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The Old Kingdom of Egypt is also known as the 'Age of the Pyramids' or the 'Age of the Pyramid Builders' because it contains the great 4th Dynasty, during which King Sneferu mastered the craft of pyramid construction and the pyramids of Giza were built under the reigns of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. The historical documents of this time, the 4th-6th Dynasties of Egypt, are sparse, and historians consider the history of the era as literally 'written in stone' and mainly architectural in that academics have been able to build a history through the statues and their inscriptions. The pyramids themselves provide little information about their architects, but adjacent funerary shrines and stelae provide the king's names and other significant information. In addition, carvings in stone discovered elsewhere during the period document different events and the dates on which they happened. Lastly, the mausoleum of the 5th Dynasty's last monarch, Unas, contains the first Pyramid Texts (detailed drawings and writings inside the tomb) that cast light on the religious views of the period. During the Old Kingdom of Egypt, the elite standardized art, and figures were produced uniformly to reflect the tastes of Memphis, the capital. Although other art forms such as painting and literature exhibit more skill in the Old Kingdom, statues from the late Early Dynastic and early Old Kingdom periods are very comparable. The Old Kingdom's most famous works of art are the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx of Giza, both of which remain today, although smaller structures were crafted with the same precision and beauty. In reality, Egyptians placed great importance on Old Kingdom art and architecture in later ages.
