The Old Kingdom

Heiroglyphics (Eye before flea except after sea.)

3200 BCE

c. 3,200 BCE
Hieroglyphic script developed in Egypt. In this same year, the Narmer Pallete was created. Herodotus and other important Greeks believed that Egyptian hieroglyphs were something sacred, so they referred to them as ‘holy writing’. Thus, the word hieroglyph comes from the Greek hiero ‘holy’ and glypho ‘writing’. 2,000 BCE
Minoan hieroglyphic script is invented.

Memphis- It's founder and importance ( famous for the influential strains of blues, soul and rock 'n' roll that originated there.)

2925 BCE

Memphis was founded about 2925 BCE by Menes (Narmer.) It served as the capital of ancient Egypt and an important religious cult center. Central government at Memphis directed activities of provinces or nomes. even when it was not the capital, it remained an important commercial and cultural center. Some of the most famous kings of the country constructed their great monuments in or near the city. Alexander the Great had himself crowned pharaoh at Memphis.

Pharaoh Khasekhemwy and putting Egypt together again.

2690 BCE

Pharaoh Khasekhemwy lays to rest the violent disputes of the 2nd Dynasty and reunites Northern and Southern Egypt. An inscription on a stone vase records him "fighting the northern enemy within Nekheb". Nekhheb was directly across the Nile from the southern capital of Nekhen (known to the Greeks as Hierakonpolis), so some scholars suggest that the northern forces must have launched an invasion force which almost reached his Capital.

Old Kingdom Foreign Policy A.K.A Egypt isn't that friendly.

2686 BCE

Egypt's geography made it so that it was isolated from the rest of the ancient Near East and Mediterranean. This location provided security. Through contact with many different cultures, the Egyptians believed that they were the most superior and civilised people in the ancient world and regarded all other people as barbarians. The Nubians were the inhabitants of the land south of Egypt. They were both trading partners and subjects of the Egyptians, but would be referred to as vile.

Pharaoh Djoser and the first pyramid/superiority complex.

2670 BCE

At Memphis, site of the Third Dynasty court of Pharaoh Djoser (formal name Neterikhet, which means "Divine of the Body." The oldest pyramid, probably the first pyramid built in Egypt, is the Step Pyramid of Djoser. Pharaoh Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara began as a traditional, flat-roofed mastaba. But by the end of his 19-year reign, in 2611 B.C., it had risen to six stepped layers and stood 204 feet (62 meters) high. It was the largest building of its time.

Imhotep's achievements B)

2650 BCE

Imhotep (circa 2650 B.C.),was an ancient Egyptian priest, officer, and builder who is credited as the architect of the earliest of all Egyptian pyramids. Imhotep rose to become an influential official, sculptor, and carpenter in Djoser's court. Later Egyptian kingdoms celebrated the famous architect's skills as a poet, sage, physician, and religious leader. Boosted by his impressive posthumous reputation, Imhotep was deified.

The Great Pyramid of Giza (our gift from outer-space.)

2560 BCE

The Great Pyramid is located on the Giza plateau near the modern city of Cairo and was built over a twenty-year period during the reign of Khufu/Cheops. The pyramid rises to a height of 146 metres and is comprised of over two million blocks of stone. Exactly how it was built still puzzles people today. Increasing bodies of evidence substantiate that the pyramid was built by Egyptians using technological means which were so common to them that they felt no need to record them.

Think of the Sphinx.

2500 BCE

The sculpture, of a lion with the head of an Egyptian king, was carved out of limestone on the Giza plateau probably in the reign of the king Khafre. During the time of the New Kingdom of Egypt (]the Sphinx was known by the Egyptians as Horemakhet and a cult grew up around the statue associating it with the god Horus. The monument had a significant mythological presence. The story of Thutmose represents this : [http://www.egyptianmyths.net/mythsphinx.htm(http://www.timetoast.com)

Captain Egypt: Civil War.

2345 BCE

In Ancient Egypt, Pharaohs ruled over nomes. The previous "rulers" of these nomes were delegated to nomarchs. These nomarchs were not part of the royal family. They passed down the title through their lineage, thus creating local dynasties that were not under the control of the king. Internal disorder resulted during and after the long reign of Pepi II (2278-2184 BCE), due to succession struggles, and eventually led to civil war.

Hurrah for Ra! Religious beliefs and trade in the 5th Dynasty

2345 BCE

The Fifth Dynasty held religious changes. The cult of the sun god Ra, and temples built for him, began to grow in importance during the Fifth Dynasty. This lessened efforts to build pyramids. Funerary prayers on royal tombs (called Pyramid Texts) appeared, and the cult of the deity Osiris gained importance. Egyptians also began to build ships to trade across maritime routes. Their goods included ebony, incense Trading partners included Nubia, Palestine and Syria.

Drought, the end is Nile!

2134 BCE

Civil war had weakened the Old Kingdom's rule, due fighting between Nomarchs and the the reign of Pepi II. With the armed conflict came war's traditional allies: hunger and disease. The last straw was a severe drought between 2200-2150 BCE, which prevented the Nile flooding. Without the flood, silt could not be spread through the soil and provide nutrients for a flourishing harvest. Thus,famine, conflict, and collapse beset the Old Kingdom. This ushered in the dark period/First intermediate.