4th Dynasty

Age of the Pyramids

The dynasty of monumental pyramids builders at the Giza pyramid complex, in a historical context, is a continuation of the architectural, technological, and technically implemented buildings of the 3rd dynasty. The architect of the Djoser' pyramid, later deified as Imhotep, had to solve a number of technical and technological problems throughout the project, including securing human labor and their craft skills. The excavation of underground spaces required levelling, measuring corridors, lighting of workspaces, and significant ventilation. Their scope includes a labyrinth of tunnelled chambers and galleries, which have a total length of almost 6 km and are connected to a central shaft with a diameter of 7 m and a depth of 28 m. All this required a well-thought-out organisation of work activities, including logistical support. Proven building practices from the time of Djoser were also reflected in the construction of the pyramid of his successor, Sekhemkhet
In fact, there was a generational transfer of experience and skills, taking into account the then life expectancy, especially of physically working people.The formal transition from the 3rd to the 4th dynasty was smooth in the historical context; only economic and religious ideas and also climatic conditions changed, not the dynastic personnel succession itself. The founder of the 4th dynasty, Sneferu, during his reign of c.23 years, began and largely completed the construction of three pyramids. Apparently the first (referred to as the false one, in Egyptian as Haram al-Kaddab) at Meidum is said to have been the original foundation of the Huni pyramid and to have been completed during the reign of Sneferu. Its surface of limestone blocks was polished to a flat surface after completion. Sneferu then completed the construction of two more pyramids at Dahshur, the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. The last mentioned in particular is attested to by the architectural element of sloped corbelled roofs, which is exclusively presented in the large gallery of the Khufu pyramid. The peak construction period in the 4th dynasty on the Giza plateau has been archaeologically studied for a long time. The history of these works is described by Zahi Hawass