2700 – 2500 BCE: The Third and Fourth Dynasties

Restoration, Recovery, Wreckage.Around 2520 BCE, King Men-kau-ra ruled Egypt. In his time, royal artists produced high quality sculpture and art; and builders constructed another magnificent pyramid at Giza. But while…

The Great Pyramid: New Information.For centuries, popular perceptions of the Great Pyramid’s construction have hinged on Herodotos reference to “twenty years.” While historians have debated that, hard evidence on the…

A crime scene with no crime.In 1925, archaeologists working at Giza uncovered a remarkable monument. The tomb chamber of Queen Hetep-Heres (c.2630-2580 BCE) contained a wealth of beautiful, high-quality items.…

An Inspector and the Great Pyramid.In the last years of Khufu’s reign, work on the Great Pyramid was nearing completion. From this period, the Diary of Merer provides unexpected testimony:…

Gardens and Girls.Previously unreleased. King Sneferu ("One Who Makes Beautiful Things") was a legendary ruler. His three pyramids at Meidum, Dahshur South, and Dahshur North, mark the transition from step…

Lost and Found.Following the death of Netjerykhet Djoser (episode 4), Egyptians had achieved something magnificent. The Step Pyramid at Saqqara loomed over the horizon, in a palatial complex that rivalled…