The term pharaoh is used for the first time to describe the absolute ruler of Egypt. The pharaoh then divided Egypt into provinces. A province is just another way of saying a state. The reason why the pharaoh did this was for tax purposes. Each province had official tax collectors.

During the Old Kingdom, engineering improved. This was the time of pyramids. This is the only time in the history of Egypt that pyramids were built.

The pyramids had an interesting progression. The first royal tombs were just holes in the earth. The royal families had issues with tomb robbers, and wanted to prevent this from happening. The first solution was the building of Mastabas. Mastabas were just low rectangle structures over the hole in the earth. This only stopped the robbers briefly.
 
 

The next solution came from an architect named Imhotep. No, not the one from the Mummy and the Mummy Returns. This Imhotep became god-like just like the pharaohs. The solution of the pyramid was considered a gift from the gods. Block pyramids were very clumsy in the early stages. They were small and not deserving of a pharaoh so Imhotep went back to the drawing board.
 
 

Pile on the Nile Bonus

Pile on the Nile Bonus Worksheet

His next idea was a combination square bottom and smooth sides. This pyramid looked a lot better, but the bottom edges could not support the weight of the rest of the pyramid. Imhotep was given one more chance. This last chance was the pyramids that we know today.
 
 

Another engineering marvel was in the area of irrigation. The only good land was the land close to the Nile. After awhile all the good land was taken and the population was growing. Building trenches away from the Nile made more land. To water the crops, the Egyptians made a counterweight called the Shadoof. The Shadoof used the weight of the water vs. the weight of rocks to swing the water in mass quantities.

In the end the pharaohs were too greedy. Taxes kept rising and tolerance was lowering. The Egyptians revolted and started a time period called the First Intermediate Period. This period lasted for 150 years. No strong ruler emerged.