Sneferu

Sneferu founded the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom, inaugurating a golden age of ancient Egyptian architecture and state organisation. He reigned from Memphis from around 2613 BC to 2589 BC, with dates uncertain by about 20 years. He was the son of his predecessor Huni by Queen Meresankh I and consolidated royal power through his marriage to Queen Hetepheres I.

Before Sneferu's reign, royal tombs had taken the form of stepped stone terraces. Sneferu transformed this practice through extraordinary building campaigns, moving more stone than any other pharaoh in Egyptian history. At Dahshur, south of Saqqara, he initiated construction of the Bent Pyramid. When structural shifting threatened the burial chambers, his architects abruptly reduced the angle of the upper incline from 54 degrees to 43 degrees, resulting in its distinctive silhouette.

Learning from these technical challenges, Sneferu went on to build the Red Pyramid at Dahshur, the first successful true, smooth-faced pyramid ever completed. It is named for the reddish hue of its exposed local limestone core. Sneferu also completed or substantially rebuilt the pyramid at Meidum, transforming an earlier stepped monument into a smooth pyramid, and erected a smaller step pyramid at Seila in the Fayum.

Beyond building, Sneferu organised military operations along the borders of Nubia and Libya to secure territory and resources, and sent expeditions to Sinai for copper and turquoise. He was remembered in later Egyptian literature as an approachable, beneficent king. Scholars know him from foundation deposits, stelae, administrative texts, and the extensive remains of his four pyramid complexes. His reign laid the technical foundations for his son Khufu to build the Great Pyramid at Giza.

Monuments

• Red Pyramid at Dahshur
• Bent Pyramid at Dahshur
• Meidum Pyramid completion
• Seila Pyramid

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Try the name on the Cartouche Desk, or see where the reign falls on the timeline.