Fourth dynasty of Egypt
Known rulers, in the
History of Egypt, for the
Fourth Dynasty.
The Third,
Fourth, Fifth and Sixth
Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title,
Old Kingdom.
The Fourth Dynasty of Egypt was the second of the four dynasties considered forming the
Old Kingdom. The
pharaohs of this dynasty include some of the best-known kings of
ancient Egypt known for constructing
pyramids, perhaps the hallmark of Egypt. All of the kings of this dynasty commissioned at least one pyramid to serve as a
tomb or
cenotaph. Like the
Third Dynasty, these kings maintained their capital at
Memphis.
Sneferu, the dynasty's founder, is known to have commissioned three pyramids, and some believe he was responsible for a fourth. So although
Khufu, his successor and son by
Hetepheres I, erected the largest pyramid in Egypt, Sneferu had more stone and brick moved than any other pharaoh.
Khufu (
Greek Cheops), his son
Khafra (Greek
Chephren), and his grandson
Menkaura (Greek
Mycerinus) all achieved lasting fame in the construction of
their pyramids. To organize and feed the manpower needed to create these pyramids required a centralized government with extensive powers, and Egyptologists believe the Old Kingdom at this time demonstrated this level of sophistication. Although it was once believed that slaves built these monuments, study of the pyramids and their environs have shown that they were built by a
corvée of
peasants drawn from across Egypt, who apparently worked while the annual
Nile flood covered their fields. While the pyramids suggest that Egypt enjoyed unparalleled prosperity during the Fourth Dynasty, they survived as a reminder to the inhabitants of the forced labor that created them, and these kings – Khufu in particular – were remembered as tyrants: first in the
Papyrus Westcar, and millennia later in legends recorded by
Herodotus (
Histories, 2.124-133).
The archetype of the
Turin King List, which otherwise records all of the names of the kings of this dynasty, has two names missing, which the scribe indicated with the
Egyptian word
wsf ("missing").
Sextus Julius Africanus reports
Manetho had the names
Bikheris and
Tamphthis in those positions, while
Eusebius does not mention either. Some authorities (such as K.S.B. Ryholt) follow Africanus in adding a possible Egyptian version of these names to the list; others omit them entirely.
The earliest known records of Egypt's contact with her neighbors are dated to this dynasty. The
Palermo stone records the arrival of 40 ships laden with timber from an unnamed foreign land in the reign of Sneferu. The names of Khufu and
Djedefra were inscribed in
gneiss quarries in the Western Desert 65 km. to the northwest of
Abu Simbel; objects dated to the reigns of Khufu, Khafra, and Menkaura have been uncovered at
Byblos and to the reign of Khafra even further away at
Ebla, evidence of diplomatic gifts or trade.
It is unclear how this dynasty came to an end. Our only clue is that a number of Fourth Dynasty administrators are attested as remaining in office in the
Fifth Dynasty under
Userkaf.
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Egyptian Fourth Dynasty Family Tree
