<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The Old Kingdom, in ancient Egyptian history, is the period in the third millennium (c. 2686--2181 BC) also known as the' Age of the Pyramids' or' Age of the Pyramid Builders' as it includes the great 4th Dynasty when King Sneferu perfected the art of pyramid building and the pyramids of Giza were constructed under the kings Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure . Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization--the first of three so - called "Kingdom" periods (followed by the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom) which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley . </P> <P> The term itself was coined by 18th - century historians, and the distinction between the Old Kingdom and the Early Dynastic Period is not one which would have been recognized by Ancient Egyptians . Not only was the last king of the Early Dynastic Period related to the first two kings of the Old Kingdom, but the' capital', the royal residence, remained at Ineb - Hedg, the Ancient Egyptian name for Memphis . The basic justification for a separation between the two periods is the revolutionary change in architecture accompanied by the effects on Egyptian society and economy of large - scale building projects . </P>

How long did the old kingdom period of egyptian civilization last
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