Old Kingdom

The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to that period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization complexity and achievement - this was the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the Nile Valley (the others being Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom). The Old Kingdom is most commonly regarded as spanning the period when Egypt was ruled by the Third Dynasty through to the Sixth Dynasty (2630–2151 BC). Many Egyptologists also include the Memphite Seventh and Eighth Dynasties in the Old Kingdom as a continuation of the administration centralized at Memphis. The Old Kingdom was followed by a period of disunity and relative cultural decline referred to by Egyptologists as the First Intermediate Period.

Related Topics:
3rd millennium BC - Egypt - Middle Kingdom - New Kingdom - Third Dynasty - Sixth Dynasty - 2630 - 2151 BC - Egyptologists - Seventh - Eighth - Memphis - First Intermediate Period

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The royal capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom was located at Memphis, where Djoser established his court. The Old Kingdom is perhaps best known, however, for the large number of pyramids, which were constructed at this time as pharaonic burial places. For this reason, the Old Kingdom is frequently referred to as "the Age of the Pyramids".

Related Topics:
Memphis - Djoser - Pyramids

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~