Keys to this period
1) The #000000en Age for Egypt.
2) The King was considered an incarnation of the god Horus, son of Ra.
3) Step Pyramid, first pyramid built at Saqqara for Djoser.
4) Soon to be followed by Khufu's (Cheops) Great Pyramid at Giza.
Summary
The first major stone building in the world, the famous Step Pyramid, was constructed at Saqqara for Djoser, one of the kings of the 3rd Dynasty. During the 4th Dynasty, a number of large pyramids were built, including Khufu's (Cheops) Great Pyramid at Giza - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one still standing.
The priesthood of the god Ra became powerful at Heliopolis and some of the kings of the 5th Dynasty built solar temples adjacent to their relatively small pyramids at Abusir near Saqqara. At Saqqara, the pyramid of Unas, the last king of the 5th Dynasty, contains the famous Pyramid Texts - spells for the afterlife (The Book of the Dead).
Teti, the first king of the 6th Dynasty, may have been murdered by a bodyguard. The dynasty ended with the exceptionally-long reign of Pepi II, which was perhaps as long as 94 years and during which saw centralised power dwindle away.
The Old Kingdom spanned five centuries of rule by the 3rd through the 6th dynasties. The capital was in the north, at Memphis, and the ruling monarchs held absolute power over a strongly unified government. Religion played an important role; in fact, the government had evolved into a theocracy, wherein the pharaohs, as the rulers were called, were both absolute monarchs and, possibly, gods on earth.
It truly was a #000000er Age in Ancient Egypt!
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