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Egyptian History & Civilisation

History of the 4th Dynasty and its Pharaohs from King Snefru to King Shepseskaf
Overview with interesting facts and information about the civilization and history of the 4th Dynasty Pharaohs and Kings of the Old Kingdom period in ancient Egyptian history.

Fourth Dynasty Dates: c 2575–2465 B.C.E.

Ancient Egyptian History - 4th Dynasty Fact Sheet

Fact 1 on 4th Dynasty: The 3rd royal house of Egypt included King Djoserand his brilliant architect Imhotep who built the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, beginning the Age of the Pyramids. The last king called Huni had a daughter called Hetepheres who became the wife of Snefru. 

Fact 2 on 4th Dynasty: King Snefruand Queen Hetepheres became the founders of the 4th royal house of ancient Egyptian kings. They ruled at Memphis.

Fact 3 on 4th Dynasty: Snefru was a pharaoh of great vision. One of his major achievements was to establish and Egyptian navy with over 40 ships, and explore the trading possibilities in the north with the Phoenicians in modern Lebanon.

Fact 4 on 4th Dynasty: Wood was scarce in Egypt and cedarwood was a valuable commodity imported from Lebanon and used for building more ships, making temple doors and the manufacture of expensive coffins.

Fact 5 on 4th Dynasty: Snefru, following the example of Djoser, continued military campaigns consolidating the hold over lands in the Eastern Desert and attacking the lands of northern Nubia.

Fact 6 on 4th Dynasty: Snefru's successful campaigns in gold-rich Nubia resulted in the Egyptians capturing numerous Nubian prisoners. His military campaigns against the Nubians were recorded on the Palermo Stone.

Fact 7 on 4th Dynasty: Snefru continued the building of the Pyramid Age by completing the Meidum Pyramid near Crocodilopolis that had been started by King Huni. He then initiated the building the Bent Pyramidand the Red Pyramidat Dashur (40 kilometres, 24 miles south of Cairo).

Fact 8 on 4th Dynasty: Snefru's son Khufu aka Cheops succeeded his father to the throne of Egypt.

Fact 9 on 4th Dynasty: Khufu aka Cheops built the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Fact 10 on 4th Dynasty: The architecture of the Step Pyramids had evolved to smooth surfaced pyramids. The Great Pyramid of Giza contains some 600,000 stone blocks, each weighing on the average two and a half tons.

Fact 11 on 4th Dynasty: Khufu was succeeded by his son Djedefre aka Radjedef who built his pyramid, now in ruins, at Abu Rawash, some 8 km to the north of Giza. Djedefre's brother Khafre aka Chephren succeeded him to the throne.

Fact 12 on 4th Dynasty: Khafre or Khafra (aka Chephren) was the builder of the second largest pyramid of Giza (Khafre's Pyramid)

Fact 13 on 4th Dynasty: The Great Sphinx at Giza is said to date to the time of Khafre, although this is not confirmed. Khafre was described by later historians as a 'cruel and heretic ruler'.

Fact 14 on 4th Dynasty: King Menkaure became famous for his pyramid tomb at Giza. Menkaure's Pyramidis the smallest of the three pyramids at Giza.

Fact 15 on 4th Dynasty: Shepseskaf was the sixth and last pharaoh of this royal house of Egypt and broke with the tradition of building a pyramid as his tomb. There are theories that Shepseskaf may have chosen to build a Mastaba at Saqqara, rather than a pyramid at Giza, in order to undermine the growing influence of the priests of the sun-god Ra.

Fact 16 on 4th Dynasty: The pharaohs of the 4th royal house were autocratic rulers only delegating power and responsibilities to members of the royal family. This would change when the next royal line, the sun kings, came to the throne of Egypt.

Ancient Egyptian History - 4th Dynasty Fact Sheet

Definition of the 4th Dynasty
Definition: The 4th Dynasty of ancient Egypt consisted of a succession of kings from the same family who succeeded each other on the royal throne of Egypt by right of inheritance. The Kings of Egypt and pharaohs of the 4th Dynasty ruled during the time period known in ancient Egyptian history as the Old Kingdom, the Age of the Pyramids.

Fourth Dynasty Dates: c 2575–2465 B.C.E.

Ancient Egyptian Dynasties

Ancient Egytian Dynasties

Early Dynastic Period: 1st - 2nd Dynasties

The Old Kingdome 3rd - 6th Dynasties

1st Intermediate Period 7th - 10th Dynasties

The Middle Kingdom 11th - 12th Dynasties

2nd Intermediate Period 13th - 20th Dynasties

The New Kingdom 18th - 20th Dynasties

Post Empire 21st - 31st Dynasties

History of the 4th Dynasty Pharaohs
Overview with interesting facts and information about the Pharaohs and Kings of the Old Kingdom period in ancient Egyptian history.

All of the Giza Pyramids

4th Dynasty Chronology - Succession and History of the Kings
The following 4th Dynasty Chronology details the names of the Kings and Pharaohs of the 4th Dynasty and the dates of the years during which they reigned, together with a map of ancient Egypt.

Chronology of the Kings

Name - Dates of Reign

King Snefru - 2575–2551 BC

King Djedefre aka Radjedef - 2528–2520 BC

King Menkaure aka Mycerinus - 2490–2472 BC

Chronology of the Kings

4th Dynasty History
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about 4th Dynasty for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about the history and kings of this dynasty for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about 4th Dynasty for research, schools, students and kids of all ages.

Ancient Egyptian History

Egytian Time Periods

Prehistoric Egytpt 5000 - 3100BCE

Early Dynastic Period: 3100 - 2686 BCE

The Old Kingdom 2686 - 2181 BCE

1st Intermediate Period 2181 - 2134 BCE

The Middle Kingdom 2134 - 1782 BCE

2nd Interm ediate Period 1782 - 1550 BCE

The New Kingdom 1550 - 1069 BCE

3rd Interm ediate Period 1069 - 664 BCE

The Late Period 664 - 332 BCE

Ptolemaic Egypt 332 - 30 BCE

Roman & Byzantine Egypt 30 BCE - 641 CE

4th Dynasty
Learning about the ancient Egyptians and 4th Dynasty inspires everyone to visit historical sites and undertake Egypt Travel and Tours to experience the wonders of this magical land at first hand. Many people choose to experience a tour of Egypt on a Nile Cruise stopping at the famous destinations and sites of Egypt such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. The information and facts about 4th Dynasty will provide you with a great insight into Egypt and the legacy of the ancient Egyptians.

Ancient Egyptian History