The subsequent millennia produced a succession of great pharaohs such as Thutmosis I and Amenhotep III, as well as the famous boy king, Tutenkhamen, culminating with the era of the great temple builder Rameses II in the New Kingdom. The life of Imhotep coincided with the commencement of the Old Kingdom, the rise to power of the dynastic pharaohs and the first era of truly great architecture in Egypt, characterised by the building of the pyramids. There were several significant peaks of achievement, power and prosperity which have been recognised, and these peaks, known as the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom, can be used as markers of events through the many generations of ancient Egyptian society.

And yet civilisation would return time and time again to greatness. There were times of war, chaos and decline, during which Egypt struggled to survive as an integrated nation. I say civilisations - plural - because in truth ancient Egypt was not one simple linear succession of pharaohs each handing power to the next generation. This could be seen as the start of the great pharaonic civilisations which stretched until the fall of Egypt during the era of Roman conquest. To put the life of Imhotep into context it is necessary to lay down a very brief timeline.Īfter many thousands of years of Neolithic culture, the fertile lands of the Nile Valley gradually came together as a unified nation approximately 3000 years BC. IMHOTEP'S LIFE IN THE CONTEXT OF ANCIENT EGYPT

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