古王國時期（前2686至2181年），這個時期埃及多方面文化經過一定程度的融合達到第一個歷史上的巔峰，他與後來的中王國時期和新王國時期相同，標志着尼羅河𠔌文化的興盛。古王國時期跨越了四個王朝――第三王朝至第六王朝，第七王朝時王國開始分裂，相對的文化也呈現衰敗狀態，埃及很快進入到了下一個被歷史學家們稱為“第一中間期”的時代。
古王國時期埃及的皇城首都坐落於孟菲斯城，左塞王曾在這兒建造了他的宮殿。這個時期最著名的産物就是那為數衆多的金字塔，在當時被作為法老皇陵。因此，古王國時期亦被稱為“金字塔時期”。
歷史
開端：第三王朝
第三王朝最著名的法老喬塞爾建造了第一座金字塔―階梯式金字塔，它位於薩卡拉，有6層，由左賽王的“維西爾”伊姆霍特普監督而成。
埃及原來的許多小國傢在這一時期都變成由法老直接統轄的州郡―――“諾姆”，各“諾姆”設立州長負責稅收及土地管理等工作。
這個時期的埃及人篤信法老王能夠確保一年一度尼羅河的泛濫可以使農作物豐收，他們相信法老是上天為他們選定的王者。
黃金時代：第四王朝
第四王朝的王權統治達到了一個鼎盛時期，第一位法老斯尼弗魯王建造了三座金字塔，第一座位於麥杜門，是以階梯金字塔演變而成的角錐體金字塔。第二座是位於達淑爾的彎麯形金字塔（因建造失敗得名），第三座則是真正的角錐體金字塔。
The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley (the others being Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom).
The term itself was coined by nineteenth 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.
The Old Kingdom is most commonly regarded as spanning the period of time when Egypt was ruled by the Third Dynasty through to the Sixth Dynasty (2686 BC – 2134 BC). Many Egyptologists also include the Memphite Seventh and Eighth Dynasties in the Old Kingdom as a continuation of the administration centralized at Memphis. The Old Kingdom was followed by a period of disunity and relative cultural decline referred to by Egyptologists as the First Intermediate Period.
The royal capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom was located at Memphis, where Djoser established his court. The Old Kingdom is perhaps best known for the large number of pyramids constructed at this time as pharaonic burial places. For this reason, the Old Kingdom is frequently referred to as "the Age of the Pyramids."