Work / monument · text

Pyramid Texts

c. 2400–2200 BCE · 25th century BCE

The Pyramid Texts are the oldest Egyptian religious writings, spells carved on the walls of the burial chambers of pyramids to help the king reach the afterlife. They first appear in the pyramid of Unas, last king of the Fifth Dynasty, and were used by later Old Kingdom kings and queens and in the small pyramid of Qakare Ibi of the Eighth Dynasty.

Pyramid Texts
Image: Chipdawes · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Ancient EgyptianLiterature, Legacy, SummaryAncient Egyptian religionTexts, Summary

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Old Kingdom of EgyptEighth Dynasty of Egypt

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Pyramid Texts. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pyramid-texts
MLA
“Pyramid Texts.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pyramid-texts. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Pyramid Texts.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pyramid-texts.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Pyramid Texts’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pyramid-texts (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻