Pyramids, Memphis and Saqqara

Our first field trip took us to Giza to see the pyramids and the Sphinx and later to the ancient sites of Memphis and Saqqara.  In a period of about 500 hundred years (roughly 3000BC to 2500 BC) the first dynasty to unite upper and lower Egypt was created at the site that came to be known as Memphis.  Scholars suggest that this was the first imperial city in human history. The first pyramid, known as the step pyramid because of it layers resembling steps, was built in nearby Saqqara and finally the great pyramids were built within a short distance of the current city of Cairo.