The ancient state extends across the dynasties from the third to the sixth, as the king’s power increased during that period, and King Zoser, the first king of the Third Dynasty, built his step pyramid in Saqqara, where he wanted to build a tomb in the form of a terrace in the style of his predecessors, the kings of the first and second dynasties, but those The terraces increased to reach about five terraces, one above the other, to be the first stone pyramid in the history of the country, but his successors were unable to complete their pyramids, perhaps because of the short period of their rule.
We do not know much about King Honi, the first king of the Fourth Dynasty, while the second of its kings, Sneferu (2613-2589 BC. M) was a measure of strength and progress, as he alone built three pyramids, the first of them in the city of Meidum, which began as a step pyramid and then ended as a complete pyramid . As for the second, he built it in Dahshur and is known as the Curved Pyramid or the Broken Pyramid, and it was the first attempt to build a complete pyramid, but its construction was not completed as he wanted, while the third pyramid, known as the Red Pyramid of Dahshur, was the first complete pyramid in Egypt, which opened the way for building the complete pyramids. This was achieved during the reign of his successor, King Khufu (about 2589 - 2566 BC), who built the largest pyramid and a pyramidal group. The Great Pyramid, which reached an original height of 146.5 meters, was the tallest building in the world 3800 years ago. About 2566 - 2558 BC) his pyramid in Abu Rawash, and was succeeded by Khafre (about 2555 - 2532 BC. M.), who carved during his reign the Great Sphinx and built a pyramid close to the size of his father's pyramid. As for the two temples connected to the pyramid, they were larger and more detailed than the temples of its predecessors.
The pyramid of Menkaurea (2532 - 2503 BC), the son of King Khafre, is an example of the beginning of the decline of royal power. Although his pyramid is considerably smaller than his predecessors, at least a quarter of it was covered with granite, a stone brought from Aswan and was difficult to obtain and transport, moreover, the temples adjacent to his temple are relatively larger than their predecessors, indicating a shift in priorities The king from his tomb to his worship that will be practiced in these temples.
This trend grew more pronounced during the Fifth Dynasty (circa 2449 - 2487 BC) and the Sixth (circa 2345 - 1821 BC). The last king of the Fifth Dynasty ordered Unas to make inscriptions inside his pyramid at Saqqara known as the Pyramids Texts, an introduction to a famous series of texts known as the Book of the Dead. The purpose of these texts was to help the king successfully reach the underworld and transform into an idol.
Beginning in the Sixth Dynasty, it became clear that the king's power had declined, and, in addition to other factors, by the end of the long reign of its last king, Bepi II (circa 278-2184 BC), Egypt was no longer under the control of the central government.
Thu, Dec. 23, 2021
