The Old Kingdom Egypt

The Old Kingdom

A time of rebirth, the Old Kingdom saw the introduction of the irst pharaoh, dynasty and pyramid to the world Prior to the Old Kingdom, in an era known as the Predynastic, Prehistoric or Protodynastic Period, Egypt was going through something of a transformation. 

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The nation was divided into colonies, each with their own lords and rulers. The north and south of the country werealso distinct in both practices and culture, with Hierakonpolis the capital of the south and Bes the capital of the north.

Excavations over the last century have radically changed the way we view Egypt prior to the Old Kingdom, including the fact that the First Dynasty and the rise of Narmer was not an overnight process. Upper Egypt, the more affluent of the two states, had three main cities – Thinis, Nekhen and Naqada. One by one, these states conquered one another or merged, and by about 3100 BCE, Egypt emerged as one whole state with the warrior pharaoh Narmer at its head. Two dynasties followed his founding during a period known as the Early Dynastic Period, and it was here that the blueprint for the Old Kingdom was forged. Memphis became the capital and Abydos the religious epicentre. 

Even architecture and the arts began to approach the classical Egyptian form at this time. The Old Kingdom began in about 2686 BCE, with the formation of the Third Egyptian Dynasty. The term ‘Old Kingdom’ was introduced by 18th-century historians and is used broadly to signify the first of three peaks of Egyptian civilisation. Often referred to as the ‘Age of the Pyramids’, the Old Kingdom saw Egypt nurture every aspect that would make it great. From the Third Dynasty and its first pharaoh, Djoser, to the apparent last king of the Sixth, Netjerkare Siptah, the nation was transformed into a cultural and military powerhouse.

The pyramids are a symbol of this era, and the template for these monumental icons began in the reign of Djoser. His vizier and closest adviser, Imhotep (who would be deified in generations to come as a demigod and god of healing) was the architect behind the Pyramid of Djoser, and his designs were a significant leap in engineering in Ancient Egypt. Prior to Djoser, kings were buried in rectangular, flat-roofed tombs called mastabas, but the Third Dynasty’s founder desired immortality in death by means of a tomb worthy of a divine ruler. Imhotep’s revolutionary design, stacking squared versions of mastabas on top of one another to create a pyramid, created the jewel in the king’s rebuilt kingdom. 

A grand necropolis, a symbol of the enduring Ancient Egyptian reverence for death, surrounds it and the finished article would go on to inspire pharaohs for generations to come. The grandeur of the Step Pyramid (the Pyramid of Djoser) at Sakkara wasn’t lost on those who followed in Djoser’s footsteps. By the time that the Fourth Dynasty kings were ruling over Egypt (2613 BCE – 2498 BCE), a new set of pyramids were forming. The Fourth Dynasty is considered the ‘golden age’ of the Old Kingdom, the very peak of prosperity. The economy was thriving thanks to a peaceful realm and open trade routes with its neighbouring nations. As with every peaceful period of Ancient Egypt, a spree of construction swept the nation. Khufu, the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, was the man to create a monument so grand it would eventually be named one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Great Pyramid of Giza. Built over a two-decade period, the 146.5-metre-high structure was a feat of engineering that put even Imhotep’s Step Pyramid in Sakkara to shame. Giza would become the site of many more pyramids and temples, known as the Giza Necropolis. 

The GizaPyramid became the pinnacle of pyramid design in Egypt and it would remain the tallest man-made structure for a staggering 3,800 years. It served as a testament to the power of the pharaohs and the enduring potency of the many Egyptian gods. The Fifth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt (2498 BCE – 2345 BCE) saw an evolution of theological practices across the nation, with certain cults growing in prominence (gods rose and fell in popularity, and usually those favoured by a particular dynasty or geographically important location survived obscurity). The Cult of Ra (god of the noon sun) and the Cult of Osiris (god of the afterlife) rose significantly in popularity during this period of time.

The Egyptian economy was also booming, with the influx of goods like ebony, gold, myrrh and frankincense growing all the time. The Egyptians pushed their trading boundaries even further with agreements with Lebanon and modern-day Somalia. In short, it was a time of enterprise without the fear

of invasion or war. This economic strength bled into the Sixth Dynasty (2345 BCE – 2181 BCE), as did the growing popularity of the inscription of spells and incantations inside burial chambers and tombs. Known commonly as the Pyramid Texts, these inscriptions would form the basis of the Book of the Dead

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