home | travelogue | itinerary | photos | planning | books | |||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
![]() |
![]() |
||
Dynasty NotesThe Old Kingdom is best known as the Age of Pyramids, for it is in this kingdom that the Great Pyramid at Giza was built.
But it was in the fourth dynasty that pyramid building reached it's peak. The first pharaoh, Sneferu, is credited with no less than than three large pyramids and possibly a few smaller ones. Ruling from Thebes,this dynasty was definitely the "Age of Glory" for Ancient Egypt.
The fifth Dynasty moved away from the giant monolithic pyramids and moved to built Sun Temples in Abu Sir. The power of the Solar Cult, which originated in Heliopolis was quite apparent and the administrative structure of the government for the first time included men from outside the royal family. Finally, the sixth dynasty continued the building of funerary complexes and temples, but the first signs of political decay emerge. The rights of succession are given to the official positions in the provincial administration ..the beginning of the decline of the central government and the reduction in power of the pharaoh. The following interregnum, called the First Intermediate Period, is a time of chaos.
|
dynasties |
|