To understand ancient Egypt, one must first look at its landscape. Shaped by the Nile, the country is divided into two distinct regions: Upper Egypt (the narrow valley in the south) and Lower Egypt (the fertile delta in the north).

For the Egyptians, the world was dual: there was the Black Land (Kemet), made fertile by the river's floods, and the Red Land (Deshret), the barren desert. Spiritually, the Nile also dictated a boundary: while the East was the land of the living, the West—where the sun sets—naturally became the realm of the dead and the necropolises. (The beginning of the Benben?)

Before the pharaohs, civilization was forged in the south (Upper Egypt) through two major prehistoric cultures:

Around 3100 BCE, these two worlds merged. This was the unification of Egypt. This founding event is immortalized on the famous Narmer Palette. The first kings then established themselves in Memphis (in the north) and were buried in grand, monumental tombs in Abydos.

With the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BCE), power became centralized. The pharaoh became the guardian of the cosmic order. The larger the tomb, the more supreme the ruler's place at the top of society was affirmed.

Funerary architecture then underwent a spectacular evolution linked to the sun cult:

According to experts, large-scale pyramid construction began in Egypt under the reign of King Djoser*, the second ruler of the Third Dynasty (during the Old Kingdom). Indeed, Egypt spanned 31 pre-Ptolemaic dynasties, the most important of which are:

Djoser and his famous architect Imhotep were the masterminds behind the construction of the Step Pyramid. For various historical reasons, it is difficult to determine whether the reign of Djoser (and that of other Third Dynasty rulers) should be classified under the Old Kingdom. Consequently, the Step Pyramid could either be the oldest major pyramid of the Old Kingdom or the most recent of the pre-Old Kingdom era.

It was during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom that pyramid construction truly took off. During this dynasty, the building of the funerary complex and pyramids began on the Giza Plateau. King Sneferu, the first ruler of the Fourth Dynasty, is famous for having built four pyramids, including the highly celebrated:

Finally, one of the largest pyramids known to us today—though not the last—was built by Khufu (or Cheops in ancient Egyptian), son of Sneferu and the second pharaoh of the Old Kingdom's Fourth Dynasty.

First and foremost, pyramids represent a symbol of power: commissioning a pyramid was the ultimate demonstration of authority and might in ancient Egypt, particularly for the kings and queens of the ruling dynasties. The larger and more imposing the pyramids, the greater the imagined power and wealth of the queen or king buried inside.

However, during the Sixth Dynasty (Smaller Pyramids and Pyramid Texts), pyramids became physically smaller but grew richer from a religious standpoint. It was during this era that the Pyramid Texts developed, carved directly onto the interior walls of the burial chambers (we will explore this in a future post).

As you can imagine, the Giza Plateau served as a giant royal necropolis (cemetery). The organization of the plateau was managed by Hemiunu, who structured the space around the pyramid. He ordered the layout of the streets of Mastabas (the tombs of nobles and the royal family) according to a very strict grid plan.

Religious and funerary beliefs were deeply connected to the landscape. The most tangible example is the Benben: the sun brings life and warmth to the newly created Earth. In fact, according to Egyptian mythology, it was the very first mound of earth to emerge from the primordial waters (the Nun) and from which creation took place. This is why the Benben was incorporated into tombs—because it represents the power of life itself!