An overview of the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period
Predynastic and Old Kingdom
A brief overview of the predynastic and early dynastic periods in ancient Egypt
Predynastic and Early Dynastic, an introduction
The Step Pyramid complex at Saqqara is the spark that leads to Egypt’s glorious Age of the Pyramids.
Step Pyramid complex at Saqqara
This pot comes from the tomb of a young woman, at el-Amra in Middle Egypt, but pots showing boats have been found throughout Egypt and into Nubia
Decorated jar, predynastic
In this statue a ship-builder named Ankhwa is shown holding an adze, a woodworking tool indicative of his trade.
Statue of seated man, Ankhwa
The king smiting his enemies is one of the longest-lived subjects in Egyptian art and became a standard image for royal propaganda.
King Den’s sandal label
Tjeti is shown in the classic pose of a standing official, holding a staff and a scepter, yet he is naked—a way of portraying tomb owners which only occurred during the second half of the Old Kingdom.
Wooden tomb statue of Tjeti
Seated cross-legged, with rolls of belly fat, this painted statue differs from the ideal statues of pharaohs.
The Seated Scribe
This serene statue of the pharaoh and the queen is from a temple of the Pyramid of Menkaure, undisturbed for millennia.
King Menkaure (Mycerinus) and queen
Smallest of the Giza Pyramids, the Pyramid of Menkaure still rises to 213 feet—and was home to stunning sculpture.
Pyramid of Menkaure
Carved from bedrock, the Great Sphinx is one of the largest statues in the world—does it have the face of a pharaoh?
Pyramid of Khafre and the Great Sphinx
Largest of the Pyramids of Giza, the outer casing of this engineering marvel once shone bright white in the sun.
Pyramid of Khufu
Rising out of the Western Desert—the only remaining monument of the ancient Seven Wonders, the Great Pyramids.
The Great Pyramids of Giza
The Narmer Palette is so valuable that it has never been allowed to leave Egypt.
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