Artistic reconstruction of the Giza plateau before dawn — not a historical image.
The Age of the Pyramids · c. 2686 – 2160 BCE
Before dawn the pyramids are silhouettes on the desert edge. They are now more than four and a half thousand years old. But the question that follows us through this chapter is not only "how were they built?" — it is: what kind of state could build them?
The Old Kingdom comprises the Third to Sixth Dynasties, c. 2686–2160 BCE.
Scholarly note: Authorities differ on where it ends and whether the Seventh and Eighth Dynasties belong to it.
Editorial status: Published — Editorial draft built from the cited sources, awaiting review by a specialist in the Old Kingdom. (Last reviewed: 2026-11-13)