With the start of the Third Dynasty, we enter the glory days of what today's archaeologists term, "The Old Kingdom". It's in the Old Kingdom that Egypt built its great pyramids that are so associated with the country today.

Pyramids are thought to have begun as what are called, mastabas. These were single level  tombs that had a broad square shape. Then for what ever reason, perhaps for vanity or a sort of spiritulism, they added a second smaller mastaba on top of the bottom one.....then one on top of that and another on that. This eventually formed a stair-step style pyramid. It has also been suggested that the pyramid also was another representation of the Chaos creation story mentioned earlier. The pyramid taking the form of the hill  rising out of the sand, to bring back to life of the ones buried inside. Another idea on the shape of the early step pyramid is that they were indeed steps, which the dead king could walk upwards and join with his father, the sun-god Re.

The first step pyramid was built by King Djoser c.2654 - 2635 (also sometimes called Zoser).  It was built in Saqqara, across from Memphis, and was part of a whole funerary complex of ritual buildings. While the last one is a mere skeleton of its original shape through scavanging and remodelling by later pharoahs. It is located at Maidum and probably was built by the king, Huni c. 2621 - 2597. Its completion marked the end of the Third Dynasty and the beginning of the powerful Fourth Dynasty.

The first king of the Fourth Dynasty was Snoferu c.2597 - 2547. He built two great structures - the Bent Pyramid (obviously named for the abrupt change of angle halfway up the building) and the Red Pyramid. The Red Pyramid was constructed of natural red stone and so was duely named.  It was in the Red Pyramid that Snoferu was buried.

His son, Kheops (Khufu) c.2547 - 2524, was the king who built the Great Pyramid at Giza which most people are so familar. The Great Pyramid had over 2,000,000 limestone blocks with some weighing over 15 tons. The outer casing was a stunning white which would have let the pyramid be a beacon in the bright desert sun. This casing was removed however and the stones toted northward for the founding of ancient Cairo. There is also some speculation that the Great Pyramid also had a golden capstone which was still in place when Nepoleon visited the sight.

The pyramids at Giza have captured the attention and imaginations  of countless scientist, astronomers, and archaeologists. The three pyramids of Kheops, Khephren, and Mykerinus have been associated with the constellation Orion or more specifically Orion's belt.  Orion to the Egyptians was thought to be the representation of Horus who in turn represented the king.  Only time and more excavations will prove yes or no to any supernatural connections between the placement of the Giza pyramids and the belt of Orion.

Another odd structure at Giza and perhaps the best known is that of the Sphinx. It is a large stone structure with the body of a lion but the head of a man. It has been suggested that the model for the Sphinx was that of Khephren but there is much debate over whether this is true or not. A detailed analysis of the face of the sphinx compared that to a known statue of Khephren. It found that the sphinx had virtually no characteristics in common with the Khephren statue, so if it was supposed to be a likeness of him, it was either a very poor low quality likeness of him or it is not Khephren in the first place.

Another intresting point about the Sphinx is that in a rainless desert, the walls of the Sphinx inclosure show water erosion instead of the expected wind erosion.....suggesting a that the Sphinx is much older than thought. But like before, only more observations will tell.

The kings of the Fifth and Sixth Dynasty also built their pyramids like their forefathers. However, as time went on, the economic and physical strain on the Kingdom, as well as the rise in power of lower barons, led to the final pyramid being built. It was built by the king, Pepy II c.2290 - 2196. This pyramid's picture reliefs were the models that the Middle and New Kingdoms tried to copy in their rock-side tombs.
 

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