Old Kingdom of Egypt: Map & History
Three millennia of monumental civilization anchored along the fertile banks of the Nile, famed for pyramids, astronomical calendars, and divine kingship.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
In ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom is the period spanning c. 2700 – c. 2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourth Dynasty, such as King Sneferu, under whom the art of pyramid-building was perfected, and the kings Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, who commissioned the construction of the pyramids at Giza. Egypt attained its first sustained peak of civilization during the Old Kingdom, the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley.
Modern Countries Once Part of Old Kingdom of Egypt
At its mapped extent, Old Kingdom of Egypt covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Old Kingdom of Egypt's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Old Kingdom of Egypt in Depth
History
The first King of the Old Kingdom was Djoser (sometime between 2691 and 2625 BC) of the Third Dynasty, who ordered the construction of a pyramid (the Step Pyramid) in Memphis' necropolis, Saqqara. An important person during the reign of Djoser was his vizier, Imhotep.
It was in this era that formerly independent ancient Egyptian states became known as nomes, under the rule of the king. The former rulers were forced to assume the role of governors or otherwise work in tax collection. Egyptians in this era believed the king to be the incarnation of Horus, linking the human and spiritual worlds. Egyptian views on the nature of time during this period held that the universe worked in cycles, and the Pharaoh on earth worked to ensure the stability of those cycles.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Old Kingdom of Egypt (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Old Kingdom of Egypt Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Old Kingdom of Egypt appears, with the other states of the time.
Imperial History & Territorial Expansion
Unified around 3100 BCE by King Narmer, Ancient Egypt was fundamentally shaped by the annual inundation of the Nile River, which deposited nutrient-rich black silt along the desert margins. From the Old Kingdom pyramid builders at Giza to the New Kingdom military expeditions of Thutmose III and Ramesses II, Egyptian statecraft balanced internal religious order (Maat) with expansive trade into Nubia and the Levant.
Old Kingdom of Egypt Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Upper and Lower Egypt unified into the First Dynasty with the White and Red crowns.
Pharaoh Khufu completes the 146-meter limestone pyramid at Giza.
Seventeen victorious campaigns extend Egyptian hegemony to the Euphrates River.
Ramesses II fights the Hittite Empire in the largest chariot battle in history.
Death of Cleopatra VII; Egypt is annexed as the personal province of Octavian Augustus.
Key Monarchs, Architects & Strategists
Enduring Planetary Legacy
- ✓Invention of the 365-day solar calendar dividing the year into 12 months
- ✓Monumental stone architecture and surveying techniques for building the Pyramids
- ✓Hieroglyphic and papyrus writing revolutionizing administration and literature
- ✓Early medical treatises documenting surgery, anatomy, and pharmaceuticals
Old Kingdom of Egypt: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Old Kingdom of Egypt exist?
Old Kingdom of Egypt is dated to 3100 BCE – 30 BCE, in the Bronze Age Civilizations era.
What was the capital of Old Kingdom of Egypt?
The capital of Old Kingdom of Egypt was Memphis (Old Kingdom), Thebes (Middle/New Kingdom), Alexandria (Ptolemaic).
How large was Old Kingdom of Egypt at its peak?
At its peak in 1450 BC Old Kingdom of Egypt covered about 93,286 km².
Geographic Lifelines
Other Sovereign Realms
Bronze Age Civilizations • Capital: Memphis
Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations • Capital: Ecbatana
Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations • Capital: Kamianka
Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations • Capital: Quanqiu, Qinyi, Qian, Pingyang, Yong, Jingyang, Yueyang, Xianyang