Ancient Egypt Pointers

Predynastic Egypt
Protodynastic Period
Early Dynastic Period

Old Kingdom
First Intermediate Period
Middle Kingdom
Second Intermediate Period
New Kingdom
Third Intermediate Period
Ptolemaic Dynasty

Old Kingdom The first pharaoh named Narmar or Menes unifies upper
and lower Egypt for the first time around 3000 BC.
The Namar Palette depicts the unification of the two lands

Narmar builds his capital city of Memphis which is surrounded by a

massive dam.
Narmar buried in a stone tomb called a mastaba.

The next significant Pharaoh of the old kingdom was Djoser.

His obsession for building a grand Mastaba, led his chief architect
Imhotep to construct the first pyramid know as the step pyramid.

The next significant ruler to carry the art of pyramid-making forward

was Snefru.
His first attempt was at Meidum.
The pyramid was a mistake as the top layers of it began coming off.

Snefrus 2nd attempt was at Dashur where the architects realized that
the angle of incline was putting too much strain on the internal
structure and hence changed in midway casing the structure to appear
bent.

Bent pyramid at dashur.

Snefrus 3rd attempt was finally successful where the architects got the
measurements right and built the perfect pyramid at Dashur , called
the Red Pyramid.

Red Pyramid at Dashur.

Snefrus successor Khufu built the largest pyramid in ancient Egypt at
Giza.
This has come to be called the Great Pyramid at giza and is one of the
7 wonders of the world.

The ancient Egyptians were aware about the fact that the angular axis
of the earth changes position over a period of 26000 years. This
motion is called the Precession. As a result, the axis of the earth is
aligned to each sign of the Zodiac for a period of around 2000 years.

The Period of the old kingdom fell under the constellation of Taurus.
The New Kingdom
The New Kingdom pharaohs established a period of unprecedented
prosperity by securing their borders and strengthening diplomatic ties

with their neighbors. Military campaigns waged under Tuthmosis I and

his grandson Tuthmosis III extended the influence of the pharaohs to
the largest empire Egypt had ever seen.
When Tuthmosis the 2nd died his wife Hatshepsut took over as the

temporary regent till her step son Tuthmosis the 3rd could come of age.
During her reign as a pharaoh, Hatshepsut builds a mortuary temple
and giant Obelisks to cement her position in Egyptian History.

Her last days are a mystery as she mysteriously disappears and her
step son Tuthmosis the 3rd does his best to wipe out her legacy.
Around 1350 BC, the stability of the New Kingdom was threatened

when Amenhotep IV ascended the throne and instituted a series of

radical and chaotic reforms.
Changing his name to Akhenaten, he touted the previously

obscure sun god Aten as the supreme deity, suppressed the worship of
other deities, and attacked the power of the priestly establishment.
He established an entirely new capital at Amarna and made it his

personal universe.
His Wife Nefertiti ruled in his place.
He died in mysterious circumstances and was succeeded by his 9 year
old son Tutankhamum. The citizens moved the capital back to Thebes
and destroyed Akhenatens legacy.

Ramesses the Great (around 1200 BC)

Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, ascended the throne,
and went on to build more temples, erect more statues and obelisks,
and sire more children than any other pharaoh in history.

Four colossal statues of Ramesses II flank the entrance of his

temple Abu Simbel.
The temple adjacent to it is dedicated to his wife Nefertari.