Snefru

Rule	2575-2551 BC.
Pervious Pharaoh	Father Huni
Mother	Meresankh I
Nomen (meaning of name)	He Of Beauty
Dynasty	4th
Consorts	Hetepheres
Capital city	Memphis
Achievements	Construction of three Pyramids
Burial	Dahshur
Succesor	Son Cheops out of Hetepheres I

He was an active military leader. His campaigns against Nubia and the Libya are recorded on the Palermo Stone. He began trade with the Mediterranean nations and initiated a series of construction projects throughout Egypt. To supply Egypt with timber, he sent a fleet of forty ships to Lebanon. While there, he erected monuments to commemorate the event. He also undertook military campaigns against both Libya and Nubia. The Nubian campaign was particularly effective, bringing back large quantities of people and cattle.

He built three Pyramids of the Old Kingdom at Dahshur, including the Meidum Pyramid, the Bent Pyramid, and the Red Pyramid. The bent pyramid is thought to be an architectural link between the Step Pyramid and the true pyramids. These projects show the massive amount of resources and power that Snefru had at his disposal.

Domestically, Snefru strove to keep the power of the royal family absolute. Many of the appointed high officials at this time were members of the ruling family. This goes a long way towards explaining why Snefru was able to put together the necessary materials and manpower required to construct three pyramids. Under later Pharaohs, this power was divided with an upper class of citizens who took resources away from projects such as the pyramids. Indeed, this later division of power caused the infighting which would eventually destroy the Old Kingdom. Snefru was deified during the 12th dynasty, and was remembered as an effective and kind-hearted ruler by the ancient Egyptians. He is believed to have been buried in the ‘red' pyramid at Dahshur, breaking with the tradition of Pharaohs being laid to rest at the burial area at Saqqara. However, many succeeding Pharaohs in later dynasties built their mortuary complexes near Snefru's site.