2575–2465 B.C.E.)
This royal line and the Old Kingdom opened with an
innovative pharaoh, SNEFRU. He built an Egyptian navy,
sending a fleet of 40 ships on the Mediterranean Sea to
Phoenicia, modern Lebanon. He was seeking wood, a rare
commodity in the Nile Valley. Snefru also started the
Pyramid Age by building the Bent Pyramid and the Red
Pyramid at Dashur.
KHUFU, his son and heir, erected a Wonder of the
World, the Great Pyramid at GIZA. KHAFRE and
MENKAURÉ, successors in the line, erected two more pyra-
midal complexes on the same site, and the Great SPHINX
was created to keep eternal watch on the horizon.
Magical tales of women clad only in fish nets, the
parting of the waters of a lake, and a prophecy about
future pharaohs were part of this dynasty’s events.
Khufu’s family had rivalries, dissension, perhaps a royal
murder, and it ended with SHEPSESKHAF, who could not
command another grand pyramid. He erected “the
Pharaoh’s Bench,” the MASTABAT EL-FARA’UN,in southern
Saqqara.
This dynasty used only royal family members in
positions of power, relying on princes to safeguard the
throne and the nation. This would change when the next
royal line, the sun kings, came to Egypt’s throne.
Fifth Dynasty (2465–2323 B.C.E.)
This was the age of SOLAR CULTS, the traditions dated to
the earliest eras in Egypt and embodied by the god RÉand
his divine associated beings. This royal line had been
foretold a century before, and USERKHAF began the
nation’s new historical period. He was possibly the grand-
son of RA’DJEDEF, the heir to Khufu and a shadowy figure.
Userkhaf did not seek the shadows. His portraits depict a
powerful, determined individual who understood the
reins of power.
The new bureaucracy of the court was composed of
both commoners and nobles. Ability and dedication were
necessary requirements for high office, and a series of
intelligent, hardworking individuals served Egypt during
this dynasty. They sent expeditions to PUNT and
expanded Egypt’s military and trade systems. These “Sun
Kings” built solar pyramid complexes in Saqqara and
Abydos.
Sixth Dynasty (2323–2150 B.C.E.)
This royal line was opened by TETI(1), who appears to
have been murdered by his own bodyguard. After
USERKARÉ,PEPI Iinherited the throne and began a series
of campaigns that revolutionized Egyptian warfare. Using
the skills of a general named WENI, Pepi I had Nubian
mercenary units in his army as he attacked the Sinai and
part of southern Palestine. The HAREM(I) of Pepi I was
involved in an attack on his person, but he survived and
saw the guilty punished. He then married sisters, the
ANKHNESMERY-RÉS, who bore his heirs.
His son, MERENRÉ, ruled briefly, followed by PEPI II,
who was on the throne for about 94 years. A touching
royal dispatch from the small ruler’s earlier years displays
his concern for a petite DWARF who was captured by
HARKHUFduring an expedition to NUBIA. Major building
projects took place during Pepi II’s reign. Officials were
also opening trade routes to the Red Sea and deep into
Nubia. MERENRÉ IIfollowed Pepi II, but his reign was
short-lived, and his consort, Queen NITOCRIS(1), appears
to have ruled briefly.HERODOTUSassigns a fearful mas-
sacre to this queen pharaoh.
Seventh Dynasty (dates unknown)
This royal line was actually a series of “70 rulers in 70
days,” according to MANETHO. The dynasty list contains
few names, known only by surviving decrees issued by
the rulers.
Eighth Dynasty (2150–2134 B.C.E.)
A ruler named NEFERKURÉ founded this dynastic line,
which recorded several rulers who could not maintain the
throne or call upon the allegiance of the Egyptian people.
An exemption decree was issued by WADJKARÉ, and a small
pyramid by QAKARÉ IBYis all that remains of that line.FIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD (2134–2040 B.C.E.)
Ninth Dynasty (2134–? B.C.E.), Tenth Dynasty
(?–2040 B.C.E.), and Eleventh Dynasty
(at Thebes, 2134–2040)
The two royal families of the Ninth and Tenth Dynasties
were usurpers from the city of HERAKLEOPOLISwho ruleddynasty histories 1 09