Twelve Great Dynasties of Egypt Gallery

The pyramids at Giza, belonging (from the right) to Khufu (also known as Cheops), Khaefre (Khephren) and Menkaure (Mykerinus)

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• 4th Dynasty
• The pyramids at Giza, on the outskirts of modern Cairo, are perhaps the most iconic of all Egyptian monuments, and they mark the high point in the engineering skills first displayed by Imhotep in the previous dynasty. The largest, the Great Pyramid, shown here furthest from the camera, remains the most massive freestanding monument ever raised by humankind.

The 4th Dynasty was the period at which many of the institutions of the state appeared in mature form, and the art of this dynasty became firmly established in the canons that would endure until the end of Egyptian civilisation.